Championships
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MOTOGP | Page 9 CCRICKETRICKET | Page 10 Marquez Struggling storms to Australians To Advertise here pole at look for ODI Call: 444 11 300, 444 66 621 Czech GP redemption Sunday, August 21, 2016 Dhul-Qa’da 18, 1437 AH OLYMPICS China’s Chen leaves Malaysia’s Lee heartbroken again Page 4 SPOTLIGHT Unbeatable Bolt signs off with a great triple-triple ‘There you go, I am the greatest. I’ve worked hard every Bolt on Bolt “I hope I’ve set the bar high enough that Olympics to win three gold medals. It’s a relief but I’m also no one can do it again,” sad that I have to leave. This is my last one...’ “I knew it was going to be done and I’m defi nitely going to miss the crowd and the energy, and I’m going to miss the competition. “It’s just have mixed feelings now, but it’s been a great career. I’ll have to make a new bucket list now, I’ve achieved all I wanted to in track and fi eld.” “I’ve proven to the world I’m the Team Jamaica (LtoR) Yohan Blake, Asafa Powell, Nickel Ashmeade and Usain greatest so it’s mission accomplished, Bolt celebrate after winning the men’s 4x100m relay final. pretty much!” STAR OF THE DAY USAIN BOLT OF JAMAICA The Star of the Day is Usain Bolt of Jamaica, who insisted it was “mission accomplished” after signing off with a ‘treble-treble’ in his final Olympic race, pre- dicting that his achievements may never be broken. “I hope I’ve set the bar high enough that no one can do it again,” said sprint king Bolt, a ninth Olympic gold medal safely in the bank. “It’s a great feeling — I’ve worked so hard every Olympics to win three gold medals and I’m just so happy I’ve accomplished so much,” he added. “I knew it was going to be done and I’m definitely going to miss the crowd and the energy, and I’m going to miss the competition. “It’s just have mixed feelings now, but it’s been a great career. I’ll have to make a new bucket list now, I’ve achieved all I wanted to in track and field.” Bolt added: “I’ve proven to the world I’m the greatest so it’s mission accomplished, pretty much!” Usain Bolt from Jamaica celebrates winning the gold in the 4x100 metres relay. Reuters There is no doubt that Bolt has relays at the Olympics or world cham- Rio de Janeiro transformed his sport, if only by al- pionships and calamity struck for a most single-handedly displacing the ninth time on Friday. United States as the superpower of The handover between lead-off sain Bolt drew down the cur- men’s sprinting. runner Mike Rodgers and Justin Gat- tain on his brilliant Olympic It was only almost single-handedly, lin was adjudged to have started before career by securing a sweep though, as his three Olympic relay ti- the exchange zone and the Americans of the sprint titles for a third tles, two in world record times, always were disqualifi ed as they were on their Usuccessive Games when Jamaica suc- required the input of his fellow Jamai- lap of honour. cessfully defended the 4x100 metres can speedsters. “It was the twilight zone,” said Gat- relay crown in Rio on Friday. Again on Friday, former world record lin. “It was a nightmare. You work so Two days shy of his 30th birthday, holder Asafa Powell, Bolt’s training hard with your team mates, guys you Bolt anchored his country to victory partner Yohan Blake and Nickel Ash- compete against almost all year long. in 37.27 seconds so adding the relay meade gave the double sprint world All that hard work just crumbles.” crown to the 100 and 200 metres titles record holder the lead at the fi nal ex- Canada were elevated to bronze af- he has owned since exploding onto the change, albeit an extremely slim one. ter their run of 37.64, a national record Olympic stage in Beijing in 2008. That was always going to be enough which gave Andre de Grasse his third He will depart that stage never hav- for Bolt in his fi nal Olympic race, how- medal of the Games after a bronze in ing tasted defeat in a fi nal, his nine ever, and he powered down the straight the 100m and silver in the 200m. gold medals a joint record in athletics to fi nish fi ve metres clear of Japan’s De Grasse is considered one of the with Finnish distance runner Paavo Aska