Bolt made it a clean sweep of 100m, 200m and sprint relay golds from three successive Games to bring his gold medal haul to nine.
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Usain Bolt’s quest for Olympic immortality is complete. This time, the Americans were disqualified for an illegal exchange outside the zone between Mike Rodgers and Gatlin.
“He’s a great sprinter”, Gay said. Even though they were running from lane one, the USA women’s 4×100 foursome had a much smoother trip around the track, defending their Olympic title with a time of 41.01 seconds, a full 0.35 seconds ahead of the second-place Jamaican squad.
His final act was as impressive as the others, coming on a night when the United States’ speedy women’s 4×100 relay team won its second straight Olympic gold medal in the event and the men’s again watched a spot on the podium slip away.
The U.S. women’s water polo team beat Italy on Friday, 12-5, in the Olympic final, stretching their winning streak to 22 games in a row. The US and Trinidad and Tobago were both disqualified. Canada (37.64) was elevated to the bronze medal.
His world record in the 100m, 9.58 seconds? “It’s always something weird, stupid”.
Trayvon Bromell’s dip for the line was so aggressive that he tumbled over but the United States still thought they were settling for bronze in 37.62. Her husband and coach said Suhr had been sick and was coughing up blood before the final.
After Thursday’s race, Bolt said he was pleased with the gold, but wished he could have had a faster time. He said it once more as Friday night turned into Saturday morning. But race officials ruled that a Brazilian runner impeded Felix, and the US team was allowed to run an unprecedented time trial later Thursday evening on an empty track at Olympic Stadium to earn a spot in the final.
– Sandy Morris of the US picked up silver in the women’s pole vault, ending up just behind Ekaterini Stefanidi of Greece. American Sandi Morris took silver, and Eliza McCartney of New Zealand won bronze. The Kenyan team is next with 10 medals overall including five gold, and Jamaica has six gold among nine medals overall. “I’m just happy I’ve accomplished so much and I’m relieved”.
“I’m just happy that I’ve done what I came here to do”, he said after the race, joking there would have been grave consequences for his teammates if they had let him down. There was an upset as Vivian Cheruiyot powered past slumping favorite Almaz Ayana of Ethiopia and set an Olympic record of 14 minutes, 26.17 seconds.
“Yeah, this is the last one, guys”, said the champion, who turns 30 on Sunday, the same day the Olympic cauldron is extinguished.
That put Team GB in fifth place.
Jamaica, with Bolt as the anchor, has dominated the event in recent years. Asked how he felt, Fields said, “I can not even describe it”. The U.S. team had 29 overall at the London Games four years ago, and 40 at the boycott-marred 1984 Los Angeles Games.
“I’m the first Indian woman to get a silver medal at the Olympics so that’s a great thing for me”, beamed Sindhu, 21.
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For his part, Bolt is “legend”, what he called himself after his three victories four years ago in London.
