LONDON – Usain Bolt and Ryan Bailey got the baton at almost exactly the same time Saturday night, then sped down the stretch for the final leg of the 400-meter relay.
When Bolt reached his top gear, it was over.
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Bolt powered Jamaica to a world-record time of 36.84 seconds, making him 3 for 3 for the second straight Olympics. He also won the 100 and 200 in London and Beijing.
Bolt picked up another victory long after the record-breaking relay was over. After grudgingly handing the baton to an official right after he crossed the line, he got it back about 40 minutes later. He responded with a bow of thanks and kissed his new memento.
Bailey and the United States got the silver in 37.04, matching the record Bolt helped set at last year’s world championships. Trinidad and Tobago took the bronze in 38.12 after Canada, which was third across the line, was disqualified for running outside its lane.
Before the relay, Mo Farah sent a charge through the capacity crowd at Olympic Stadium when he won the 5,000 meters to complete an Olympic long-distance double for Britain.
Farah surged ahead late and held on to win in 13 minutes, 41.66 seconds.
Allyson Felix won her third gold medal as the Americans rolled to an easy victory in the women’s 4×400 relay, and Russia capped a big day with wins by Mariya Savinova in the women’s 800 and Anna Chicherova in the women’s high jump — giving the traditional Olympic power six golds on the next-to-last day of the games.
MEN’S DIVING: David Boudia won the first U.S. gold in the event since 2000.
Boudia scored 568.65 points in the six-dive final for men’s 10-meter platform, edging Qiu Bo of China by 1.8 points. Tom Daley of Britain settled for the bronze.
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL: Jaqueline Carvalho had 18 points and Brazil won in four sets to stop the United States from winning its first gold medal in the event.
Brazil became the third team to repeat as gold medalist. The Soviet Union won in 1968 and 1972, and Cuba won three straight starting in 1992.
BOXING: Bantamweight Luke Campbell won Britain’s first gold medal in his division since 1908, dramatically knocking down John Joe Nevin of Ireland midway through the third round of a 14-11 victory.
Light flyweight Zou Shiming of China, light welterweight Roniel Iglesias of Cuba, middleweight Ryota Murata of Japan and heavyweight Oleksandr Usyk of Ukraine also won their divisions.
SAILING: Tamara Echegoyen, Angela Pumariega and Sofia Toro of Spain won women’s match racing, helped by an Australian boat-handling error that swept its skipper into the water.
With the best-of-five match at 1-1, the boats were sailing nearly side-by-side downwind in the third race in big waves when the Australian crew lost control and its boat rolled on its side. Skipper Olivia Price was swept out of the back of the boat and her crew had to pick her up before continuing.
CANOE/KAYAK: Ed Mc-Keever of Britain won the men’s 200-meter kayak sprint in its Olympic debut
McKeever powered his way to victory in 36.246 seconds. Saul Craviotto Rivero of Spain was second, and Mark de Jonge of Canada beat Maxim Beaumont of France for bronze by three-hundredths of a second.
MOUNTAIN BIKING: Julie Bresset picked up the victory at her first Olympics, rolling through the English countryside and waving the French flag as she finished.
Bresset, 23, started blowing kisses to cheering fans on the final straight. Sabine Spitz of Germany wound up with the silver medal and Georgia Gould of the United States claimed bronze.
RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS: Evgeniya Kanaeva of Russia became the first rhythmic gymnast to win two all-around titles, defending her gold medal from Beijing.
Kanaeva posted the highest score in three of the four events and finished with 116.90 points. That was more than two points ahead of teammate Daria Dmitrieva. Liubou Charkashnya of Belarus won the bronze medal.
FREESTYLE WRESTLING: Artur Taymazov of Uzbekistan won his third straight gold in the men’s 120-kilogram division, beating Davit Modzmanashvili of Georgia in the final.
Coleman Scott of the United States won a bronze medal in the 60-kilogram competition.
WOMEN’S HANDBALL: Norway retained its Olympic title by beating Montenegro, 26-23.
MEN’S FIELD HOCKEY: Germany defeated the Netherlands 2-1 to win its second straight title and spoil a bid for a Dutch double in the sport.
RACEWALKING: Russia collected two gold medals, with Elena Lashmanova winning the women’s 20-kilometer race and Sergei Kirdyapkin taking the men’s 50K.
Lashmanova broke the world record with a time of 1 hour, 25 minutes, 2 seconds.
MODERN PENTATHLON: David Svoboda of the Czech Republic won the men’s event.
TAEKWONDO: Gold medals went to Carlo Molfetta of Italy (men’s plus 80-kilogram) and Milica Mandic of Serbia (women’s plus 67-kg). It was Serbia’s first gold of the games.
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