MX23RW : Saturday, May 4 06:14:59| >> :120:42735:42735:

Live Commentary: Olympic athletics - day eight as it happened

Sports Mole brings you live coverage from the final session of athletics at the Olympics, with Mo Farah, Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake all in action.

Good evening and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage from the final day of action inside the Olympic Stadium at the London Games.

Tonight there are six events and six medals on offer for the competing athletes.

Team GB's Mo Farah will look to double up his 10,000m gold in the men's 5000m final, while the likes of Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake and Justin Gatlin will be aiming to take the top prize in the 4x100m relay.

As always, we'll have all the action covered right here.


9.20pmIt really has been brilliant to bring you coverage of all the athletics over the past eight days! Hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have! We're not completely finished though, tomorrow we'll be bringing you a couple of athletics-based features - including the Sports Mole awards! Goodnight!

9.15pmWell, what a way to end the athletics at the London Olympics. The two Saturdays in particular have provided some of the best sporting moments that I can ever remember. The likes of Ennis, Bolt, Farah, Blake Radisha, Eaton and Felix have been fantastic - and I know I've missed so many athletes!

9.11pmIt seems that they have been punished for not passing the baton around within the regulation distances. That's unfortunate because they ran a great race.

9.08pmHang on a minute. Disaster for Canada! They have been disqualified. As a result, Trinidad will take the bronze. Will bring you more when I can.

9.06pmHaving just seen a replay of Bolt crossing the line, he celebrates by doing a 'Mo-Bot' in tribute to Britain's Mo Farah - nice touch!

9.05pmCredit to the USA, they ran a great race but they couldn't catch the 'Lightning Bolt'. They have to settle for silver, Canada take a surprise bronze.

9.03pmNot going to lie, I loved that! Jamaica didn't start too well, but as soon as Blake got hold of the baton and passed it to Bolt in the lead, there was only ever going to be one winner. 36.85 seconds - awesome!

9.01pmGOLD! NEW WORLD RECORD! Jamaica!

9.01pmGO! The 4x100m men's relay is underway...

8.59pmHere's the startlist: Australia, France, Japan, Canada, Jamaica, USA, Netherlands, Trinidad.

8.56pmFor the USA, Trell Kimmons, Justin Gatlin, Tyson Gay and Ryan Bailey provide the competition. This is going to be a fantastic race, mark my words! Don't go anywhere!

8.54pmBolt is out on the track and mapping out his stride pattern. He is running the anchor leg here by the way. Nesta Carter, Michael Frater and Yohan Blake complete the quartet.

8.51pmWell, perhaps not the Americans! But everybody else will be rooting for that surely!?

8.50pmI think if we're all honest with ourselves here, we'd love to see Bolt and Jamaica bring the curtain down on the athletics at the Olympics by winning gold and setting a new world record.

8.47pmRight, the last event is coming up in around 10 minutes - the men's 4x100m relay and you know what that means, it's Bolt time!

8.45pmUkraine's Oleksandr Pyatnytsya finished with silver, while bronze went to Antti Ruuskanen of Finland.

8.44pmGold medals are like London buses at the moment! Walcott of Trinidad takes the top prize in the men's javelin with a national record throw of 84.58m.

8.43pmGOLD! Walcott!

8.41pmAnd the clearance of 2.05m was enough for Chicherova to take the gold! Barrett of the USA claims silver, while Shkolina (my tip) finished in the bronze medal slot.

8.40pmGOLD! Chicherova!

8.38pmBack to the high jump and Chicherova is now in pole position for the gold. The Russian is the only competitor so far to clear 2.05m.

8.35pmRussia take silver, while Jamaica claim bronze. Team GB, who were never really in contention for a medal, finished fifth.

8.34pmRichards-Ross brings the Americans home in style. What a performance from Team USA! It looked so easy. They win it in a time of 3:16.87.

8.33pmGOLD! USA!

8.32pmShakes-Drayton takes the baton for GB, who are a long way away from the medal places in fifth. I think there is too much to do here.

8.31pmThe USA, with Felix in control, have a massive lead of around 20 metres. Surely they won't be caught here.

8.31pmDecent opening leg from Cox. Over to McConnell...

8.30pmGO! The penultimate event is underway...

8.29pmRight, back to the 4x400m relay. Have to say that the American team, which includes Richards-Ross and Felix look formidable. Just get the baton round Team GB!

8.28pmQuick high jump update and America's Barrett is close to claiming the gold medal. Will keep you updated.

8.23pmThe GB team is made up of Shana Cox, Lee McConnell, Christine Ohuruogu and Shakes-Drayton.

8.18pmRight, up next is the women's 4x400m relay final. Hurdler Perri Shakes-Drayton has been drafted into the Team GB squad for this one.

8.11pmIt was a strange run from Semenya, who seemed to get her tactics wrong. Had she put herself into contention on the final bend, she would have surely won gold.

8.09pmSemenya stormed down like a train during the final few metres to claim silver, while Poistogova nipped in ahead of defending champion Jemilo to win bronze.

8.08pmThat looked so easy for Russia's Savinova, who ran down the home straight to take gold without so much as a challenge in a time of 1:56.19.

8.06pmGold! Savinova!

8.05pmSemenya is at the back and has a lot to do as the bell sounds. One lap to go.

8.05pmThey're underway...

8.01pmRight, compose yourself Liam! Coming up shortly is the final of the women's 800m. South Africa's Caster Semenya is among the favourites.

7.59pmFarah talking to BBC Sport: "It's unbelievable. I knew I just had to hold on. I got great support from the crowd. The Olympics doesn't come around often. It's all worked out well. Two gold medals - who would have thought that?!"

