One day after achieving a historic Olympic "double-double," Jamaica's Usain Bolt will now turn his attention to the the 4x100 men's relay races that begin Friday at the 2012 London Games.
Bolt laid claim to the mantle of the world's greatest sprinter Thursday by winning the 200-meter race, becoming the first man to win gold in both the 100 and 200-meter events in back-to-back Olympics. He and the rest of the Jamaican relay team, which also includes 100- and 200-meters silver medalist Yohan Blake, are the favorites to defend their title from 2008 Beijing Games -- thus giving Bolt an unheard-of Olympic "triple-double."
But Bolt is likely to be rested for Friday's opening round, to keep him fresh for Saturday's gold medal race.
The Jamaican women, including 100-meter champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Veronica Campbell-Brown, are competing for their own gold medal in Friday's 4x100 relay, and a chance to atone for their failure to medal at the 2008 Beijing Games. They will face a U.S. team featuring 200-meter winner Allyson Felix and Carmelita Jeter who are also seeking redemption for their own failure at Beijing.
Meanwhile, long-distance runner Tirunesh Dibaba is seeking her own Olympic "double-double" when she defends her crown in the finals of the 5,000-meter event. Dibaba won the 10,000 meter race last week, repeating her triumph from the 2008 Games.
Friday's other track-and-field gold medal events includes the women's 1,500-meters, the men's 4x400 relay and the men's pole vault.
Cycling comes to an end with both the finals and semifinals of the BMX ((bike motorcross)) event, while the latest edition of the U.S. men's basketball "Dream Team" will play a veteran Argentina squad for a chance to play for yet another Olympic gold medal. And the women's field hockey category closes with a gold medal match between the Netherlands and Argentina.
The United States has jumped out to the lead in the total medal count with 90, with China in second with 80 and Russia with 56. The U.S. also leads the gold medal category with 39, while China has 37 and the host country Britain with 25.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
Bolt laid claim to the mantle of the world's greatest sprinter Thursday by winning the 200-meter race, becoming the first man to win gold in both the 100 and 200-meter events in back-to-back Olympics. He and the rest of the Jamaican relay team, which also includes 100- and 200-meters silver medalist Yohan Blake, are the favorites to defend their title from 2008 Beijing Games -- thus giving Bolt an unheard-of Olympic "triple-double."
But Bolt is likely to be rested for Friday's opening round, to keep him fresh for Saturday's gold medal race.
The Jamaican women, including 100-meter champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Veronica Campbell-Brown, are competing for their own gold medal in Friday's 4x100 relay, and a chance to atone for their failure to medal at the 2008 Beijing Games. They will face a U.S. team featuring 200-meter winner Allyson Felix and Carmelita Jeter who are also seeking redemption for their own failure at Beijing.
Meanwhile, long-distance runner Tirunesh Dibaba is seeking her own Olympic "double-double" when she defends her crown in the finals of the 5,000-meter event. Dibaba won the 10,000 meter race last week, repeating her triumph from the 2008 Games.
Friday's other track-and-field gold medal events includes the women's 1,500-meters, the men's 4x400 relay and the men's pole vault.
Cycling comes to an end with both the finals and semifinals of the BMX ((bike motorcross)) event, while the latest edition of the U.S. men's basketball "Dream Team" will play a veteran Argentina squad for a chance to play for yet another Olympic gold medal. And the women's field hockey category closes with a gold medal match between the Netherlands and Argentina.
The United States has jumped out to the lead in the total medal count with 90, with China in second with 80 and Russia with 56. The U.S. also leads the gold medal category with 39, while China has 37 and the host country Britain with 25.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
