By John Bagratuni Aug 16, 2008, 16:43 GMT
Beijing - Usain Bolt won the men's 100 metres final with a stunning world record while fellow American Michael Phelps continued his medal surge by equalling Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals at one Olympics on a scintillating day of action in Beijing Saturday.
Bolt ran away from his rivals into a new 100m dimension when he gave Jamaica its first ever Olympic gold in the blue riband race in in a world record 9.69 seconds.
Bolt, 21, looked around far before the finish line and clutched his fist on his chest as the capacity crowd of 91,000 in Beijing's Bird's Nest roared its approval.
Bolt took three hundredths off the mark of 9.72 seconds he ran on May 31 in New York.
Richard Thompson of Trinidad and Tobago got silver in 9.89 seconds and Walter Dix of the US took bronze in 9.91 seconds.
It was the first time since Atlanta 1996 that the Olympic final saw a world record run. Donovan Bailey of Canada won that race in 9.84 seconds.
Bolt can now achieve the first sprint double since Carl Lewis in 1984 as he is also the strong 200m favourite with a season-leading 19.67 seconds. Bolt is a 200m specialist who only took to the 100m seriously this year.
Former world record holder Asafa Powell, also of Jamaica, could manage no better than fifth in 9.95 second while American world champion Tyson Gay failed to make the final.
Early Saturday, Russian Valeriy Borchin won the men's 20 kilometres race walk in 1 hour 19 minutes 1 second, holding off three-time reigning world champion and 1996 Olympic gold medallist Jefferson Perez of Ecuador.
Natalya Dobrynska of Ukraine won the heptathlon gold with a personal best 6,733 to take over from Sweden's Carolina Kluft, who no longer competes in the event after winning everything 2002-2007.
World champion Valerie Vili added the shot put Olympic gold to her 2007 world title when she shocked the opposition with a personal best opening put of 20.56m. It was the first athletics gold for the Kiwis since John walker won the 1,500m in 1976.
In the pool, Phelps equalled Spitz's record of seven gold medals at one Olympics when he took the men's 100m butterfly, and now has a chance of an eighth gold medal in the 4x100m medley relay on Sunday.
Zimbabwean Kirsty Coventry and Britain's Rebecca Adlington, both won golds in world record times and Cesar Cielo took a first-ever swimming gold medal for Brazil.
Elsewhere, Australia claimed two rowing golds and there were also rowing victories for Britain, New Zealand, Romania, Norway and Bulgaria on day eight in Beijing.
Britain enjoyed its best day so far at the Beijing Games with four gold medals, a silver and four bronze medals.
Along with rowing and swimming golds, there was a double triumph in cycling where British defending champion Bradley Wiggins claimed gold to live up to his favourite billing in the men's individual pursuit, and Chris Hoy secured Britain's second gold in the keirin race.
Joan Llaneras of Spain finished his Olympic career on a winning note in the men's points race.
In the rowing finals, Australia won golds in the men's pairs and men's double sculls but were pipped to a third gold by Britain in the men's fours
For Australian Drew Ginn, who was partnered by Duncan Free, it was the second consecutive gold in the men's double sculls.
The day's most exciting finish came in the women's double sculls where New Zealand twins Georgina and Caroline Evers-Swindell won by one hundredeth of a second in a photo finish against the German pair of Ann-Katrin Thiele and Christiane Huth.
In tennis, Roger Federer came good for the men's doubles gold, teaming with Stan Wawrinka as the Swiss pair defeated Swedes Simon Aspellin and Thomas Johansson 6-3, 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 6-3.
Dinara Safina and fellow Russian Elena Dementieva will square off for the women's gold medal match after both rolled through in straights sets.
Shooting saw Oleksandr Petriv of Ukraine defeat triple Olympic champion Ralf Schumann to take gold in the men's 25-metre rapid fire pistol while American Vincent Hancock claimed victory in the men's skeet.
Wrestling golds went to Saori Yoshida of Japan in women's 55kg freestyle and Carol Huynh of Canada in women's 48kg freestyle women's while the women's badminton singles title went to Zhang Ning of China who defeated compatriot Xie Xingfang in the final.
There was another doping case when Bulgarian middle-distance runner Daniela Yordanova tested positive for the steroid testosterone.
Yordanova, who submitted the sample at a random test on June 13, faces a two-year-ban. The 32-year-old runner had been due to fly to China Saturday.
The International Olympic Committee meanwhile stripped Sweden's Ara Abrahamian of his bronze medal in wrestling for unsporting behaviour.
Abrahamian, who came third in the Greco-Roman 84kg class, threw his bronze medal onto the floor during the presentation ceremony in protest at losing his semi-final match. The bronze will not be awarded to anyone else.
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