Phelps signs off, Bolt in spotlight
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A CLASSIC Michael Phelps performance ended the swimming legend’s career with 23 Olympic gold medals before handing over the Rio Games center stage to Usain Bolt.
The 29-year-old Jamaican star will line up for the men’s 100-meter final this morning (China time) and says arch-rival Justin Gatlin, the fastest man this year, ‘holds no fear for me’ ahead of one of the biggest showdowns of the Games.
But in yesterday’s first track event, Jelagat Sumgong became the first Kenyan to win the women’s Olympics marathon, delivering her country’s first gold in Rio.
Sumgong completed the course in 2 hours, 24 minutes, 4 seconds ahead of Kenyan-born Eunice Kirwa, who now runs for Bahrain. World champion Mare Dibaba of Ethiopia took bronze.
Unlike the annual Rio marathon, the Olympic route didn’t go near the eye-catching beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema. It started and finished in hot and sunny conditions at the Sambodromo parade area.
Bolt’s epic race comes on the heels of a heroic performance on Saturday by Britain’s Mo Farah, who picked himself up off the track after a fall to claw his way to victory in the 10,000.
But on a night the United States says it reached 1,000 gold medals overall, the spotlight belonged to Phelps.
The 31-year-old had to come from behind on the butterfly leg of the 4x100 medley to set up the victory in 3 minutes, 27.95 seconds, which included a world record in the backstroke leg by Ryan Murphy.
It was a fittingly triumphant swansong for Phelps, the most decorated Olympian in history who added five golds and a silver in Rio. He finished his career with 28 medals overall.
His coach Bob Bowman said we may never see the likes of Phelps again for a long time.
“It’s not even once in a generation. It may be once in 10 generations,” he said.
Phelps said he had felt himself “starting to crack” heading for the pool for his last race but the result could not have been better. “This is how I wanted to finish my career. I’ve lived a dream come true,” he said.
The women’s quartet of Kathleen Baker, Lilly King, Simone Manuel and Dana Vollmer also won their race, which the US Olympic Committee said took the country to 1,000 Olympic golds.
Bolt is also looking for a perfect finish to his Olympic career, by sweeping the 100, 200 and relay sprint golds for the third straight Olympics.
The Jamaican and his US arch-rival Gatlin both came through their preliminary races with ease on Saturday.
Barring a catastrophe, they will clash in the final and both are confident. “I’m feeling good. I’m happy,” said Bolt.
He told the French newspaper Le Parisien yesterday that Gatlin “holds no fear for me” and that athletics, mired in a major drugs scandal, needs him to beat a rival snared twice for doping.
Saturday’s track highlight saw Farah pick himself up after being clipped by training partner Galen Rupp in the 10,000 and gallop away to glory.
“When I went down, I thought, ‘Oh my God, that is it.’ I just got up and wanted to stick with the guys and stay strong,” Farah said.
Elaine Thompson ended the reign of Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce with a women’s 100 victory of 10.71 seconds which torpedoed her fellow Jamaican’s hopes of an Olympic hat-trick in the event.
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