Bolt most successful athlete in 30-year history
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MOSCOW (AP) - Usain Bolt is, yet again, perfect. And with three gold medals in Moscow, the Jamaican great became the most successful athlete in the 30-year history of the world championships.
The 4x100-meter relay gold on Sunday erased the memories of the 100 title he missed out on in South Korea two years ago because of a false start. And, in combination with a similar 100-200-4x100 triple from Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Bolt was instrumental in giving Jamaica the first ever sweep in those six sprint events.
The tall Jamaican was trailing Justin Gatlin when he got the baton on the anchor leg, but a botched U.S. handover and his superlative speed were enough to see him, and his country, win.
He gritted his teeth, dipped at the line, and then grinned.
"I wasn't really worried about Justin. I knew if he got the baton in front of me, I could catch him," Bolt said. "So it was just going out there to run as fast as possible."
And when he does, nobody has stopped him when it mattered - in a half decade, and counting.
"It's not just about the talent. It's about rising to the occasion. He understands what that means," Gatlin said.
Bolt had already won the 100 and 200 meters. It was his second such sprint triple at the world championships, matching the two he has won at the Olympics.
With his victory, Bolt moved to the top of the all-time world championships medals table with eight gold and two silver, edging Carl Lewis, who has eight gold, one silver and one bronze.
"It is just great," Bolt said of the comparison. "I'll continue dominating. I'll continue to work hard. For me, my aim is to continue hard into the greatness thing."
