From that moment on, there was only one victor as Bolt predictably streaked clear of his rivals to earn gold for a team also featuring Asafa Powell, Nickel Ashmeade and Yohan Blake.
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Jamaica’s Usain Bolt won his third gold medal of the 2016 Rio Olympics and his ninth career Olympic gold in the mens 4x100m relay on Friday night.
The owner of six of the 10 fastest 200m times in history said: “I wanted to run a little bit faster, even if I didn’t break the world record”.
The Jamaican team won in a time of 37.27sec with Japan second in 37.60s and U.S. third in 37.62s.
The USA team were told it was because Gatlin received the baton too early from Rodgers in the first handover, but they are now appealing against the decision.
But the moment belonged to Bolt, who claimed the sprint triple (100m, 200m, 4x100m relay) at a third successive Olympic Games.
With nine gold medals he joins a group comprising Soviet gymnastics great Larisa Latynina, Finnish long-distance supremo Paavo Nurmi and Americans Mark Spitz and Carl Lewis, who for a time reigned supreme in the pool and on the track, respectively.
Greatness. Immortality. Finally, Bolt is up there like he craved with legends such as Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan and Pele.
Bolt didn’t mind, though, slipping through the gears to see off Japan and cement his status as the greatest sprinter of all time.
“I am not anxious about the record”, Bolt said. “I’ve just put the sport on a different level and put on it a different pedestal”.
Bolt will not take part in another Games after this one and admitted that his celebration of falling to his knees on the track was his way of “saying goodbye”.
“It was a step up from the last Olympics I was at in London [2012]”. “It’s happened. I am just happy, proud of myself”.
Bolt’s achievements rank with swimmer Phelps – he most successful Olympic athlete ever – who signed off with five more gold medals in Rio to extend his record tally to 23. “I look at it as an accomplishment”.
“I’ll stay up late tonight”, Bolt said when asked how he’d celebrate.
Great Britain, from lane one, finished a disappointing sixth. I like them in threes.
On Day 14 of the Rio Games, Ashleigh Johnson made nine saves and Kiley Neushul scored three times, helping the United States beat Italy 12-5 in the Olympic final of women’s water polo.
“Elsewhere the Games’ final Friday saw brisk action with 22 gold medals up for grabs heading into the last two days of competition”.
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He grinned: “That’s not for me to say”.
