Usain Bolt ends career, win ninth Olympic gold

Usain Bolt

Usain Bolt ended his Olympic career by claiming an unprecedented 'triple triple' and his ninth gold as Jamaica won the 4x100m relay final in Rio.

Bolt, 29, had won the 100m and 200m in Rio and is the only man to win all three sprint events at three Games.

He combined with Asafa Powell, Yohan Blake and Nickel Ashmeade to finish in 37.27 seconds.

Japan won a surprise silver and the USA were disqualified to hand Canada bronze and lift Britain up to fifth.
'Flawless and untouchable' - Tom Fordyce on Bolt

"There you go. I'm the greatest," said Bolt, after bringing an end to one of the most astonishing Olympic careers of all time.

In February, Bolt confirmed he would retire after the 2017 World Championships in London and will not compete at Tokyo 2020, at which point he will be nearly 34.

His haul of nine gold medals is the joint highest among Olympic athletics, equal with USA sprinter and long jumper Carl Lewis and Finnish long-distance runner Paavo Nurmi.

Usain Bolt's 'triple triple' came on the eve of his 30th birthday

"I'm going to stay up late and have fun. I never knew this would happen when I started out," Bolt told BBC Sport.

"My team came through for me tonight. As long as we got the baton round, it was never in doubt."

Blake made an attempt to persuade 100m and 200m world-record holder Bolt to continue for another four years, saying: "Usain needs to be immortal and he is immortal. I will encourage him to come back for 2020."

Bolt's Olympic 'triple triple'
Beijing 2008	100m, 200m, 4x100m
London 2012	100m, 200m, 4x100m
Rio 2016	100m, 200m, 4x100m

Four-time Olympic gold medallist Michael Johnson: "This was an incredible race. USA were in it. Japan were in it. Jamaica just had to get it round to Usain Bolt. He had to chase the Japanese team but Bolt - flawless. All gold. No silvers. No bronze. A fantastic performance at these championships."

Two-time 110m hurdles world champion Colin Jackson: "Usain Bolt is just too good. Once he got that baton he had to ease himself past Japan and once he got in his stride nobody was going to catch him. An incredible man, a wonderful athlete and we are all incredibly pleased he has done what he has done."