“What else can I do to prove to the world I am the greatest?”
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Indeed, that is the justification Bolt uses for his decision to make Rio his last Olympics, though he has committed to running at next year’s world championships.
Even the gods, of some sort, seemed to agree Friday night.
Jamaica, the US and Belgium had the top qualifying times on Friday night for the men’s 4×400 finals, which are being run at 10:35 p.m.
The male relay team was disqualified in Beijing (2008) and London (2012) whiles the female team has suffered a similar fate in Athens (2004) and Beijing (2008). He turned a close 4×100 relay race against Japan and the United States into a typical, Bolt-like runaway, helping Jamaica cross the line in 37.27 seconds. He also posed for pictures with a dude who was carrying a Bolt doll attached to which was a sign that said, on one side, “Happy birthday Bolt” and, on the other, “See you in Japan – Bolt forever”, a reference to the Tokyo 2020 Games.
“He (Bolt) broke the barrier and showed people that anything is possible”, said Bromell, 1.73m (5’8″). “I never knew this would happen when I started out”. “I hope I’ve set the bar high enough that no one can do it again”.
Victory was not guaranteed when Bolt took the baton for the anchor leg, but he powered down the straight to cross in 37.27 seconds before soaking up the acclaim from an adoring crowd. “All that hard work just crumbles”, said Gatlin. The Canadians were bumped up to third, 37.64.
Brazil’s men will try to pull off the feat Saturday as it takes on Germany in the Olympic final, giving the host nation a chance to not only win gold in its signature sport, but avenge a 7-1 loss to the Germans two years ago in the World Cup. This string has both generated widespread disbelief and proven seemingly resistant to every well-intentioned effort at change.
The U.S. women, granted an unprecedented do-over in Thursday’s qualifying after a dropped baton was ruled due to an impermissible hit-and-run by the Brazilians, ran Friday night to gold in 41.01: Tianna Bartoletta to Allyson Felix to English Gardner to Tori Bowie.
“It’s more than words can exprss now”, said one excited fan.
“We wanted to win to make Usain immortal and he is immortal”, Blake said.
Seven track and field golds are up for grabs on Day 15 of the Rio Olympics. My team came through for me tonight.
Inbee Park of South Korea, hits from the bunker on the 18th hole during the final round of the women’s golf event at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016.
“It’s a relief because I’ve had all this pressure over the years to achieve gold medals, back-to-back all the time”.
This gives the team’s anchor, 21-year-old Andre De Grasse another silver medal at Rio having already won silver in the 100m final against Bolt. Same as Carl Lewis. Same as the Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina, the American swimmer Mark Spitz and the Finnish distance star Paavo Nurmi. “I’m the first Indian woman to get a silver medal at the Olympics so that’s a great thing for me”, she beamed.
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The easy answer: one of them, for sure.
