Usain Bolt and Jamaica Set New World Record in 4x100

Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake, Nesta Carter, and Michael Frater pose with the new world record they set to win gold in the 4x100. (Kerim Okten)

In order to beat Usain Bolt, you have to be extraordinarily good. The U.S. men took one last shot at taking him down in the 4x100 relay. Americans Trell Kimmons, Justin Gatlin, Tyson Gay, and Ryan Bailey knew the task set before them was nearly impossible, but they would give it their best shot. Their best shot turned out to be very good. The U.S. time turned out to be 37.04 seconds, which tied the world record prior to the race. The problem was that wasn't good enough.

The Jamaicans were simply extraordinary once again. Nesta Carter, Michael Frater, Yohan Blake, and Usain Bolt ran a near flawless race to set a new world record of 36.84 seconds. While the world record was a team effort, it was one man who made all the difference. The Americans and Jamaicans were virtually tied going into the final exchange. That meant it was down to Bailey and Bolt. It soon became clear that it was all over. Bolt pushed through the finish line effortlessly in the lead.

For Usain Bolt, the world record was simply the icing on the cake of what he hoped to accomplish in London. In Beijing four years ago, he went a perfect three for three in gold medals. This summer Bolt did it again, winning gold in the 100m, 200m, and the 4x100 relay. He now has six gold medals in six Olympic races. Bolt has already declared himself a legend, but doesn't appear to be done just yet.

Due to the Jamaicans world record setting race, the Americans were forced to settle for silver. The Canadians had the third fastest time, but were disqualified for running outside their lane. This meant that Trinidad and Tobago became the bronze medalist. It hasn't just been the Jamaicans beating up on the Americans. The Caribbean islands in general on the rise. The Bahamas ended the United States' run of seven straight Olympic golds in the 4x400 relay. Now, Trinidad and Tobago made it on the medal stand in the 4x100 relay. The Americans better watch out because it isn't just the Jamaicans and them anymore.

Social media and sports talk are ablaze with what will Usain Bolt do in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. Can he sweep the golds again? Will he train for and run in the 400m? Is he the greatest athlete ever? Questions abound but for now Bolt has declined to answer. In my opinion, people should simply relish Bolt's accomplishments this summer. The Olympics only come around once every four years. I would prefer to appreciate the accomplishments of a man who did so much to prepare for these races. The bottomline is Usain Bolt is extraordinarily talented and successful.

Analyzing the Dwight Howard Trade From All Angles

At a press conference Friday, Dwight Howard holds up his new jersey as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. (Kevork Djansezian)

When a blockbuster trade such as this occurs, it isn't just the teams involved who are affected. The whole league feels the repercussions. Just as with every action there is a reaction, every trade seems to have its winners and losers. With a trade this large, the winners and losers become more broad as well. I will focus on what I believe to be the teams that are most directly affected by this trade.

Winners

Los Angeles Lakers
Putting Dwight Howard's deficiencies aside, he is still the best center in the league. Whatever team has him is a better team from a talent standpoint. The Lakers have been trying to land him for a long time. They've come to realize that the combination of Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol in the paint simply wasn't good enough to bring them a championship. After sending offers with all sorts of combinations of players and picks, the Lakers ended up only having to give up Bynum and one first round pick for Howard. Any GM would give that up in their sleep. Combine this trade with their one for veteran point guard Steve Nash, and the Lakers have to become the favorite in the Western Conference. With a core four of Howard, Nash, Gasol, and Kobe Bryant, the Lakers are going to be tough to beat on any given night. Resigning Howard long-term could turn into another media circus, but the Lakers will worry about that next offseason.

Philadelphia 76ers
Without giving up the best player in the deal, the 76ers were the beneficiaries of receiving the second-best player, Andrew Bynum. Bynum is a 7-footer who averaged nearly 19 points and 12 rebounds per game last season. Those type of players don't become available very often, especially one as young as Bynum. In return, the 76ers did trade away their best player, Andre Iguodala, and their two most recent first round picks, Nikola Vucevic and Moe Harkless. The team's relationship with Iguodala wasn't the best, and while Vucevic and Harkless do show promise, neither one is expected to blossom into stars nearly as talented as Bynum. The big question for the 76ers as well is whether they can re-sign Bynum long term. Since he grew up not too far from Philadelphia, there is certainly a chance. Even if they are unable to resign him, they will have freed up enough cap room to sign a top free agent or two.

Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets were able to acquire Andre Iguodala from the 76ers as part of this trade. Iguodala will pair beautifully with Danilo Gallinari to give them a dangerous duo at the wing. Iggy won't have the pressure on him to score like he did with the 76ers. He will be able to focus on playing tenacious defense and let that lead to fastbreak offense. The Nuggets did give up guard Aaron Afflalo and veteran big man Al Harrington, but that combination doesn't come close to comparing to Iguodala. Additionally, the Nuggets will reportedly save approximately $23 million in future money as a result of the trade. This means that the Nuggets were able to become a better team and save a considerable amount of money down the road. That shows they are a winner if you ask me.

Losers

Orlando Magic
You know I didn't think that anyone could handle this situation worse than Dwight Howard, but the Magic themselves found a way. In July, the Magic were fielding some great offers. The Brooklyn Nets offered Brook Lopez, MarShon Brooks, and four first round picks. The Rockets offered roughly $12 million in salary-cap relief and a better package of picks. The Lakers even offered Bynum and Gasol combined with picks. No, the Magic turned all those down to settle for this in August. You have got to be kidding me. The Magic are getting the combination of Aaron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Nikola Vucevic, Moe Harkless, Josh McRoberts, Christian Eyenga, three lottery-protected first round (five overall) picks. There's a lot there so there's a chance that someone could turn out to be a star, but there isn't anyone there right now. The Magic turned down a bunch of better offers only to accept this assortment of unknowns. I am disappointed for the franchise and their fans.

Small Market Franchises
All around the league, there are small market front offices shaking their heads at this trade. As the old mantra goes, the rich gets richer. That's what happened again here. While many franchises hope to have just one superstar player, the Lakers now have four. While the new CBA does discourage signing many stars like the Lakers have done, it doesn't stop them from doing so. Even though it is true that the small market teams below the tax will benefit from the Lakers' penalties, it won't help them to get any closer to a championship themselves. This trade only hinders these small market franchises even further.

Western Conference Contenders
Just in case the road to the NBA finals wasn't difficult enough last season, the Lakers are now absolutely stocked and reloaded. Teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, and Dallas Mavericks now have to adjust their lineups to be able to matchup with the new Lakers lineup. Each of these teams and any team in the Western Conference are going have to work even harder in order to make it to the NBA Finals.

Manteo Mitchell Breaks Leg But Still Finishes Leg of the Race

Despite breaking his leg half way through his leg, Manteo Mitchell endured the pain in order to complete his leg. (Kirby Lee) 

Running a relay race requires reliance between all members of the competing team. Without one of the runners, the race simply cannot be completed. One of the most important relay races for Team USA is the men's 4x400. After all, the Americans have won gold in the event every year since 1976, expect for the 1980 boycott. That means that Team USA had immense pressure to perform well in this race.

Being up first, American Manteo Mitchell knew that he had to set the pace for the rest of his team. At the 50m mark, his left ankle felt like it was cramping up. As Mitchell reached the 100m mark, his leg began to feel even stranger. Shortly following the 200m mark, he finally heard and felt the bone break. Rather then let his teammates down, Mitchell kept running as best he could. He still finished his leg in 45 seconds and handed the baton off to teammate Josh Mance. The American relay team finished the semifinal race tied for the fastest time with the Bahamas at two minutes and 58.87 seconds.

Mitchell's experience must have been excruciating. He explained what happened to reporters, "As soon as I took the first step past the 200m mark, I felt it break. I heard it. I even put out a little war cry, but the crowd was so loud you couldn't hear it. I wanted to just lie down. It felt like somebody literally just snapped my leg in half." However, Mitchell didn't give into his pain and stop. He pushed himself to complete his leg and get his teammate the baton to keep running.

Doctors confirmed that Mitchell broke his left fibula during the race. Three days prior, he had fallen going up stairs at Olympic Village. Mitchell landed awkwardly, but was cleared to race due to no apparent injuries. The race was obviously too much for the weakened bone. However, the broken bone was not too much to impede Mitchell from finishing. Without Mitchell's valiant efforts, the Americans wouldn't be in the 4x400 final. His courage and determination should be inspirational to us all.

