World Track: Bolt wins again but misses record
Share with others:
BERLIN -- Usain Bolt's third gold medal of the world championships failed to produce a third world record because the Jamaican 400-meter relay team only managed to produce the second-fastest time in history.
"It is a little bit my fault," an apologetic Bolt said. "I was a little tired."
Since the Beijing Olympics, Bolt had won five major gold medals with a world record each time. The world record streak ended in the 400 relay after he set two individual marks in Berlin.
With former world-record holder Asafa Powell taking the baton from Bolt for the anchor leg, Jamaica won in 37.31 seconds, a championship record but slower than the world record of 37.10 they set in Beijing last year. Trinidad and Tobago took silver and Britain got bronze.
The absence of the record left the ever ebullient Bolt subdued. Instead of his antics and mimicking, Bolt sat down on the track and stretched. He untied his shoes and hugged Powell.
They planned for a big party in Berlin, though. "It is top secret where we are going," Bolt said.
Bolt has plenty of reason to celebrate. The 100 and 200 world-record holder was perfect when it came to his three golds, much like Jesse Owens was 73 years ago when he went four-for-four at the same stadium in the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
Yesterday, it was another American who took gold in the long jump.
During a final laden with symbolism, Dwight Phillips jumped 28 feet, 1/4 inch on his second attempt to win. His main rival, Olympic champion Irving Saladino of Panama, was eliminated with scratches in his first three tries. Phillips got the gold medal from Owens' granddaughter, Marlene Hemphill Dortch.
The Olympic Stadium did see a world record -- just not the one it expected. Anita Wlodarczyk of Poland set a world record of 255 feet, 9 inches to win the hammer throw and earn a $160,000 check for winning a title with a record.
First Published August 23, 2009 12:00 am