7.54pmMo, Mo, Mo! Not sure I'm going to recover to continue the rest of this commentary!! What a stunning performance.

7.51pmNo offence to those two, but that race was all about Farah! The look on his face as he crosses the line and realises what he has done is fantastic! Better than last Saturday? I'd say so!

7.50pmDejen Gebremeskel of Ethiopia took the silver, while Thomas Pkemei Longosiwa of Kenya claimed bronze.

7.48pmHe won the race 13:14.66 - running the last mile in four minutes! He's now among the greatest British athletes ever - without a doubt! What a hero!

7.47pmThat was wonderful! Amazing! What a run from Farah. Truly stunning. He left the field trailing down the home straight.

7.46pmGOLD! Farah!

7.45pmHe's winning down the home straight!

7.45pmFarah's kicking down the back straight. He's holding the inside.

7.45pmFarah and training partner Rupp are at the front. They're discussing tactics! Here's the bell. One to go.

7.44pmTwo laps remaining and Farah is second. He's looking comfortable. He's going to commit to this at any minute.

7.42pmFour to go and this race is picking up. Farah is fifth and on the outside. The Ethiopians are also beginning to move.

7.39pmSix to go and Farah is third. Nicely placed as well.

7.38pmEight laps to go and Farah is sitting in around ninth place. He's looking comfortable though. Expect the pace to pick up in the coming laps.

7.36pmBit of support from former England striker Michael Owen on Twitter: "Come on Mo, finish these Olympics with a bang!"

7.35pmTwo laps down and Farah has made a move to the front, much to the delight of the crowd. 10 to go.

7.34pmIt's a slow start, with Farah at the back of the back.

7.32pmGO! The race is underway...

7.31pmWhat a reception for Farah. Incredible. If that doesn't boost his confidence, nothing will!!

7.29pmThe support for Farah is outstanding. If he wins this, the stadium will erupt!

7.27pmFarah looks focused as he warms up. He isn't showing it, but he must be nervous out there.

7.26pmWith five minutes to go, here's what the great Gabreselassie has been saying about Farah to BBC Sport: "He has a great kick and I think he should be able to trust it. This is how I used to run as well ? I would stay with the pack, but not in front, and I would trust that my kick was the best in the field. I think Mo can do this as well, because he has a very fast finish."

7.20pmJust to mark your card, the men's javelin final is just about ready to start. Meanwhile, 10 minutes until Mo!

7.19pmBack to the high jump final and my tip Shkolina is safely over at 1.93m.

7.17pmShould Farah double up this evening, he will become only the seventh man in Olympic history to claim gold in both the 5,000m and 10,000m in the same Games. It's a feat that even eluded the great Haile Gebrselassie.

7.16pmHowever, Farah will have 80,000 spectators cheering him on. The home crowd have had a big impact on the Games so far.

7.13pmHis three main rivals for the top prize are the Ethiopian trio of Yenew Alamirew, Hagos Gebrhiwet and Dejen Gebremeskel. All three have run faster than Mo this year. Not meaning to be the profit of doom, but Farah has only recorded the 11th fastest time of the year over 5000m.

7.11pmLet's turn our attention to Farah, who will get his bid for 5000m gold off and running (literally) in just under 20 minutes...

7.10pmThe first to fail at 1.89m is Sweden's Emma Green Tregaro. However, the 27-year-old clears that height at the second attempt and she moves on.

7.06pmSpain's Ruth Beitia and Russia's Anna Chicherova are also safely over at 1.89m. Good start from all of the competitors so far.

7.04pmAnd just like that, she clears the first height of 1.89m. Svetlana Radzivil and Irina Gordeeva also follow suite.

7.01pmThe women high jumpers are out and the competition is about to get underway. Remember, Shkolina for the gold! You heard it hear first!

6.56pmJust to keep you informed, Russia won a gold medal earlier today in the women's 20km walk courtesy of Elena Lashmanova. Her compatriot Olga Kaniskina took silver, while China's Shenjie Qieyang won bronze.

6.54pmAnd for the men's javelin I'm backing Vitezslav Vesely of the Czech Republic. Just don't blame if it all goes wrong!

6.47pmAs mentioned earlier, the women's high jump is coming up at around 7pm. Russia's Svetlana Shkolina gets my shout for gold in that one. The 26-year-old is in good form, backed up by her performance in qualification.

6.38pmWill Bolt walk away with another gold hanging around his neck, or can Gay, Gatlin and their fellow Americans spoil the party? I'm tipping the Jamaicans (just), with the United States taking silver. Japan to claim the bronze gong.

6.36pmThe other big event of the night is the men's 4x100m relay. No disrespect to the other nations, but you cannot help but feel that it is all about Jamaica vs. USA.

6.32pmSo, what are Mo's chances tonight then? Well, if truth be told, I'm not too hopeful of him claiming gold. Don't want to be pessimistic, but having put everything into winning the 10,000m, what has he got left tonight? If he claims any colour medal it will be fantastic as far as I'm concerned.

6.27pmAfter Farah the women's 800m final is next up on the track, before two relay finals conclude the evening. The women's 4x400m go first, before Bolt & co round things off in the men's 4x100m.

6.26pmBefore that the women's high jump final and the men's javelin final get underway.

6.25pmEven with the likes of Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake in action this evening, one of the main draws will be Team GB's Mo Farah in the final of the men's 5000m. That race will go at 7.30pm.

6.19pmEvening all! So, we're on the home straight. Just six more athletics events left at the London Olympics. Whose emotional?!
ID:39809: cacheID:39809:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:23087:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Mo Farah
Read Next:
Olympics: Guide to day 15
>