Mo does historic double, Kipsiro fails again

Compiled by Louis Jadwong and AFP

5000m final result

Usain Bolt's Jamaica smashed the 4x100m world record and Britain's Mo Farah clinched a magical distance double in a rousing climax to London Olympics track action Saturday.

It was a night however where Uganda's medal hopes faded as Moses Kipsiro could only finish last in the 5000m race, with the country's only hope now resting on Stephen Kiprotich in the marathon race Sunday morning.

It is 16 years since Uganda lost won a medal. That was when Davis Kamoga snatched bronze in the 400m at the Atlanta Olympics.

Kipsiro tripped and fell in the 10000m, finishing 10th and looked unsettled going into the 5000m. He refused to talk to the press, claiming he needed to focus on his next assignment.

"I did not talk before because I wanted to concentrate. However I also did not talk because it is not good to report something I did not say," he added.

"I am not done. I will still compete at the Olympics. For now, I'm focussed on Birmingham, Zurich then Brussels."

Kipsiro was quoted before the Olympics as being unhappy that government had not moved fast enough on promises made after he won Commonwealth glory in 2010.

Saturday climaxed with sprint legend Bolt anchoring Jamaica's 36.84sec around the Olympic Stadium, which lowered their own mark set last year and pushed him out to a unique "double treble": the 100m, 200m and 4x100m titles, twice in a row.

Aided by Nesta Carter, Michael Frater and Yohan Blake, it put the seal on a glorious Games for the party-loving, 1.96m (six foot five) Bolt, who dominated the 100m and 200m without setting a new record.

"I knew it (world record) was possible, I wish we could have gone faster -- but I guess we leave room for improvement," laughed Bolt.

He celebrated by putting his fingers to his head in a copy of Farah's "Mo-bot" celebration -- a salute to the Somali-born Briton, who had electrified the crowd with his 5,000m win.

In a gripping race, swept along by a wave of noise at Olympic Stadium, Farah moved from the back of the field to the front and determinedly held off first Thomas Longosiwa and then Dejen Gebremeskel for victory.

Farah kissed the track and did sit-ups after the win, which after his 10,000m victory places him in the same category of distance greats like Emil Zatopek and Kenenisa Bekele.

"I got great support from the crowd," said Farah, whose wife is soon to give birth to twin girls.

"It means a lot to me and those two medals are obviously for my two girls who are coming. I didn't want to leave one out -- there's twins so it's one for each."

 "I want to thank everyone who has supported me, all my coaches from the past, all the people who have been part of my life, particularly my wife. Her carrying twins, it hasn't been easy and I didn't want to know about it."

"It's been a long journey of grafting and grafting."

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The United States' flying women also had a huge win in the 4x400m relay -- a day after shattering the 4x100m world record -- and Russia's world champion Mariya Savinova held off South Africa's Caster Semenya in the 800m.

DeeDee Trotter, Allyson Felix, Francena McCorory and Sanya Richards-Ross brought home America's fifth title straight victory in the relay, and a fourth win for their women's runners in London.

In the women's 800m final, Russia's Savinova made the decisive break coming round the bend to win her fifth successive major title. Semenya surged from fifth to second but ultimately left herself too much to do.

"I've been waiting all year for this," said Semenya, 21, who also won silver at last year's world championships and was barred from the track for almost a year, and had to undergo gender tests.

"The last four years have not been easy. I'm already thinking about Rio (2016 Olympic Games) and I hope I'll be there."

With 32 gold medals handed out on the penultimate and busiest day, Mexico added to the drama when they shocked Brazil 2-1 in the men's football final, denying the five-time world champions the one major title to elude them.

"Mexico will be on the streets partying right now," said Mexico coach Luis Fernando Tena.

Russia's Evgeniya Kanaeva retained her rhythmic gymnastics title, France's Julie Bresset won the women's mountain bike cross country race and China's Qiu Bo led the field into the 10m platform diving final.

Earlier, under hot sunshine in the British capital, home favourite Ed McKeever -- dubbed "Bolt in a boat" -- claimed the hosts' 26th gold medal with victory in the men's single kayak sprint

New Zealand's Lisa Carrington won the women's kayak sprint, Russians Yury Postrigay and Alexander Dyachenko snatched the men's double kayak sprint, and Yuri Cheban of Ukraine took gold in the canoe sprint.

Russia's Sergey Kirdyapkin won the gruelling, 50km race walk in 3hr 35min 59sec, as several of his exhausted competitors collapsed on the finish line near Buckingham Palace.

Yelena Lashmanova, also of Russia, won the women's 20km walk in a world record of 1hr 25min 02sec -- ahead of team-mate defending champion Olga Kaniskina, who took silver.

Elsewhere, the US women's basketball team will attempt to preserve one of the most dominant records in Olympic competition when they meet France in the gold medal match.

The Americans are chasing a fifth consecutive title and a seventh crown in eight Olympics against the unbeaten French side. Australia beat Russia 83-74 in the bronze medal match.

Germany won the men's hockey final 2-1 against the Netherlands, defending their title from 2008.

On the medals table, the United States were four gold medals clear of China with 42 titles to 38. Britain were third with 28.

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