Rio 2016 | Usain Bolt wins 4X100m relay gold, Germany win another football title at the Maracana on Day 14
Usain Bolt made a clean sweep of the three men’s sprint titles for the third successive time as he won the 4X100m relay for Jamaica, ending his Olympic career with nine gold medals. In Basketball, the USA men’s team beat Spain in the semifinals to set up the gold medal match with debutants Serbia.
Three main events, three different Olympics, same result. There was no stopping Usain Bolt as he claimed another gold in the men’s 4X100m relay by running the anchor leg for Jamaica, making three out of three at Rio and his ninth gold medal overall. The Jamaican relay team consisting of Asafa Powell, Yohan Blake, Nickel Ashmeade and Usain Bolt finished the race in 37.27 seconds as Japan won a surprise silver and the USA were disqualified to hand Canada the bronze.
In women’s football, Germany beat Sweden 2-1 to win their first ever gold medal in the women’s event at Rio’s Maracana stadium, where the men’s team won the World Cup in 2014. Dzsenifer Marozsan put Germany in the front, as Sweden's Linda Sembrant doubled the lead by scoring an own goal after Marozsan's free-kick hit the post. Stina Blackstenius pulled one goal back for the Swedish team, but it was not enough as the German women celebrated their first gold medal. The Brazilian women’s team lost to Canada in the bronze medal but their men’s team, led by Neymar, will face Germany in the gold medal match on Saturday.
In Basketball, United States continued their record over Spain with a narrow win, final scores being 82-76, to enter the gold medal match for the third successive time in Olympics. The Americans, who are on a 24-game Olympic winning streak, will play the final against Serbia who thrashed Australia 87-61 to enter their first ever Basketball final as an independant nation. The only time Serbia was able to beat USA was as Yugoslavia back in the quarter-finals of the 2002 world championship.
Great Britain secured their first gold medal in the women’s hockey event as the they defeated World No.1 Netherlands in a dramatic penalty shootout (2-0) after they ended normal time on level terms with a 3-3 scoreline. Britain, who won the bronze medal in the London Olympics, withstood enormous pressure from the Dutch, but their keeper, Maddie Hinch, made some stunning saves in normal time, and in the penalty shootout, to deny the defending champions their third straight gold medal.
In women’s 5000m, Kenya's Vivian Cheruiyot shocked the favorite, Ethiopia’s Ayana Almaz, by setting an Olympic record time of 14 minutes 26 seconds. Almaz, who broke the world record in the 10000m by running for the gold in 29 minutes 17 seconds, had to settle for bronze in the 5000m, as she finished at 14 minutes 33 seconds.
USA still remain in the first spot in the medals table with 38 gold medals while Great Britain maintained their second spot with 24 gold medals and 60 medals overall. China remain in the third position with 22 gold medals.