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Bolt anchors Jamaica to world record

Usain Bolt of Jamaica celebrates the Jamaican win of the Men's 4 x 100M relay at the London 2012 Summer Olympics on August 11, 2012 in London. The Jamaican team won the gold with a world record of 36.84 seconds. UPI/Terry Schmitt
1 of 10 | Usain Bolt of Jamaica celebrates the Jamaican win of the Men's 4 x 100M relay at the London 2012 Summer Olympics on August 11, 2012 in London. The Jamaican team won the gold with a world record of 36.84 seconds. UPI/Terry Schmitt | License Photo

LONDON, Aug. 11 (UPI) -- Yohan Blake and Usain Bolt, the two fastest men on the planet, brought Jamaica a world record Saturday in winning the Olympic 400-meter relay.

Four humans combined to circle a 400-meter track faster than any group ever has before in a dazzling display that put Bolt in the record book on the final night of competition at Olympic Stadium.

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Nesta Carter and Michael Frater led off the relay and when Blake took the baton from Frater the Jamaicans were trailing the United States.

Blake, runner-up to Bolt in both the 100 and 200-meter events earlier in the Games, brought the Jamaicans even heading into the last leg. Bolt then easily held off a spirited effort from American Ryan Bailey to win the race in 36.84 -- an almost unthinkable time.

That broke the world mark of 37.04 set last year by Jamaica at the world championships. The Americans equaled that old record in running second behind the Jamaicans on Saturday.

Bolt completed his 2012 Olympic experience with six career victories. He has won gold in the 100, 200 and sprint relay in consecutive Games, something no one had ever done before.

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His second straight dazzling show highlighted an evening of track and field that included a one-sided win for the United States women in the 1,600-meter relay and the second gold medal of the week for British distance runner Mo Farrah.

Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad & Tobago also won gold in the men's javelin and Anna Chicherova of Russia added to her country's big day around the Olympics with a victory in the high jump.

The only track event remaining at the London Games is the men's marathon, which will take place early Sunday on the streets of the city while Olympic Stadium is being prepared for the closing ceremonies.

DeeDee Trotter, Allyson Felix, Francena McCorory and 400-meter gold medalist Sanya Richards-Ross brought the United States its ninth track and field gold medal of the Olympics, easily getting the best of Russia and Jamaica.

That win completed a sweep of the relay medals for the American women.

Farrah won a tactical 5,000-meter race that saw six runners sprinting during the final lap. He turned in a time of 13 minutes, 41.66 seconds, adding the 5,000-meter crown to the 10,000-meter gold medal he won earlier in the Olympics.

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Dejen Gebremeskel of Ethiopia finished second and Thomas Longosiwa of Kenya was third.

Russia earned gold medals from both Chicherova in the high jump and Mariya Savinova in the 800-meter run to go with victories in the two race walks held earlier in the day. Sergey Kirdyapkin set an Olympic record in the men's 50-kilometer walk and Elena Lashmanova established a world record of 1:25.02 in the women's 25-kilometer event.

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