Olympics: Clement Captures 400M, Brownlees Boss Triathlon as Bolt Prepares
Kerron Clement won men's 400m hurdle gold at the Olympics on Thursday as Britain's Brownlee brothers made the triathlon a family affair and the clock ticked towards Usain Bolt's 200m final.
At the Olympic Stadium a dropped baton hiatus in the women's 4x100m relay heats left the United States facing a nerve-jangling time-trial to force their way into Friday's final.
And in the men's sprint relay heats, Jamaica kept Bolt's 'triple triple' gold medal haul dream very much alive by qualifying for the final.
Bolt was given the morning off as he prepared to add the 200m final (2230 local time 0130GMT) to his electric win in the 100m.
If he adds the 200m and the relay he will become the first man in history to win the three sprint titles at three consecutive Olympics.
More than a smattering of Bolt's brilliance was evident in Clement's storming 400m hurdles victory.
The Trinidad-born American powered over in a world leading time of 47.73sec to hold off a furious late challenge from Kenya's Boniface Tumuti in 47.78.
Turkey's Cuban-born Yasmani Copello claimed bronze in 47.92sec.
The win comes eight years after Clement won a silver medal in Beijing and a gold medal in the 4x400m relay.
Clement said he had been determined to make the podium in Rio, targeting 2016 as a redemption year after problems in 2012.
"I had one goal in mind and my mindset was to come here and get a medal," Clement told reporters.
"In 2008 I fell short and got a silver. In 2012 I was battling injuries and surgeries. I was just happy to make the finals in 2012," added Clement, who underwent hernia and adductor muscle operations before the London Games.
The Olympic Stadium will witness a rare sight later Thursday when the U.S. women's relay team re-run their heat in splendid isolation.
The decision to give the defending Olympic champions another crack at reaching the final came after a tumultuous morning heat.
US star Allyson Felix was bumped by a Brazilian rival as she prepared to hand over to English Gardner, knocking her off balance and sending the baton tumbling to the floor.
The American quartet will be trying to beat eighth-fastest qualifiers China's time of 42.70sec.
U.S. star Ashton Eaton heads into the final three events of the decathlon with a slender 115-point lead over Canadian Damian Warner.
On Copacabana, Alistair and Jonny Brownlee became the first British brothers to win Olympic gold and silver when they blitzed the field in the men's triathlon.
Jonny said: "When we crossed that finish line I was pretty emotional. 'We've done it!' I said to Alistair, because we had done it."
In women's golf, American Stacy Lewis, with 11 birdies, has the lead at the midway point.
Lewis shot an 8-under-par 63 to end her second round at nine-under overall in a contest that has returned to the Olympic agenda for the first time in 116 years.
Germany took men's hockey bronze in a shoot-out win over the Netherlands. Belgium and Argentina meet for the gold medal match later.
Japanese duo Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi defeated Denmark to claim badminton women's doubles gold.
Elsewhere hosts Brazil, New Zealand and Britain won sailing golds; Spain, Ukraine, Hungary and Germany took the canoe and kayak titles on offer.
And Cuba's three-time amateur world champion boxer Julio Cesar La Cruz bamboozled Kazakhstan's Adilbek Niyazymbetov to win the light-heavyweight title.
The games continue amidst renewed intrigue over the U.S. swimmers' mugging story and with a top International Olympic Committee official still in custody over black market Olympic ticket sales.
Source: Agence France Presse
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