Only Usain Bolt can make a world championship gold medal look like a letdown.
The Jamaican left the Olympic Stadium with three gold medals and the assurance that no one can match it during Sunday’s final session. But for the first time in Berlin he was unable to produce a third world record that went with his other golds.
Instead, the Jamaican 4x100 relay team ran the second-fastest time in history, winning gold in 37.31 seconds.
“I am dying right now,” Bolt said, complaining of fatigue after nine races in eight days.
With Asafa Powell taking the baton from Bolt for the last leg, Jamaica set a championship record but fell short of the world record mark of 37.10 they set in Beijing last year.
Trinidad and Tobago took silver and Britain got bronze.
Bolt was so tired that he cantered more on stretching his legs after the race than entertaining a sellout crowd of 70,000.
Don’t expect too much for the rest of the season, considering the priorities he set out late Saturday - “Go home, go on vacation, go clubbing, go to the beach.”
First, though, he planned for a big party in Berlin.
“It is top secret where we are going,” Bolt said.
At the same time, Jamaican teammate Shelly-Ann Fraser became a double gold medallist when the 100-metre champion helped her 4x100 relay team take gold.
The United States should win both 4x400 relays, which should keep the Americans at the top of the medal standings.
If the Americans had not been eliminated in the 4x100 relays, Allyson Felix could have challenged for gold. And as 200 champion, she still could be running in the 4x400 to give her another title on Sunday.
Other finals on the closing day of the nine-day championships are the women’s long jump, 1,500 and marathon, and the men’s javelin, 800 and 1,500.
Also on Saturday, Anita Wlodarczyk of Poland set a world record of 77.96 metres to win the hammer throw and earn a $160,000 check for winning a title with a record.
In the men’s long jump, American Dwight Phillips jumped 8.54 meters on his second attempt to win. His main rival, Olympic champion Irving Saladino of Panama, was eliminated with three no-jumps.
