On last day of worlds, US comes through
BERLIN (AP)—With Usain Bolt no longer running on the final day of the championships, the United States finally took over.
With gold medals from the men’s and women’s 1,600-meter relay teams and another from Brittney Reese in the women’s long jump, the United States became the most dominant nation of the 2009 world championships.
A second gold for relay runners LaShawn Merritt, Kerron Clement, Allyson Felix and Sanya Richards finally broke the tie with Jamaica, which only added one silver Sunday.
The breakthrough came in the women’s relay, where Richards and Felix were no match for an out-of-breath Jamaican team.
“It was incredible,” Richards said. “My teammates were phenomenal.”
Merritt followed it up by anchoring the men’s team to victory.
“Championships are all about getting the medal,” the men’s 400 champion said after getting the same two golds as at the Beijing Olympics.
In the final medal standings, the United States had 10 golds and 22 overall, with Jamaica second with seven gold and 13 overall.
“We did an awesome job,” Jamaican relay runner Novlene Williams-Mills said. “It’s nice to bring Jamaica the last medal of the championships.”
Earlier, Bolt accepted his third gold, cementing him as by far the biggest star of the championships after he set stunning world records in the 100 and 200. He only had one explanation why an island nation of 2.8 million could challenge the U.S. team for so long.
“We’re determined, that’s why we’re so good,” Bolt said. “And Jamaica is wonderful.”
The United States also got a surprise individual gold from Reese in the woman’s long jump. She beat defending champion Tatyana Lebedeva of Russia with a jump of 7.10 meters. Reese’s victory came one day after American teammate Dwight Phillips won the men’s long jump.
Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia also got his double, edging defending champion Bernard Lagat in a tight 5,000 decided by the Olympic champion’s famed finishing kick.
He already won both 5,000 and 10,000 races at the Beijing Olympics and extended his reign after first containing a Kenyan challenge in mid-race before withstanding a desperate sprint finish of Lagat.
Rarely was Bekele as elated, slapping his chest with an open hand and showing a beaming smile as he made it clear that others may challenge, but not conquer.
“It was a very hard race,” Bekele said after becoming the first Ethiopian to win 5,000 world championship gold. “I’ll never forget this race.
“I never made a double in the Olympics and world championships,” Bekele added. “I’m so happy.”
So was Lagat, who was running with four stitches in a numbed up left ankle after he was spiked in qualifying.
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- Bolt, Richards win Athlete of the Year awards

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Winter Olympics 2006 - GERMANY
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My hat is off to Bolt. He is an amazing athlete. The guy is pure lightning. He and all of Jamaica should be proud of him. I might also add that I have been to Jamaica and I found the people to be as Cool-Bug said, God Fearing Warm and Hospitable... and he forgot to mention very hard working (like Bolt).
I must disagree with allfinerthings, however, in that the US media DOES cover T&F (quite well in fact)... it just doesn't make the ratings here. Not sure why, just doesn't. Maybe because the football uniform attracts more girls. I do agree that the term football seems inaccurate to describe the game here.... but realize the game was originally a hybrid of rugby and European football (i.e. soccer) created by immigrants from mostly European nations which accounts for the use of the term. USA is, after all, the great melting pot. I do want to express my regret that one of my own countrymen has chosen (through an obviously ignorant attitude and narrow mind) forgotten that fact. Like Tim_Day4. I am an American, born and raised, but my mother came here from Germany and my grandfather from Sicily... and before you tell ME to go back to Germany or Sicily, Tim_Day4, consider that I took a bullet for my nation during war time while protecting your freedoms, so if you have NOT... then keep your ignorant mouth shut and stop embarrassing us. Thank you MNR, you do us proud in light of that idiot.
The fact is, all the medal winners and their respective countries should be proud. They are the best in the world.
I must, however point out that there have been more disparaging remarks about us Americans than ANY other nation or peoples on this thread. Count them if you don't believe me. Now, I realize that we have one of the largest pools of talent to choose from and that we are more fortunate than most countries on the whole... but last time in Japan we took home 26 medals... more than the second and third place countries combined (one of which was China, that has a LOT more people then we do) and now we took home another 22. It comes from our fierce pride and unyielding drive to be the best (mostly because we were born from many displaced peoples fighting desperately to free ourselves from oppressive and tyrannical leaders to be our own country in the first place)... so give us our due also. We too have a right to be proud.
The only athlete I can say actually SHOULD have been chastised here… and was not... was Natalia Rodriguez. It is a slap in the face of the sport that she would blatantly and purposely knock another competitor down like that. Shame on you, Natalia. How sad that Spain has to endure your blight.
The spirit of the sport is friendly competition… let’s try not to lose sight of that.
Peace.
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ken ☺
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100% agree!! with Bolt now being head and shoulder above the rest. it is more likely that others will have to try enhancing their performance by drugs just to catch up the pace with Bolt.
Tim Montgomery and then Justin Gatlin, who's next?
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What about the people living in and below the poverty level in his country, what about the millions of homeless people living in this country; eg; those living in Drug Infested Projects; or Trailer Park!! Please egt your fact strightl i am from Jamaica, and i lived and worked in Manhattan for more than 6-years, I was trailed and watched by store employees whenever i walked into most stores operated by Caucasiansl is that not Racism. Or is it because AMERICAN BLACK ARE MOSTLY CRIMINALS SO WHEN STORE OR BUSINESS OPERATORS SEE A PERSON OF COLOR ENTERS THEIR BUSINESS PLACES THEY ARE WATCHED UNTIL THEY LEAVE IS THAT NOT RACISM OR American Blacks are theives abd need to be monitored..
Please keep your ignorance to yourself,, why do so much peolpe visit Jamaica each, as Touriists, Spring Breakers, it is because we are a Island of God Fearing Warm and Hospitable People..
Please tony keep your lies and ignorance to yourself.. Racist Bastard!!
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Congratulations to all of the winners and losers at the world championship...
I do have a query for the people at Yahoo! though... the winner of the women's long jump was Brittney Reese from the US, but the first image in a series of 100+ photos from the photo gallery attached to the article is that of one of the women's long jumpers from Brazil...am I missing something? I thought featured photos are typically of the people that actually won the event...maybe she was exceptionally cute and someone thought that this is the reason she should be featured...someone explain this oversight to me....
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We don't know if Bolt is clean because Jamaica doesn't have an independent, reliable drug testing organization. The tests that Bolt has passed at competitions mean very little because the steroid and HGH use occurs in the fall and winter training when it can really effect great improvement in performance. The advantage one gains is faster recovery from intense workouts. When he is tested consistently out of season that will put an end to all the innuendo ... for most any way. There will still be doubters.
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Since T&F is prominently featured in the Olympics and are the only events (obviously) featured in the World Championships, 2 of the largest sporting events on the planet, all the US media has to do is actually cover the events. There is no need to orchestrate a hyped-up rivalry between these 2 countries
I am also all for competition. But that's what these events are for. As a track fan yourself, you know how many meets there are every year. Dozens. Why do they need to add even more when the US barely supports and the media barely covers the current events. Why not just hype the events already scheduled? The whole thing is just ridiculous, and is fueling the animosity already so prevalent on these boards between the 2 countries.
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