Zonderland Wins Netherlands' First Men's Gymnastics Gold

Epke Zonderland, known as the Flying Dutchman, wowed the crowd and easily won Olympic gold in the men's high bar. (Thomas Coex) 

Gymnastics is one of many ever-changing sports in the Olympics. As athletes continue to get stronger and the routines get bigger and bigger, what is necessary to win gold has evolved as well. Men's high bar is an excellent example of this. A number of rule changes have allowed gymnasts to perform bigger moves that are higher risk. But with the risk, there is definitely great reward.

With news of these new routines coming to light, many people gathered to see what was in store for this Summer Olympics. One of the first gymnasts to compete in the high bar was American star Danell Leyva. He competently performed a routine that was scored a 7.2 difficulty level. In years past, that would had been Olympic gold worthy. However, the crowd knew that we were just getting warmed up in the North Greenwich Arena.

The reigning Olympic and world champion Zou Kai of China was expected to be the favorite to repeat. His solid routine of a 7.9 difficulty left many thinking that it was all over. Then, Fabian Hambüchen of Germany took center stage. His impressive performance from start to finish catapulted him into first. After Hambüchen finished, he let out a yell in exclamation. What he didn't know was that his time in first place was short lived.

The next gymnast to perform was Epke Zonderland of the Netherlands. He is known as the Flying Dutchman for his willingness to fling his body through the air throughout his daredevil routines. Zonderland has been considered to be one of the world's best on high bar, but what was missing from his resume was that he had never won an Olympic medal.

Zonderland opened his routine with three straight release moves that had absolutely no pause in between them. He was a blur throughout as he flew higher and higher. As the Flying Dutchman finally landed, he let out a roar as the crowd cheered. His performance was so incredible that it has been described as "unprecedented." The judges rewarded Zonderland with a score of 16.533, a number so high that it is rarely seen outside of vault. The next gymnast, American Jonathan Horton, simply laughed and shook his head. He knew that neither him nor anyone else could hope to match or exceed Zonderland's incredible mark.

What makes the performance even more special for Zonderland is what it means to his country. His gold medal is their first ever in men's artistic gymnastics and only their second overall. Their other was a women's team gold way back in 1928. Zonderland told reporters, "It's unique to be in a Olympic final if you're a Dutch gymnast, but winning the gold is bizarre. I worked so long to achieve a result like this. This is amazing." The Flying Dutchman put an aerial display that won't soon be forgotten because of the majesty and power that he displayed throughout his performance.

Aly Raisman Wins Gold and Bronze to Cap Off Her Olympics

Aly Raisman finished off her Olympics in style with a bronze on balance beam and a gold on floor exercise. (Emmanuel Dunand)

Women's gymnastics is an emotional sport full of ups and downs. If you have been following the U.S. women known as the Fierce Five, you have seen the drama unfold before you. Jordyn Wieber's tears at failing to qualify for the individual all-around opened the eyes of viewers to the pain of one less than perfect performance. The Fierce Five then came together to dominate the team all-around competition to win the gold. Gabrielle Douglas emerged as the face of the team with her bubbling personality and winning of the gold in the individual all-around. As the rest of the team continued to experience ups and down, Aly Raisman waited patiently for her time to come.

Raisman came into the Olympics somewhat under the radar. She didn't carry the high expectations that Wieber carried in. As Douglas emerged as the all-around star, the spotlight shined brightest on her. Today was the final day of women's gymnastics for this Olympics. It was also Raisman's time to perform on the balance beam and floor exercise.

Expectations weren't too high for Raisman on the balance beam. With other gymnasts favored more heavily, she just went about putting forth her best effort. Original results had Raisman finishing fourth, the same place she finished in the individual all-around after ending up on the wrong side of a tiebreaker. However, at the request of her coach, the judges reviewed her score. They found that some of her moves were indeed connected and gave her the additional points. Raisman's new score put her in a tie for the bronze medal. This time the tiebreaker favored her, and she was granted the bronze medal.

Full of confidence after winning the unexpected medal, Raisman decided to go out and leave it all on the mat in the floor exercise. Her routine had an extra crispness throughout. Raisman's difficult tumbling passes were smooth as silk, and her landings were as secure and confident as can be hoped for. Following Raisman's eclipsing finish, she saluted the judges and even mouthed "wow" in surprise. After her score of 15.6 from the judges was displayed, teammate McKayla Maroney yelled "Whoa!" so loudly that everyone could hear her.

