Japan won the silver medal, finishing.33 seconds behind.
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The U.S. women’s water polo team place their medals around coach Adam Krikorian’s neck after winning gold. “Today I said “I am not going to lose”, – Cheruiyot rightly believed this was her time.
As he blazed through the Rio Games, winning an historic third batch of three sprint gold medals, Jamaica’s Usain Bolt was clear this is his last time on the Olympic track, where he feels he has nothing left to prove.
The result gave Bolt his ninth Olympic gold medal and secured an unprecedented three consecutive titles in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay.
In the absence of world record holder Yelena Isinbayeva, who announced her retirement on Friday having been among the many Russian track and field athletes banned from Rio 2016, Greece’s Ekaterini Stefandini edged out Sandi Morris of the United States of America to take gold in the women’s pole vault.
“But I’ve done all I can do, I’ve proven to the world I’m the greatest in the sport, so for me it’s just mission accomplished”. I’m just proud of myself that I executed and got it done. “As we become older, both of us have to train really really hard to stay at the level we are now”, said Lin, 32. “I look at it as an accomplishment”.
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. Surprise world runner-up China was upgraded to fourth. “I had no work to do other than run to the line”.
Bolt took the baton from Nickel Ashmeade after Asafa Powell and Yohan Blake had made the early running.
With the stadium emptying, Bolt kneeled down, brought his hands out to his sides and soaked in one last burst of applause.
“He’s a great sprinter”, Gay said.
“All of the Olympics are special to me, without any of them it wouldn’t be the same. Everybody just appreciates what he’s done”.
Now, he’s the greatest, equal on nine Olympic athletics gold medals with Lewis and Finnish distance great Paavo Nurmi.
Allyson Felix hit her own landmark with a fifth gold as the U.S. women won their 4x100m relay, a day after winning a reprieve into the final.
The Jamaican flew round the bend but appeared to tie up down the home straight as he crossed the line in 19.78 seconds.
Canada’s Andre De Grasse took silver in 20.02sec, just ahead of France’s Christophe Lemaitre, who nicked bronze in 20.12.
Day 14 of the Rio Games features medal action in track and field, soccer, wrestling, boxing, platform diving and more.
Bolt, who said at the start of the week that he would be an “immortal” if he claimed the ‘triple triple, ‘ had no doubt that he deserves more acclaim.
“I am going to dance and sing and it won’t matter if I’m a little bit out of key”.
And how did he achieve greatness? “I always wanted to push the barriers, and that’s what I’ve done”. “I was never satisfied”.
He’s likely to have one more outing, at next year’s world championships in London, before closing an global career that started humbly at the Athens Olympics in 2004 when 17-year-old Bolt failed to get out of the 200m heats. “So yes, it’s the pressure of beating Jamaica”.
There was better news for the U.S. women’s sprint relay team, who retained their title, in the process Allyson Felix becoming the first woman to win five Olympic gold medals in athletics.
Japan, known for its precise baton passes, won the silver in 37.60.
It was the ninth time since 1995 that the US team has been disqualified from a relay at an Olympics or world championship.
“Adversity sometimes makes you stronger”, she said.
Greece’s Ekaterini Stefanidi won the women’s pole vault after virus-stricken defending champion Jenn Suhr crashed out.
The men’s hammer final was won by Dilshod Nazarov – Tajikistan’s first Olympic gold medallist – while Matej Toth and Liu Hong were the respective champions in the men’s 50km and women’s 20km race walks.
“The commission members can ask to hear the swimmers and we will see if there is material for a sanction”, an International Olympic Committee official said.
Sindhu was not too disappointed.
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– The United States will face Serbia in the final of the men’s basketball competition, after the two nations inflicted respective defeats on Spain and Australia. The match at the Maracana comes two years after Germany humiliated the hosts 7-1 in the World Cup semi-final at the same legendary stadium. The 19-year-old Ko hit her first ever hole-in-one on Friday to keep up the pressure.
