The U.S. finished the race third but endured yet another relay debacle – disqualified because leadoff runner Mike Rodgers passed the baton to Justin Gatlin outside the exchange zone.
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Team USA did pretty well in its middle-distance relays, too, with both the men and women’s squads advancing to finals in their respective 4×400-meter relays.
He grabbed the baton almost even with the United States team, but pulled away easily in the homestretch to give Jamaica its third consecutive 4×100 gold.
“I’m so happy in my Olympic debut, three Olympic medals, and you know one of them was with my teammates right here”, said De Grasse.
The drawback was they were given the worst lane of all, Lane 1, which has the tightest corners and usually impedes top speed.
It didn’t bother them.
The Kenyan women have also won the 1,500 meters and the marathon, and taken second in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and the 10,000 meters.
As so often, Felix’s celebrations were mostly muted but her smile told it all.
The U.S. women won the 4×100-meter relay on Friday night in Rio.
“The adversity yesterday”, Felix said, “made us even more determined”. The Americans won in 41.01 seconds, the second fastest in history.
Team Jamaica (LtoR) Jamaica’s Yohan Blake, Jamaica’s Nickel Ashmeade, Jamaica’s Asafa Powell and Jamaica’s Usain Bolt celebrate after winning the Men’s 4x100m Relay Final.
TRIUMPHED – Germany’s first women’s soccer gold medal, Britain’s first gold in women’s hockey and Spain’s first singles badminton title by Carolina Marin.
It was not all perfection for the Americans though.
After the race he said: “There you go, I am the greatest”.
Japan’s quartet took a surprise silver in 37.60sec while Canada took bronze after the United States, who crossed in third, were later disqualified. The U.S. team lodged a protest, hoping to get the medal back.
How clutch for the US, and from lane one!
If not, gold went to Greece’s European champion Ekaterini Stefanidi who, like Morris, had cleared 4.85m but had a better overall record.
Bolt may lose one of his nine gold medals – the relay gold from London owing to the drug indiscretion of another on his team – but just as this medal statistically enhances Bolt’s reputation by virtue only of the weight of numbers in his favour, the removal of one will not diminish his standing.
That lasted about four steps. It’s ridiculous. We went out there to have fun, and a simple mistake cost us.
“I glanced. I mean, I realize we’re leading the medal count”.
Lewis won four straight golds, in the long jump.
Bolt has said he plans to retire following next year’s World Championships in London, meaning Friday most likely provided the final chance to see the most successful sprinter of all time performing on the grandest stage. That’s why it is my last Olympics.
Ayana set off strongly and seemed to take the lead for good after one third of the race.
After controversy nearly kept the United States women’s 4×100-meter relay team out of Friday’s final, the group instead was able to defend its Olympic title.
RIO DE JANEIRO The runners who have lost to Usain Bolt for the past dozen years showered the Jamaican superstar with praise on Friday, after he completed his historic “triple-triple” in what he has said will be his final Olympics. The relay which was his last race in the 2016 Rio Olympics ended with another Gold medal, making it his 9th Gold Olympic medal on Friday night. “He ‘only” has five Olympic golds.
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Finally, the biggest sports news of the day didn’t involve anyone winning a medal in Rio.