Timing is so crucial to the sport of gymnastics. As has now been revealed, Jordyn Wieber has been competing injured. What is likely a stress fracture in her right leg clearly affected her ability to perform to the best of her ability. Gabrielle Douglas had long struggled with a lack of focus. She was able to put that behind her to win the individual all-around gold. Aly Raisman simply had to wait for her time to come. It turned out to be the last day of competition. Her floor performance left little doubt to how good she is. Raisman's patience was rewarded with three medals, the most of any of the Fierce Five. When it is all said and done, this has been an excellent performance by the U.S. gymnastics women. They should be proud of their efforts and how things turned out.

Alex Morgan Lifts USA Past Canada in Epic Olympic Semifinal

Alex Morgan's header in the final minute of stoppage time propelled the U.S. women past Canada to a 4-3 victory. (Mark J. Rebilas)

Knowing that reigning World Cup champion Japan awaited the winner in the gold medal match, the United States and Canada squared off in the second pivotal semifinal. While the U.S. women had won 26 straight matches against their northern neighbors over the past 11 years, they knew they would have to play well to contain the most dangerous player on the field, Canadian striker Christine Sinclair. The match gained an added edge when Canadian manager John Herdman accused the U.S. side of illegal tactics on set pieces. Needless to say, there was energy in the air as the match got under way.

The United States took control of the match early on, especially in the midfield. Their quickness to the ball setup a number of crosses into the box. Defensively, the U.S. women did well to hold Sinclair in check. Sinclair and the Canadian attack were buying their time waiting for a defensive lapse. Their opportunity came in the 23rd minute when a run by Canadian defender Marie-Eve Nault caught the United States off guard. Nault played it to Melissa Trancredi who found Sinclair for the easy goal. Just like that, it was 1-0 Canada.

That's how the score remained until the 54th minute, when the Americans got just a bit lucky. Marking up on a corner, Canadian defender Desiree Scott left the near post to double-team dangerous American Alex Morgan. Megan Rapinoe's cross bent and ended up in the net going directly through the spot vacated by Scott. With that the score was level at 1-1.

Fourteen minutes later, Canada found their answer. Sinclair connected on a cross from Trancredi to give them another one goal advantage. The lead was short lived as Rapinoe buried a bullet from inside the box for her second equalizer. Sinclair and the Canadiens weren't done just yet either. A corner kick off the foot of Sophie Schmidt found Sinclair in the air to complete her hat trick. Canada had taken the crucial 3-2 advantage.

In the 80th minute, the game took a controversial turn with a pair of questionable calls by Norwegian referee Christiana Pedersen. The first came when she whistled Canadian goalkeeper Erin McLeod for holding the ball longer than six seconds. It is an extremely rare call to make, especially given the time left in the game. The call gave the United States an indirect free kick right inside the area. Rapinoe took the kick and blasted it at the Canadian wall. The ball glanced off the elbow of Canada's Nault. Pedersen immediately awarded the Americans a penalty kick, ignoring once again the time on the clock and the fact that Nault appeared to have her arms close to her chest. Regardless, American Abby Wambach scored the penalty kick off the left post to tie the score 3-3.

Both the United States and Canada had their opportunities in the final minutes of regulation, but neither could find the winner. The script appeared to be the same in the period of extra time. However, in the final minute of stoppage time, the U.S. women appeared to have a little bit of Olympic magic left in them. Subsitute Heather O'Reilly sent a long cross into the Canadian box. Alex Morgan's header on the end of it found the net from six yards out. That meant the United States had comeback to beat Canada 4-3 to advance to the gold medal match.

My first reaction is to give my condolences to the Canadian women. They really played their hearts out. Christine Sinclair's performance was truly one for the ages. I sincerely believe that Pedersen, the referee, missed both those pivotal calls. The six-second goalkeeping call is almost always precluded by a warning. Canada's keeper McLeod was given no such warning. The hand ball call could have gone either way, but given the efforts of the defender and the nature of the timing of the game, I think a no call would have been the more advisable one. Regardless, Canada will take on France next with the bronze medal on the line. The Canadiens are seeking their first Summer Olympics medal in a traditional team sport since 1936.

