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A major competition without Usain Bolt breaking a world record? He didn’t do it in the individual races – Disqualifying in the 100 final, winning the 200 with 19.40. He saved the best for last. An amazing Jamaican relay won with ease, setting a new world record, with Bolt getting to run the final 100 with an amazing 37.04.
The Jamaican team with Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake, Nesta Carter and Michael Frater, broke the record set two years ago in Beijing (37.10) with Asaffa Powell instead of Blake, the new 100 meter gold medalist. It was fitting that the most popular track and field athlete in the world, maybe in history, got to close the Championships with a second gold medal in two days, with the joy, swagger and yes, that light arrogance that makes him so popular all across this globe.
In the Women’s 4×100 it was the Americans who took gold – 41.56 with Bianca Knight, Allyson Felix, Marshevet Myers and Carmelita Jeter, beating the Jamaican fab four of Shelly-Ann Fraser-Price, Kerron Stewart, Sherone Simpson and Veronica Campbell-Brown with 41.70. The sprint battles between the Americans and Jamaicans, especially in the relays, gave us the best races and most exciting moments of the last nine days.
Mohammed Farrah of the United Kingdom, carrying a huge disappointment from the 10,000, finishing second, got the gold that gives him a huge boost ahead of London, winning the 5000 gold with 13:23.36, just ahead of Bernard Lagat (13:23.64) in a race that was mostly tactical but came to a very aggressive finish.
Earlier today Abel Kirui of Kenya won the Marathon with 2:07:38, repeating his gold medal from Berlin two years ago.
In the Triple Jump, American Christian Taylor, only 21, won the gold Medal with an incredible 17.96, the fifth best result in history, beating Britain’s Phillips Idowu with 17.77.
Russian Mariya Savinova won the Women’s 800 meter race, complementing her European gold medal from last year with 1:55.37, the best time by anyone this year. Her gold medal meant we avoided the usual debate around Caster Semenya (1:56.35).
Tatyana Lysenko was another Russian Woman to win gold today, taking first place in the Hammer competition with 77.13.