Matt Slocum | The Associated Press
Jamaica’s Usain Bolt leads the USA’s Ryan Bailey to win the gold medal in the men’s 4x100-meter Saturday at the Summer Olympics in London.
Mark J. Terrill | The Associated Press
David Boudia of the United States dives during the men’s 10-meter platform diving final at the Aquatics Centre on Saturday. Boudia won the gold medal in the event.
LONDON (AP) — Five things to know about Saturday, Day 15 of the London Olympics:
• Repeat performance: Bolt closes out world-record relay for Jamaica.
• Drive for five: Mighty US women win fifth straight Olympic basketball gold.
• Boudia wins diving title as United States closes in on medals table win.
• Mexico upsets Brazil to win men’s soccer gold.
• The End: Coach K says gold-medal game will be final one as U.S. coach.
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Usain Bolt and Ryan Bailey got the baton at almost exactly the same time Saturday night, then sped down the stretch for the final leg of the 4x100-meter relay.
When Bolt reached his top gear, it was over.
The World’s Fastest Man powered Jamaica to a world-record time of 36.84 seconds, making him 3 for 3 for the second straight Olympics. He also won the 100 meters and 200 in London and Beijing.
Bolt picked up another victory long after the record-breaking relay was over. After grudgingly handing the baton to an official right after he crossed the finish line, he got it back about 40 minutes later. He responded with a bow of thanks and kissed his new memento.
Bailey and the United States got the silver in 37.04, matching the old record that Bolt helped set at last year’s world championships. Trinidad and Tobago took the bronze in 38.12 after Canada, which was third across the line, was disqualified for running outside its lane.
Before Bolt and Co. took over the track, Mo Farah sent a charge through the capacity crowd at Olympic Stadium when he won the 5,000 meters to complete an Olympic long-distance double for Britain.
Farah surged ahead late and held on to win in 13:41.66. He still had the energy to do a few playful sit-ups on the track before he grabbed a British flag for the real celebration.
Allyson Felix won her third gold medal as the Americans rolled to an easy victory in the women’s 4x400 relay, and Russia capped a big day with wins by Mariya Savinova in the women’s 800 meters and Anna Chicherova in the women’s high jump — giving the traditional Olympic power six golds on the penultimate day of the games.
Caster Semenya of South Africa was right behind Savinova to earn a silver medal in her first Olympic final three years after being forced to undergo gender tests.
The U.S. women’s basketball team entered the London Games with considerable expectations, and it lived up to the hype by winning its fifth straight Olympic gold medal.
Candace Parker scored 21 points as the Americans beat France 86-50 in the final. She had eight straight during the game-changing run in the second quarter that put the U.S. in control.
“It’s not easy to just be put together and be expected to win a gold medal,” guard Diana Taurasi said. “It’s a special feeling.”
Team USA clinched the top spot in the medals table for the fifth consecutive Summer Games, helped by David Boudia’s victory in the men’s 10-meter platform for the country’s first gold in diving since 2000.
Boudia scored 568.65 points in the six-dive final, edging Qiu Bo of China by 1.8 points. Tom Daley of Britain settled for the bronze.
Mexico earned its first Olympic gold medal in men’s soccer and left Brazil wondering if it will ever be able to add the title to its long list of triumphs.
Oribe Peralta scored 29 seconds into the final at Wembley Stadium and added another goal in the second half, leading Mexico to the 2-1 upset.
Hulk scored for Brazil in injury time, but Oscar missed a header in the final seconds to waste the last chance for a comeback in front of 86,162 fans.
“Mexico will be celebrating on the streets,” coach Luis Fernando Tena said. “It is a great honor for a coach to see his players singing the national anthem with gold medals around their necks. It’s a very important moment for Mexican football. It’s a great moment for us.”
The U.S. men’s basketball team will play Spain for the Olympic title on Sunday, and Mike Krzyzewski told The Associated Press it will be his final game as the national coach.
When asked if he was sure, Krzyzewski didn’t hesitate before again saying, “yes,” this will be his last game.
