RIO DE JANEIRO – Usain Bolt has completed his triple-triple, anchoring the Jamaica 4×100-meter relay to victory in the final to ensure three gold medals at three consecutive Olympics.
Bolt, who has won the 100, 200 and 4×100 relay gold medals at Beijing, London and now Rio, crossed in 37.27 seconds on Friday.
Japan set an Asian record to take the silver in 37.60, holding off the third-place Americans by 0.02.
The U.S. women have retained the 4×100-meter relay title and helped Allyson Felix win her record fifth Olympic gold medal.
The Americans, who needed to set a qualifying time in a solo rerun hours after dropping the baton in the preliminaries and getting a second chance on protest, won the final in 41.01 seconds.
It was an impressive comeback after near disaster on Thursday, when Felix dropped the baton after being bumped by a Brazilian runner. That led to the re-run, and the Americans qualified fastest, taking the place of China in the final.
A Jamaican team containing Elaine Thompson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, took silver in 41.36. Britain won bronze in a national record 41.77.
The 30-year-old Felix entered the games as one of six women with four Olympic gold medals in track and field.
Felix ran the second leg for the Americans, the same section as 100- and 200-meter gold medalist Thompson, and passed to English Gardner, who ran a powerful curve to give her team the lead.
Tori Bowie ran the anchor leg and held off Fraser-Pryce as the Americans only narrowly missed the world record.
The U.S. men’s basketball team just got by Spain on Friday, hours before another Olympic juggernaut, Usain Bolt, says his goodbye at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
A day after winning another gold in the 200 meters, Bolt will appear in what he has insisted will be his final Olympic race. He’ll look to add to his medal stash as part of the Jamaican team in the 4×100 relay finals. Bolt led the Jamaicans to the top of the podium in the event in Beijing and again in London.
While Bolt is saying goodbye, Ryan Lochte is saying he’s sorry.
Breaking his silence, Lochte apologized Friday for his behavior surrounding an early-morning incident at a Rio de Janeiro gas station, saying he should have been more candid about how he described what happened after a night of partying with his teammates following the final swimming races.
In basketball, Klay Thompson’s 22 points led the Americans to their third straight Olympic gold-medal game with an 82-76 win over Spain, the silver medalist in both Beijing and London.
The Spaniards, led by Pau Gasol’s 23 points, made it tough on the Americans for the third straight Olympics but again couldn’t upset the world’s No. 1 team. The U.S. will play Australia or Serbia on Sunday for the gold.
Inbee Park kept her composure in strong wind and made two late birdies to regain the lead, posting a 1-under 70 for a two-shot lead going into the final round at Olympic Golf Course.
Lydia Ko, a 19-year-old Kiwi and the No. 1 player in women’s golf put herself in contention thanks to the first hole-in-one of her career. Also two shots back in the final group is Gerina Piller, the American who narrowly qualified for the Olympics in her final event.
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. And Germany beat Sweden 2-1 for the nation’s first Olympic gold in women’s soccer, a title the U.S. women were expected to win.
The American women’s 4×100 relay team will try to capitalize on its reprieve following a collision on a handoff at the Olympic track stadium, and Germany and Sweden meet in the first all-European Olympic women’s soccer final.
Other highlights from Day 14 of the Rio Games:
WRESTLING UPSET: Defending Olympic and world champion Jordan Burroughs was stunned in the quarterfinals of men’s freestyle wrestling. It was the third international loss for Burroughs, who won gold in London in 2012 and whose charismatic, social media-friendly persona has made him the face of wrestling in the U.S.
BAD BET: The Olympics are no Super Bowl, at least with the bettors. The Rio Games are the first since 2000 on which Nevada bookmakers have been allowed to take bets. Aside from basketball, there hasn’t been much interest, however. Seems fans aren’t as willing to lay down money on sports they only pay attention to every four years.
MILESTONE & MEDAL: Christine Sinclair scored in her 250th international match and Canada returned to the Olympic podium with a 2-1 victory over hosts Brazil for the women’s soccer bronze medal. Seventeen-year-old Deanne Rose scored Friday in the 25th minute for Canada, becoming the youngest woman to score in the Olympics.
SNACK ATTACK: Talk about the shoddy construction or the filthy water. Just don’t rip on Brazilians’ favorite snack, called Biscoito Globo. Residents of Rio de Janeiro have been irked by bad review of the stuffy, puffy treats. Just like they took offense to Hope Solo’s tweets about the Zika virus. Also annoying locals have been comments about why coffee cups and men’s swimsuits are so small here.
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