Bolt, Jamaica set relay world record

DAEGU, South Korea, Sept. 4 (UPI) -- Jamaica, anchored by Usain Bolt, broke the world record in the men's 4x100-meter relay Sunday, the final event of the World Championships in South Korea.

Bolt, who won the 200 Saturday, teamed with Nesta Carter, Michael Frater and Yohan Blake (the 100-meter gold medalist) for a world record 37.04 seconds in the relay. That was more than a full second ahead of silver medalist France (38.20) and third-place St. Kitts and Nevis (38.49).

The anticipated Jamaica-U.S. duel in the event ended when Darvis Patton fell at the end of the third leg before making the pass to Walter Dix, disqualifying the Americans.

The U.S. women's team of Bianca Knight, Allyson Felix, Marshevet Myers and Carmelita Jeter turned in the world's best time of the year in winning the 4x400-meter relay in 41.56 seconds. Jamaica (41.70) took the silver while Ukraine (42.51) was third.

American Christian Taylor denied Great Britain's Phillips Idowu a repeat title in the men's triple jump. Taylor turned in a 17.96-meter jump in his fourth attempt to take the gold while Idowu was the silver medalist at 17.77. U.S. jumper Will Claye's jump of 17.50 earned the bronze medal.

Taylor's win was the championships-best 12th gold medal for the United States, which, with eight silvers and five bronzes, also won the most medals overall with 25. Russia, which collected nine golds, was second overall with 19 and Kenya took 17 medals, including seven golds.

That last Kenyan gold medal was won by Abel Kirui, who repeated as men's marathon champion when he covered the course in 2 hours, 7 minutes, 38 seconds. That was about 2 1/2 minutes ahead of countryman Vincent Kipruto (2:10:06) while Feyisa Lilesa of Ethiopia was third in 2:10:32.

Britain's Mohamed Farah added the men's 5,000-meter gold to his silver in the 10,000 with a time of 13 minutes, 23.36 seconds. U.S. runner Bernard Lagat, who won the event in 2007, was second for the second consecutive world championships, finishing in 13:23.64. Ethiopian Imane Merga was right behind in at 13:23.78.

Mariya Savinova of Russia posted a world-leading 1:55.87 in winning the women's 800. South Africa's Caster Semenya, the event's defending champion, was second in 1:56.35 and Kenyan Janeth Jepkosgei Busienei collected the bronze in 1:57.42.

Russian Tatyana Lysenko claimed the women's hammer throw gold medal at 77.13 meters. Her first three throws were all better than the best effort of runner-up German Betty Heidler, who managed 76.06. The bronze medal went to China's Zhang Wenxiu (75.03).