Rio 2016: Usain Bolt wins gold medal No. 9 in Men’s 4x100m Relay

Usain Bolt captured his record-tying ninth gold medal with Jamaica winning the Men’s 4x100m Relay at Rio 2016

No track and field athlete had ever won three consecutive Olympic gold medals in the Men’s 100m and 200m races coming into Rio 2016. However, Usain Bolt was able to do that through the first two weeks of the Games in Rio. Entering Friday night at Day 14 of the Games, all he needed was a win as part of the Jamaican Men’s 4x100m Relay team in the final to win his record-tying ninth gold medal and to complete his triple-triple.

Bolt was running as the anchor of the relay team, as you might expect. And through the first three legs of the race, Jamaica was neck-and-neck with both the teams from the United States and Japan. However, being right with Jamaica isn’t good enough when Usain Bolt is running the final 100m of a race.

As soon as Bolt got the baton to take off down what is likely the final 100m run of his Olympic career, he started pulling away. Before you could even blink, the fastest man in the world for eight years running was almost a full second in front of the competition. Just like in the last three Olympic Games that he’s competed in, he was looking back at the competition as he crossed the finish line first.

With the win as part of the Jamaican relay team, Usain Bolt wins his third gold medal of the Rio Olympics. However, it’s the historical implications that are staggering. Bolt also became only the third track and field athlete to ever win nine gold medals at the Olympics. He joined American Carl Lewis and Finland’s Paavo Nurmi as the only men to ever accomplish that.

It’s only fitting that a career that’s been filled with nothing but world records and accolades that Usain Bolt would make his final run historic.