Americans break world record

LONDON (AP) — The U.S. had a big lead when Carmelita Jeter got the baton for the anchor leg of the women’s 4x100-meter relay on Friday night.

She knew exactly what to do with it.

Jeter powered down the stretch and pointed the baton at the clock as she crossed the finish line, celebrating a world-record time of 40.82 seconds that gave the Americans their first victory in the event since 1996.

Tianna Madison, 200-meter champion Allyson Felix, Bianca Knight and Jeter combined for a perfect trip around the track that ended a string of disappointments for the U.S. in the marquee relay. At the 2008 Beijing Games, the Americans didn’t even reach the final because Torri Edwards and Lauryn Williams bobbled the last exchange in the semifinals.

Their final time cut more than a half-second off the old record of 41.37 run by East Germany in 1985.

Jamaica won the silver medal in a national record of 41.41 seconds, with 100 champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Sherone Simpson, Veronica Campbell-Brown and Kerron Stewart bringing the baton around.

The American team was in control in the men’s 4x400 relay until Ramon Miller of the Bahamas chased down Angelo Taylor on the anchor leg to grab his country’s first gold in a race won by the U.S. in every Olympics since 1984.

But the silver helped the United States run its lead in the medals table to 94-81 over China.

The South African team, anchored by double-amputee “Blade Runner” Oscar Pistorius, fell behind well before Pistorius received the baton and was eighth.

Turkey’s Alsi Cakir Alptekin (women’s 1,500 meters), Ethiopia’s Meseret Defar (women’s 5,000 meters) Russia’s Tatyana Lysenko (women’s hammer throw) and France’s Renaud Lavillenie (men’s pole vault) were the other winners at Olympic Stadium.

European champion Alptekin, who served a two-year suspension for doping after the 2004 world junior championships, led a 1-2 finish for Turkey in her race. She finished in 4:10.23 and Gamze Bulut was next in 4:10.40.

The rest of the Olympic action Friday:

BASKETBALL

Kevin Durant and the U.S. men’s basketball team also had quite the closing kick in their semifinal against Argentina.

Durant scored 19 points and LeBron James did a little bit of everything as Team USA pulled away for a 109-83 victory and a spot in Sunday’s final against Spain.

Argentina trailed by four early in the second half when the United States put the game away behind the strength of James and Durant’s shooting ability.

Durant made two 3-pointers in an 8-0 spurt that pushed the lead to 13, and when Argentina got back within eight, the NBA’s MVP and runner-up teamed up to blow it open.

James had a basket and drove for a powerful dunk while being fouled. Durant followed with consecutive 3-pointers, and James tipped in a miss and suddenly the lead was 19, 72-53, with 1:30 left in the period.

WRESTLING

Jordan Burroughs had his eyes on a gold medal for months, and he let everyone know about his plans.

Then he delivered.

The 24-year-old American backed up all that talk, beating Iran’s Sadegh Saeed Goudarzi 1-0, 1-0 in the men’s 74-kilogram freestyle division to give the U.S. its first wrestling gold in London.

BMX BIKING

Maris Strombergs of Latvia defended his BMX title over a harrowing course in Olympic Park, taking the lead at the start and never relinquishing it.

He cruised across the finish line in 37.576 seconds to add to the title he won in Beijing, when the sport made its Olympic debut.

Former world champion Mariana Pajon won the women’s BMX competition, giving Colombia its first gold at the London Games.

SWIMMING

Ous Mellouli of Tunisia won the grueling 10-kilometer race to become the first swimmer to win medals in the pool and open water at the same Olympics.

Mellouli pulled away from a small group of leaders in the fifth of six laps and finished in 1 hour, 49 minutes, 55.1 seconds in the murky waters of the Serpentine in Hyde Park. He also won bronze in the 1,500-meter freestyle last week.

It was the second gold of Mellouli’s Olympic career. He also took the 1,500 at the 2008 Beijing Games.

Thomas Lurz of Germany was second, 3.4 seconds behind, and first-time Olympian Richard Weinberger of Canada grabbed the bronze.

SAILING

Australia’s Mathew Belcher and Malcolm Page, and New Zealand’s Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie won the 470 class gold medals by overwhelming their British rivals on Weymouth Bay.

The Americans failed to win an Olympic sailing medal for the first time since 1936.

SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMING

Russia grabbed the team gold medal for its fourth consecutive team victory and sixth straight overall gold.

The Russians totaled 197.030 points with a free routine featuring swimmers doing acrobatic flips and pirouetting like ballerinas above the water.

China earned the silver at 194.010, and Spain took the bronze four years after winning silver in Beijing.

CANOE SPRINT

Ed McKeever of Britain clocked the quickest time over the heats and semifinals as the 200-meter canoe sprint made its Olympic debut.

Racing in front of a flag-waving crowd under sunny, cloudless skies at Dorney Lake, the barrel-chested McKeever crossed in 35.087 seconds in his heat and then easily won his semifinal.

In the only 200-meter event for women, Lisa Carrington of New Zealand and Natasa Douchev-Janics of Hungary set up a probable shootout in the K-1 final.

ELSEWHERE IN LONDON

Park Chu-young scored to lead South Korea to a 2-0 victory over Japan and a bronze medal in men’s soccer. Brazil and Mexico play in the gold-medal match Saturday at Wembley Stadium. ... Dzhamal Otarsultanov won the men’s 55-kg freestyle category, beating Vladimer Khinchegashvili of Georgia to give the Russians four wrestling golds at the games, tops for any nation.

Tags: sports, olympics