‘The Greatest’ Completes a Triple-Triple, Attains Sporting Immortality

Rio de Janerio: Usain Bolt on Friday led Jamaica to the men’s 4x100 metres relay gold medal at the Rio Olympics, and in the process bagged his

third gold medal having already topped the 100m and 200m sprint.

The victory also caps the much awaited triple-triple of Bolt, often considered ‘The Greatest’ by sports enthusiasts. Triple-triple is a term coined to

mark Bolt’s victories in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay of three consecutive Olympics, including the current Rio Olympics. That

is, Bolt has won nine Olympic sprint finals bagging nine gold medals. That is a feat no other athlete has achieved before!

On Friday, he turned a close 4x100 relay race against Japan and the United States into a never-a-doubt runaway, helping Jamaica cross the line in 37.27, beating second-placed Japan by 0.33. The United States came third in 37.62 but was disqualified. Canada finished third with a timing of 37.60 seconds to take the bronze medal. “Bolt’s record in Olympic finals: Nine races, nine wins. Nobody’s done that before, and nobody’s on the horizon to do it again soon,” wrote the Associated Press.

Bolt’s record in Olympic finals: Nine races, nine wins. Nobody’s done that before, and nobody’s on the horizon to do it again soon

Along with Bolt for his final trip down the track were Nickel Ashmeade, training partner Yohan Blake and the Jamaican elder statesman, former world-record holder Asafa Powell. When Bolt received the yellow baton from Ashmeade for his final run down the straightaway, he was even, maybe a step behind, Aska Cambridge of Japan and Trayvon Bromell of the United States. That lasted about four steps. With 70 meters to go, it was all over. Bolt looked at the clock -- same as he did when he finished the 200-meter victory the night before. No world record, but he still has a piece of that one, too -- it’s 36.84 seconds, set four years ago at the London Games.

Counting all the preliminaries, finals and his approximately nine-second blast down the stretch in last nigt’s last race, Bolt has spent 325 seconds -- a tad less than 5 1/2 minutes -- running on the track at the Olympics since he made his debut in Beijing eight years ago. Every tick of the clock has been a treasure. And while he may not close things out with 23 golds, the number Michael Phelps left Rio with earlier this week, it’s hard to argue there is anybody more successful or electric -- or important to his sport, and the Olympics themselves.