Usain Bolt bid a blazing-fast farewell to Rio de Janeiro, and probably the Olympics altogether, Friday night with yet another anchor leg for the ages.
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The rivalry between the Jamaican and USA relay teams is one of the fiercest in all Olympic sports.
Japan won a surprise silver and the United States of America were disqualified to hand Canada bronze and lift Britain up to fifth.
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.
He’s done it. Usain Bolt, in gold spikes, waited 27 seconds to see if his three Jamaican teammates could shift the baton around the track. American Sandi Morris took silver, and Eliza McCartney of New Zealand won bronze. Americans Paul Chelimo, Bernard Lagat and Hassan Mead are among those looking to keep Farah from winning yet another Olympic gold medal.
The US originally missed out on qualifying for the final but was allowed a solo re-run of their heat on Thursday when officials ruled they were obstructed.
In women’s 5,000m event, Kenya’s Vivian Cheruiyot won gold with a new Olympic record while women’s pole vault gold went to Ekaterini Stefanidi of Greece.
– Klay Thompson scored 22 points and the US men’s basketball team advanced to the gold-medal game by beating Spain 82-76.
As Ashton Eaton, the decathlon champion said, and this goes for all who have had the privilege to bear witness to Bolt’s collection of astonishing turns on the track, said, “It has been an absolute pleasure to compete in the same era as Usain Bolt”. That second one [London 2012] was a challenge.
“Last year we were fourth, and USA got DQ’d and we got a medal”, he said.
“It was hard because the weather wasn’t that good”, Liu said of the hot conditions.
“I knew it was going to be done and I’m definitely going to miss the crowd and the energy, and I’m going to miss the competition”.
“It means a lot to me”. Even though I didn’t break the world record, I wanted to run a little bit faster. Every time there is an Olympics I have given that extra to achieve what I have. In men’s doubles, China’s Fu Haifeng and Zhang Nan took the title over Malaysia’s Goh V Shem and Tan Wee Kiong. “And in the process, I became one of the greatest”.
Bolt, who celebrates his 30th birthday on Sunday, signed off in trademark fashion as he took the baton from Nickel Ashmeade and, knees high and arms pumping, stormed away from second-placed Japan to huge cheers.
Bolt ensured he bowed out a victor in Rio, claiming a ninth gold medal from as many races after helping Jamaica to victory in the 4×100 metre relay on Friday.
Bolt conceded that push-to-the-finish semifinal played into his inability to break his 200-meter world record a night later in the final.
Much has changed in eight years.
As a seasoned veteran, Lin is the one who best understands Lee’s efforts and wished him good luck.
Bolt’s record in Olympic finals: Nine races, nine wins.
“The key thing is that I won”. I’m just proud of myself that I executed and got it done.
– Connor Fields is the first American to win gold in BMX cycling after finishing first in 34.622 seconds.
Canadian Andre de Grasse, who also won bronze behind Bolt in the 100m, finished second in 20.02 to claim his second sprint medal of the Games and establish himself as the heir apparent to the Sprint King.
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Off the track, six-gold medal swimmer Lochte apologized for inventing a story about an armed mugging to cover up an act of vandalism at a Rio gas station.
