Olympic legend Usain Bolt makes dreaded farewellAugust 20, 2016 - 11:39 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Usain Bolt bid farewell to the Olympics by powering to a record third straight sweep of the sprint medals and a final chance to declare himself "the greatest," AFP reports No one had the power on the track nor the courage off it to contradict the 29-year-old whose blistering run gave Jamaica victory in the 4x100m relay. Allyson Felix hit her own landmark with a fifth gold as the U.S. women won their 4x100m relay, a day after winning a reprieve into the final. The track drama Friday, August 19 and the prospect of a Brazil football final on Saturday almost overcame the shame felt by many Olympians after star swimmer Ryan Lochte had to apologize for inventing a story that he had been mugged in Rio. Victory was not guaranteed when Bolt took the baton for the anchor leg, but he powered down the straight to cross in 37.27sec before soaking up the acclaim from an adoring crowd. A surprise Japan quartet came second, followed by the United States, who were disqualified to give Canada bronze. A third straight 100m, 200m and 4x100m clean sweep put Bolt alongside Carl Lewis and Paavo Nurmi on nine track and field Olympic golds. Bolt, who said at the start of the week that he would be an "immortal" if he claimed the “triple triple,” had no doubt that he deserves more acclaim. "There you go. I'm the greatest," said the Jamaican, who kissed the finish line as he played to the crowd and the cameras. And how did he achieve greatness? "Dedication. I wanted it the most. I was never satisfied." "I hope I've set the bar high enough that no one can do it again," said Bolt whose departure is a second blow to the Olympics after the retirement of swimming legend Michael Phelps with his 23 career golds. Photo. Cameron Spencer/Getty Related links: Top stories Armenian gymnast, Olympic bronze medalist Artur Davtyan has reached the finals of the World Cup. Gor Manvelyan has denied reports alleging that he has expressed a desire to one day play for the French national team. Roma midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan is not considering FC Spartak Moscow as his next haven, according to fresh reports. 10 Armenian lifters will compete in the 2021 World Championships scheduled to be held from 7 to 17 December in Tashkent. Partner news | Police try to impede Armenian Church head’s access to war memorial Police tried to stop the supreme head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Catholicos Karekin II, from visiting a war memorial. Greece says ready to help as Armenia fights flooding consequences Greece is ready to assist Armenia in combatting the consequences of deadly floods in the country’s north. “He will leave”: Protest leader no longer demands meeting with Pashinyan Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan no longer demands a meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Lemkin Institute petition seeks release of Armenians in Azerbaijan The Lemkin Institute is deeply concerned about the continued illegal detention of political prisoners from Karabakh in Azerbaijan. |