With a win, Krzyzewski would join Henry Iba (1964, 1968) as the only U.S. coach to lead the Americans to gold medals in consecutive Olympics.
The rest of the Olympic action Saturday:
DIVING
David Boudia used to be scared to dive off the 10-meter platform. Yet when it counted the most, he never flinched.
The American plunged off the 33-foot tower, somersaulting and twisting over and over on his last dive to win an Olympic gold medal by 1.80 points over Qiu Bo of China on Saturday night in the closest men’s platform contest since 1988.
Boudia’s victory gave the U.S. its first gold in diving since 2000, and was the first by an American man since the late Mark Lenzi won the 3-meter springboard at the 1992 Barcelona Games.
“Oh, my God, I don’t have words for it,” said Greg Louganis, the diving great who swept the springboard and platform events at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics and who has mentored Boudia.
On the medals stand, Boudia wiped his brow as if to say, “Whew!”
It was that close.
The American scored 568.65 points in the six-dive final after barely making it out of the preliminaries.
Qiu took the silver at 566.85 in the tightest contest since Louganis won the last of his four golds by 1.14 over Xiong Ni of China in Seoul.
“Qiu Bo is a diving machine. He dove absolutely amazing,” Boudia said. “I don’t think he can walk away from this competition thinking he did bad. I just dove better in that moment.”
Ten years ago, Boudia couldn’t fathom jumping off the platform. He was 13 and “completely petrified” of heights. He struggled to master the big tower over the next six years.
It wasn’t until the 2008 Beijing Games that Boudia felt truly comfortable. He finished 10th doing a list of dives with the highest degree of difficulty of any man in the final.
“After Beijing, I thought, ‘All right, this isn’t so hard. It’s only three stories up,’” he said. “Having more practice and more training on 10-meter gave me that peace. Now it doesn’t faze me. It’s cool.”
Tom Daley of Britain settled for the bronze at 556.95 after leading going into the final dive in front of a raucous home crowd that included David Beckham and his three sons.
“Tom Daley dove the lights out, Qiu Bo dove the lights out,” Boudia said. “I only did what I do in practice.”
Daley scored 90.75 on his last dive, including one 10, but Boudia and Qiu each did the same tougher dive in the last round.
Boudia had no idea he was tied for second with Qiu going into the last round.
“Probably good too because if I had known the margin my heart would’ve been pounding and the pressure would’ve been building,” Boudia said. “I just went up for the last dive like I did the first five.”
He scored 102.60 points on a back 2 somersault with 2 twists pike worth a 3.6 degree of difficulty. It was the highest score of any dive in the final.
Qiu followed Boudia and scored 100.80, not quite enough to deliver a seventh gold for China in these games.
“I was very nervous,” Qiu said through a translator. “I have competed so many times, but I have never had that much nervousness.”
China won six golds, first losing the men’s 3-meter springboard to spoil its bid for a sweep of the eight gold medals, and then coming up short in the last diving event of the London Games.
Boudia shared in a group hug with his coaches and teammates, a broad smile on his face.
“I dreamed about this,” Boudia said. “It didn’t even feel like I was diving it was so surreal.”
VOLLEYBALL
Jaqueline Carvalho had 18 points and Brazil beat the United States in four sets to stop the Americans from winning their first Olympic gold medal in women’s volleyball.
Brazil became the third team to repeat as gold medalist. The Soviet Union won in 1968 and 1972, while Cuba won three straight starting with the 1992 Barcelona Games.
American star Destinee Hooker was held to 14 points.
Castro and Claudino celebrated the victory by leaping into the official’s chair. Later, the Brazilians danced into the medal ceremony.
WRESTLING — FREESTYLE
Artur Taymazov of Uzbekistan won his third straight Olympic wrestling gold in the men’s 120-kilogram division, beating Georgia’s Davit Modzmanashvili in the final.
Taymazov joins Alexander Medved of the former Soviet Union and Russian great Alexander Karelin as the only male wrestlers to win gold medals in three straight games.
American Coleman Scott won a bronze medal in the 60-kg competition.