Cambridge. men most likely to step into the huge Nurmi and American sprinter and long “I told the guys, ‘don’t give me too void left by Bolt when he retires after jumper Carl Lewis. much work to do, make it easy’,” Bolt next year’s world championships. In the eight years since Beijing, the said. “And they did exactly that, I had “I’m defi nitely going to miss the 11-times world champion has become no work to do, just to run to the line.” crowd and the energy and just the one of the best known sportsmen on competition,” Bolt said. “I love com- the planet and with the ‘triple-triple’ STUNNING SILVER peting. So I’m going to miss all of that. has a legitimate claim to the title of Ryoto Yamagata had run a blister- But it’s been a great career, I’ve done greatest Olympic track and fi eld ath- ing opening leg for Japan, who won a great, I’m just happy with myself.” lete ever. stunning silver for their fi rst Olympic American Tyson Gay was the last There has never been any doubt in medal in the sprint relay in 37.60, im- man to beat Bolt in a major champion- the Jamaican’s own mind. proving the Asian record they set in ship fi nal - in the 200 metres at the 2007 “There you go, I am the greatest. I’ve qualifying. worlds in Osaka - and, like many of the worked hard every Olympics to win Trayvon Bromell’s dip for the line other sprinters in the fi nal, he had noth- three gold medals... so I’m just happy was so aggressive that he tumbled over ing but praise for the Jamaican. that I’ve accomplished so much,” Bolt but the United States still thought they “He’s a great sprinter,” Gay said. told reporters. were settling for bronze in 37.62. “That’s just self-explanatory. Words “It’s a relief but I’m also sad that I have Since 1995, though, the Americans can’t describe that type of a guy and to leave. This is my last one... It’s just so had failed to get the baton around or what he’s done for the sport. Every- many special feelings I’m feeling.” been disqualifi ed eight times in sprint body just appreciates what he’s done.” Gulf Times 2 Sunday, August 21, 2016 SPOTLIGHT FUTURE HEROES Athletics now looking It’s over — Bolt at life aft er Bolt makes dreaded Olympic farewell Bolt celebrates his 4x100m Relay victory. DPA Coe, admitted right after his Rio de Janeiro election last year. ‘A lot of people come out to see what I’m going to do. I enjoy giving them the joy I get “New stars don’t come on a conveyor belt.” out of doing this because they give me the energy to do it so I’m always hungry’ sain Bolt had barely Britain’s The Guardian on crossed the fi nish line Friday named Bolt “track and when the world started fi eld’s lone member of the out- to ponder the future of right sporting overclass, and a Uthe sprint in particular and ath- very obvious one-man life-raft letics in general without the Ja- in troubled times for this bruised maican icon. and bloated circus.” The “Usain Bolt” chants and Bolt himself knows his role as general hysteria in the for once it was greatness he was seeking well-fi lled Olympic Stadium in ever since he stormed into the Rio clearly underlined the status of pantheon of world sport with the greatest sprinter ever and how the fi rst treble 2008 in Beijing: much the sport depends on him. open shoes lace, open arms long Bolt had just won the 200-me- before the 100m win in world tre gold by a mile despite a modest record time, the chicken Mc- time by his standard, 19.78 sec- Nuggets diet tales et al. onds. His world record is 19.19. “I made the sport excit- It was his eighth Olympic gold ing, I made people want to see and the completion of a third this sport so I have just put this straight sprint double, and he sport on a diff erent level,” he said then got the desired triple triple Thursday. 24 hours later as part of the Ja- “I just proven to the world that maican 4x100m relay for a fi nal you can do it clean, with hard Olympic tally of nine golds. work and determination.” “It is a brilliant feeling. I told The Guardian said: “When he’s the guys if it didn’t happen to- gone there will be no replace- night I would beat them up. I am ment, just a competing roster of the greatest,” Bolt told the BBC normal scale humans beings.