Story highlights
- 4x100m team of Carter, Frater, Blake and Bolt post World Record time of 36.85 secs
- Usain Bolt wins three gold medals for the second successive Olympic games
- Team USA second at 37.04 secs after Bolt pulls away in the final leg of the race
- Canada are disqualified after the race and the bronze medal is given to Trinidad & Tobago
Usain Bolt, the anchor of Jamaican sprinting success for the past six years, led his 4x100m relay team to a new world record and in the process picked up his third gold for the second successive Olympic games.
He pulled away from Team USA anchor Ryan Bailey about half way through the final leg to cross the line in a time of 36.84 seconds, beating the previous record of 37.04 seconds.
The Jamaican team seemed to show no concern that regular anchor Asafa Powell was missing through injury, as they eased up through the gears and ensured some perfect baton changes to keep in their destiny in their own hands.
The crowd cheered not only a perfect end to Jamaica's campaign but also a great end to all the action within the Olympic stadium. And Bolt was celebrating with them, doing the 'Mo-Bot' -- copying the celebration of British athlete Mo Farah, who completed a Olympic double earlier in the day winning the men's 5,000m as well as the 10,000m earlier in the week -- as he followed his 100m and 200m golds with a relay victory.
Bolt has now won seven out of eight of the major athletics competitions, only missing out on a World Championship 100m title in South Korea due to a false start.
The United States claimed silver in a national record of 37.04sec, which matched the previous world record.
Meanwhile, Canada's team of Jared Connaughton, Gavin Smellie, Oluseyi Smith and Justyn Warner crossed the line in third, but were disqualified after Connaughton ran outside his lane on the third leg. The bronze was given to Trinidad and Tobago.
