Bolt blazes to treble

Usain Bolt completed a "wonderful" Olympics with a third gold medal and a third world record when he inspired Jamaica to a magnificent victory in the 4x100 metres relay yesterday.

On another memorable night in the Bird's Nest, Bolt ran a blistering third leg and Asafa Powell brought the baton home in 37.10 seconds, shaving 0.3 off the 15-year-old mark set by the United States.

The Caribbean island missed a sprint clean sweep, however, when they messed up a changeover in the women's race, allowing Russia to take an unexpected gold.

Ethiopia's Tirunesh Dibaba became the first woman to complete the distance double when she added the 5,000 metres gold to the 10,000 she claimed a week ago.

In a much-needed success for the US, Bryan Clay can spend the next four years revelling in the title of best all-round athlete in the world after crushing his opponents in the decathlon.

Brazilian Maureen Higa Maggi took the women's long jump by one centimetre and Steve Hooker grabbed a first male athletics gold for Australia in 40 years when he won the pole vault.

The man the crowd wanted to see, however, was Bolt, and yet again he did not disappoint.

With Athens medallists Britain, the US and Nigeria all missing after mistakes in the heats, Jamaica were hot favourites and Nesta Carter and Michael Frater gave them a flying start.

The baton was safely planted in Bolt's giant palm and he ripped up the bend looking like a man running against boys.

Former world record holder Powell completed the job, finishing 10 metres clear of Trinidad and Tobago with Japan third.

"It's wonderful. We decided we were going to break the world record," said Bolt. "I believe in the team, so it feels great."

Criticised this week by the head of the IOC Jacques Rogge for his celebrations, Bolt said: "The crowd loves it.

"They look for me to see me coming out. I just go out and give them a show."

It was only Jamaica's second Olympic medal in the event following their silver in the boycotted Games of 1984.

Their sprinting streak had finally snapped earlier in the night when Sherone Simpson and Kerron Stewart, joint silver medallists in the individual 100m, blew the second changeover.

With the United States failing to make the final, suddenly it was wide open and Russia charged through to take it, with Belgium grabbing an unlikely second and Nigeria the bronze.

Dibaba was always a likely winner of the 5,000 metres and when the pack ambled round the first few laps at almost fun-runner pace, her odds shortened further.

The 23-year-old world record holder merely had to wait patiently before delivering a trademark scorching last lap to win in 15 minutes 41.40 seconds.

Ethiopian-born Turk Elvan Abeylegesse took silver, as she did in the 10,000, with Meseret Defar getting bronze for Ethiopia.

Clay, silver medallist in Athens, led from gun to tape in the decathlon and was able to coast home in the final 1,500 metres and still finish a massive 240 points ahead of Andrei Krauchanka of Belarus, the biggest Olympic winning margin since 1972.

Cuba's Leonel Suarez produced a late surge to snatch bronze.

Maggi won the women's long jump with a leap of 7.04 metres as Russia's Tatyana Lebedeva, the defending Olympic and world champion, came up agonisingly short with her final jump.

The bronze went to Nigeria's Blessing Okagbare, who had finished 13th in qualifying and only made the final after Ukraine's heptathlon silver medallist Lyudmila Blonska and second-best qualifier was kicked out of the Games for doping.

Hooker had done enough to win the pole vault when he cleared 5.90m but he then cleared 5.96 to literally send the crowd home on a high.

Today is the last full day of athletics action, with only the men's marathon tomorrow, and there are seven finals.

Meanwhile, suggestions that Bolt might go for a fourth gold in the 4x400 were dismissed emphatically.

"No, no, no," the triple champion said.