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Glittering Allyson Felix signs off from Rio with another golden moment

The exchange between Felix and Gardner was impeded by the Brazil team, and the USA dropped the baton. For Bartoletta, it was the second gold in Rio, after winning the long jump too.

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High jumpers Chaunte Lowe, a mother of three who finally felt ready for her Olympic moment, and Vashti Cunningham, daughter of former National Football League quarterback Randall, finished fourth and 13th in a contest taken by Ruth Beitia of Spain.

Unlike other races where another runner can simply be added to the final, the relay is limited to eight finalists because there are no additional lanes for extra teams.

They needed a do-over to reach Friday’s final of the women’s 4×100-meter relay, but the US made it count with a gold-medal finish in Rio.

American Gwen Jorgensen clocked in at 1:56:16 to win gold in the women’s triathlon with a time of 1:56:16. The Brazilian team was also disqualified because of the incident. While the gold was Gardner’s first, it marked a milestone for teammate and second leg Allyson Felix. “It’s been a wonderful experience, my first Olympic Games”.

“People are at home watching – watching 2012, watching 2008”, said Felix, 30, who competed in her fourth Olympics and now has nine total medals.

The American 4x400m men’s team made it a double in the final race of the Rio programme, taking gold ahead of Jamaica and the Bahamas in a victorious Games for US Track & Field.

From fearing that they were out of the competition due to a failed exchange, to gold medalists. The U.S. wisely picked up the baton that was dropped amidst the chaos and finished the race, knowing it would help their appeal.

It was the second-fastest women’s 4×100 relay ever, second only to the relay at the 2012 Olympic Games, where the American team set the world record.

The team said they were confident going in that they could carry out their original plan and successfully complete the race without any further unexpected circumstances marring their way.

“There you go, I am the greatest”, Bolt said of his nine gold medals, which ties him with Finnish distance runner Paavo Nurmi and USA sprinter/long jumper Carl Lewis for the most gold won by an Olympian in track and field. You work so hard with your teammates, guys you compete against nearly all year long. And they did just that.

Bartoletta, whose two world long jump titles remarkably came 10 years apart, with a stint on the USA bobsleigh team sandwiched in between, was delighted with her double gold.

She was denied a chance to repeat as 200 meters champion in the Olympics as she was edged by Jenna Prandini by.01 second at the U.S. Olympic trials, but ran a world-leading 49.68 to secure a spot in the 400.

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The time led the field by a significant margin but came up short of the team’s time (40.20) four years ago, which set an Olympic and world record that still stands. Felix joined swimmers Jenny Thompson and Amy Van Dyken as the only US women with at least six gold medals.

Britain's Mo Farah wins the gold medal in the men's 5,000 meters finishing just ahead of surprise silver medalist Paul Chelimo of the United States