BLAZING BOLT
Jamaican wins third straight 200
Eaton captures gold medal in decathlon, Crouser in shot put
The world’s best all-around athlete had to share a special night with history’s fastest man.
So did a big guy from Oregon who won the first American gold medal in the shot put in 20 years.
A banner red, white and blue day at track and field ended Thursday night in a blaze of yellow-and-black at the Rio Games.
Usain Bolt, the greatest sprinter in history, became only the third Olympian to win two individual events three times Thursday. Bolt’s dominating performance in the 200 meters overshadowed Ashton Eaton’s own dance with immortality in the decathlon.
Eaton won one of four U.S. gold medals on a day the victorious Americans had to concede the stage to a boundless Jamaican who joined Michael Phelps and Ray Ewry as the only Olympians with double threepeats.
Bolt, who turns 30 on Sunday, likes theatrics but he didn’t let any drama occur in the race by destroying all comers in winning in 19.78 seconds. The charismatic, three-time 100-meter champion earned his eighth gold medal in his final individual Olympic performance.
“I am trying to be one of the greatest,” he told reporters. “Be among (Muhammad) Ali and Pele. I hope after these Games
I will be in that bracket.”
But he lamented the time that was well off his world record of 19.19 seconds from seven years ago. Bolt won in his slowest time in an Olympic 200 final, still well ahead of silver medalist Andre De Grasse of Canada, who crossed the line in 20.02 seconds.
Bolt is expected to make his final Olympic appearance Friday in the 400 relay final where he and Jamaica are two-time defending champions.
“That is why it’s my last Olympics,” Bolt said. “I can’t prove anything else.”
The unstoppable U.S. track team might feel the same after collecting six more medals Thursday for a total of 24.
Perhaps none was bigger than Eaton’s. He joined two others to successfully defend Olympic titles in the grueling twoday, 10-event competition made famous by Jim Thorpe, Bob Mathias and Bruce Jenner, now known as Caitlyn.
Eaton, 28, also tied his Olympic record with 8,893 points after a strong run in the final event, the 1,500 meters. His last, energy-sapping burst stopped France’s Kevin Mayer from a chance at a stunning victory. Mayer took the silver to get his country’s first decathlon medal in 68 years while Canada’s Damian Warner took the bronze.
“To win two Olympic golds in a row like Daley Thompson is very special,” Eaton said of the British decathlete who won in 1980 and ’84. “One day, I’m going to have to meet Daley, shake his hand and thank him for giving me something to chase after.”
The Oregon alum shared his victory with wife Brianne-Theisen Eaton, who won a bronze medal in the heptathlon for Canada this week. Mathias is the other decathlete to defend an Olympic title.
Oregon native Ryan Crouser also enjoyed a Bolt-like night by dominating the shot put in breaking a 28-year old Olympic record with a toss of 22.52 meters, or 73-feet-10 3/4-inches.
Four of his six throws in the final were farther than silver medalist Joe Kovac’s best.
The Americans duplicated Randy Barnes and John Godina, who finished first and second at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
The Texas alum also joined Longhorn Michelle Carter who won the women’s shot put in Rio de Janeiro.
“If you had written it out as a script I wouldn’t have believed it,” said Crouser, whose cousin Sam Crouser competed in the javelin in Rio.
The United States also swept the men’s and women’s 400-meters hurdles starting in the morning with Kerron Clement finally getting the gold medal he wanted. Clement won in 47.73 seconds, just 0.05 seconds ahead of Boniface Mucheru of Kenya.
The two- time world champion won the silver medal eight years ago where he also was part of the 1,600- relay team that finished first.
USC graduate Dalilah Muhammad had an easier time in the women’s hurdles with a strong start she didn’t relinquish, winning in 53.13 seconds. Teammate Ashley Spencer won the bronze medal.
“The reality of winning is even better than the dream,” Muhammad told reporters. “I tightened over the last hurdle but I got it done.”
The most stressful moment for the American contingent came in the women’s 400- meter relay preliminaries when the U. S. had a bad baton exchange. However, the Americans won an appeal because they were bumped by a Brazilian runner, causing the mishap. The team of Tianna Bartoletta, Allyson Felix, English Gardner and Morolake Akinosun qualified with the fastest time after being allowed to rerun alone.
Cal alumna Inika McPherson joined two U. S. teammates to have three Americans in the women’s high jump final for the first time since 1984. Stanford graduate Ekaterini Stefanidi of Greece heads into the pole vault final Friday ranked first after clearing 4.60 meters, or just over 15 feet.