The U.S. women were on the verge of missing the gold-medal match for the first time. Three times they faced a one-goal deficit. Each time they managed to find an answer when they needed it. Yes, there was some luck gained and grace bestowed upon them by the official, but those weren't the main thing that made the difference. That was the U.S. women's determination and unwillingness to give up when the going got tough. They are the better team for it. Now, they square off in a much anticipated rematch with the Japanese. Last summer, the Americans were defeated by the Japanese in penalty kicks in the World Cup final. It will be interesting to see how both sides come out with a gold medal on the line for the victor.

Andy Murray Wins Olympic Gold at Elusive Wimbledon

Andy Murray finally won a big match when he defeated Roger Federer in three sets to win the gold medal. (Clive Brunskill)

Just one month ago, Andy Murray took the first set against Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final. Murray looked primed to make history, but that wasn't his day as he lost the next three sets. Once again, Centre Court at Wimbledon failed to see to a Briton win the champion honors for the first time since 1936. It was an all too familiar feeling for Murray, who fell to 0-4 in Grand Slam finals. Many wondered whether or not he had what it takes to win the "big one."

Pressure was quickly mounted upon Murray once again as he carried the hope of the host nation winning a medal on the tennis court. The Britons were hopeful, but many were cautiously pessimistic because of his past shortcomings. The only way those shortcomings could come to an end is by beating the best in the world on the biggest of stages. The Olympics gave Murray that opportunity once again. In the semifinals, he beat world #1 Novak Djokovic to advance to the gold medal match. His opponent was set to be a familiar opponent, Federer.

Murray shocked everyone by coming out and taking a stronghold on the match. Murray's confidence grew, as Federer's game suffered. Federer's struggles included losing nine straight games and committing 31 unforced errors. Meanwhile, Murray was propelled by the home crowd to play at his best. By the time Federer looked to recover in the third set, it was too little, too late. Murray went on to win convincingly 6-2, 6-1, 6-4.

Even though Federer was clearly hampered by something, the breakthrough of Andy Murray is the story here. Long heralded as the one who couldn't get over the top, he finally pieced it all together when it mattered most. With his countrymen cheering him on, he was able to capture Olympic gold. His improved forehand may have been just one of the decisive factors. Now, Murray must look to keep this momentum and confidence going. The last Grand Slam tournament of the season is the U.S. Open. It will be interesting to see how he allows it to affect him.

Mo Farah Wins 10,000m Gold For Great Britain

Mo Farah's hard work paid off as he won the gold medal in the 10,000m for Great Britain. (Stu Forster)

Mo Farah was born in Somalia, but at a young age moved to London to live with his English father. He struggled in school, but excelled in athletics. A number of adults saw Farah's potential and made sacrifices to push him to succeed. He continued to be held back by a lack of motivation and poor lifestyle choices.

A transformation in Farah's life began after he lived with a group of Kenyans. They taught him the importance of commitment and hard work. Disappointment came for Farah in Beijing when he failed to qualify for the 5,000m final. He vowed to give everything to become the best in the world. In the 2010 European championship, Farah won double gold in the 5,000m and 10,000m, but his time in the latter was still more than two minutes slower than the world record.

In preparation for this summer's Olympics in Great Britain, he made the difficult decision to leave his wife and daughter to travel to Portland, Oregon to train with American runner Galen Rupp and coach Alberto Salazar. The two pushed each other to get stronger and stronger. Today was the day when they would find out if their hard work would pay off. With the Ethiopian Bekele brothers and Eritrean Zersenay Tadese among the favorites, Farah and Rupp knew they would have to run their best to have a shot at medaling.

As is expected with a long race like this, the pace started slow and got faster and faster as the race progressed. With the favorites among the leaders, it came down to the final lap to determine who would medal. That is when Farah and Rupp made their move. The duo took the lead as the British crowed cheered their countryman on. The Bekele brothers made a push to pass them, but it was too little too late.

Farah and Rupp came across the finish line as the gold and silver medal winners respectively. Elation was on both their faces as the two great friends embraced. Both made history with their accomplishment. Farah became the first Briton to win the event. Rupp became the first American to medal in the event since 1964. Ethiopian Tariku Bekele had to settle for third. Farah's gold medal was the coronation of a great day for the hosts. The joy on the faces of Mo Farah, his wife Tania, and seven-year-old daughter Rihanna was just the beautiful icing on the cake.