NEW YORK (AA) – Some athletes live up to the hype. Some cave in to pressure. Usain Bolt just wins.
Nine gold medals in 3 events, at three consecutive Olympic Games. That’s the unparalleled and seemingly unrepeatable accomplishment that Bolt, now hailed with a more resounding voice than ever as the greatest sprinter of all time, sealed Friday when he ran the anchor leg of the men’s 4x100m relay for Jamaica, breaking the tape in 37.27 seconds.
The legend goes out on top of the podium with golds in the 100, 200 and 4x100m events.
Japan finished right behind with an Asian record in a time of 37.60. The U.S. placed third but was later disqualified for an exchange outside the zone in the first hand-off, raising Canada’s fourth place finish to third. Trinidad and Tobago was also disqualified.
Turkey stepped up several places in the medals table by winning two bronzes on Friday. Soner Demirtas took to the podium in men’s 74kg wrestling, and Nur Tatar in women’s 67kg taekwondo.
Germany beat Sweden 2-1 to win the gold medal for the first time in women’s soccer after winning the bronze three times. In the other medal match, Canada beat Brazil 2-1 to win the bronze on goals by Deanne Rose, 17, and Christine Sinclair. Rose’s goal in the 25th minute made her the youngest woman ever to score at the games.
For the second straight games, Italy has denied the U.S. a gold in men’s volleyball. The Italians beat the Americans in group play earlier in the tournament. Italy will play for the gold, while the U.S. will compete for the bronze.
China finished one and three in women’s 20-kilometer (12-miles) walk race. Liu Hong took gold after crossing the finish line in one hour, 28 minutes, 35 seconds — just two seconds ahead of Maria Guadalupe Gonzalez of Mexico. Lu Xiuzhi was seven seconds back.
The U.S. women’s water polo team extended its win streak to 22 in the gold medal match against Italy. The 12-5 victory makes the Americans the only two-time winner in the event since it debuted in 2000.
More streaks continued Friday as athletes from the pared-down Russia team won gold in synchronized swimming for the fifth straight time. China won the silver medal and Japan took bronze.
Russian athletes Anastasiya Kapachinskaya, Aleksandr Pogorelov and Ivan Yushkov have been disqualified from the 2008 Beijing games after rechecks of their doping samples, according to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Tests on samples from Kapachinskaya showed positive for steroids and she has been stripped of her silver medal in the 4x400m relay. The rest of her relay team has also lost their medals, now placing the Jamaican squad as silver medalist as Belarus moves into the bronze position.
Pogorelov and Yushlov also tested positive for steroids and had their non-medal finishes in the decathlon and shot put, respectively, disqualified. The IOC retains doping samples for 10 years to allow retesting when improved methods are developed.
The U.S. men beat Spain 82-76 to play in the gold medal basketball game Sunday. Klay Thompson scored 22 points and Kevin Durant added 14 for the Americans who are looking for their third straight title.
Serbia won its semifinal game in a blowout, 87-61, against a strong Australian team that included five NBA players. The U.S. and Serbia will play Sunday for gold.
Kenyan Vivian Cheruiyot won the 5,000m in an Olympic record time of 14 minutes, 26.17 seconds. Cheruiyot made her move within two laps of the finish line, passing favorite Almaz Ayana of Ethiopia who finished in third. Hellen Obiri, also of Kenya took silver.
The U.S. won gold in the women’s 4x100m relay, a day after dropping the baton in the qualifying round but was allowed to race again after officials upheld a protest. Jamaica finished with the silver and Great Britain settled for bronze.
American swimmer Ryan Lochte apologized “for not being more careful and candid” in the way in which he described being robbed while in Rio. Brazilian authorities said he and three U.S. teammates fabricated a story about being robbed at gunpoint following a night of partying and drinking after they vandalized a bathroom door at a gas station and was then confronted by a security guard.
But teammate Gunnar Bentz who arrived back in the U.S. late Friday, issued a statement that said he never lied about the incident and that he didn’t see anyone break down a bathroom door. Bentz said footage from other angles exists that supports his version of events.
