Sprint legend Usain Bolt ends Olympic career with a ninth gold medal

Usain Bolt brought the curtain down on his historic Olympic career by winning a ninth gold medal in the men's 4x100m relay in Rio. The 29-year-old Jamaican ran the anchor leg for his country, who won in a time of 37.27 seconds.

With victory in the relay, Bolt added to the gold medals he already won in the 100m and 200m races in Brazil. The record-breaking sprinter also equalled his achievement of winning three golds in Beijing 2008 and London 2012 respectively.

"I am proud of myself and I have to say thanks to the guys. The pressure is real. I look at it as accomplishment. I live for these moments, it is beautiful and I came through," Bolt told the BBC.

"I'll go home, stay up late tonight talking and having fun. It is not real. It is a brilliant feeling. I told the guys if it didn't happen tonight, I would beat them up. I am the greatest."

The silver medal went to Japan and the bronze went to Canada, after the USA were disqualified for a faulty baton change. Meanwhile, the British quartet of Richard Kilty, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, James Ellington and Adam Gemili finished outside the medals from lane one.

Kilty, though, insisted he was proud of the team's performance. "We ran our hearts out. We all have trust in each other, we are proud of each other and there is not much more I can say," he told the BBC.

By contrast, Great Britain's 4x100m women's relay team of Asha Philip, Desiree Henry, Dina Asher-Smith and Daryll Neita took the bronze medal. They finished in a time of 41.77 seconds to win Team GB's first medal in the event since the Los Angeles Games in 1984.

The gold medal went to the United States, who won in a time of 41.01 seconds to finish ahead of Jamaica, who recorded a time of 41.36 seconds.