Canada were elevated to bronze after their run of 37.64, a national record which gave Andre de Grasse his third medal of the Games after his bronze in the 100m and silver in the 200m.
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Illuminating the men’s struggles even more, the USA women staged a dramatic victory over the favored Jamaicans in their 4×100 final, and did it, incredibly, out of lane 1 with its tighter turns.
It is a feat that USA Today has said is truly a fantastic way to cap off Usain Bolt’s Olympic legacy. I just want to get out of here, go home and figure it out.
“I hope I’ve set the bar high enough so that no one can do it again”.
Prior to Bolt, Jamaica had never won an Olympic gold medal in the event.
With the men’s 4×100-meter relay looking tight heading into the anchor leg, the world’s fastest man pulled away nearly immediately to cross the finish line and make a little more history.
It also feels unbelievable that he’s gone.
“If anything”, Eaton said, referring to Bolt, “he has provided a platform for all the other young aspiring athletes to launch from”, adding, “In the years to come, I think we’ll see a lot of athletes who were inspired by Usain Bolt”. He swears these were his last Olympics. With the stadium emptying, Bolt kneeled down, brought his hands out to his sides and soaked in one last burst of applause. “Nine gold medals, words can’t even describe what he’s done for the sport”.
We’re used to seeing legends decline.
“We’ll explore whatever avenues we can to encourage him to come here”, Beattie told AAP. The beloved Pele, too infirm or conflicted to light the cauldron at his native Brazil’s Olympic Games. It’s easier when you know you’re the fastest man out there. In Rio, after his traditional championship run-up of slow times and semi-injuries, Bolt dominated the 100 and crushed the field in the 200. And then, Bolt got reflective. Only the thrill of knowing he was about to finish the race, the Olympics, and his career victorious. “I look at it as an accomplishment”. “They said they thought it was early”. So what happened in this last relay was fitting.
The same first three lined it up Friday for the Americans. Almaz, who broke the world record in the 10000m by running for the gold in 29 minutes 17 seconds, had to settle for bronze in the 5000m, as she finished at 14 minutes 33 seconds.
Gemili, the British athletics team captain who narrowly missed out on 200m bronze, said: “They are a great team”. For Gatlin and Gay, both 34 years old, it was nearly certainly their final moment of glory, however bittersweet.
Then on Thursday, Bolt won his third 200 metre Olympic gold, clocking a speed of 19.78 seconds, ahead of Britain’s Adam Gemili in fourth.
The final act came when the fastest man who ever lived, who will be 30 on Sunday, anchored Jamaica to the 4×100 metres relay title to claim an unprecedented third successive sweep of all three Olympic sprint titles – the triple-triple.
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The disqualification for the U.S occurred after replays showed an illegal baton exchange, taking place outside of the zone from the very first change. Japan was a surprise medalist, claiming silver after running a surprising 37.60, while the United States of America, who had originally gained bronze, were later disqualified.
