Jamaica sweeps sprint events with relay golds

August 19, 2013 at 12:00a.m.

MOSCOW

Usain Bolt is perfect again. And with three gold medals in Moscow, the Jamaican great became the most successful athlete in the 30-year history of the world championships.

The 4x100-meter relay gold Sunday erased the memories of the 100 title he missed out on in South Korea two years ago because of a false start. And, combined with an identical 100-200-relay triple from Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Bolt was instrumental in giving Jamaica the first sweep of the six sprint events.

Bolt was still trailing Justin Gatlin when he got the baton on the anchor leg, but a botched U.S. handover and his superior speed were enough to carry him, and Jamaica, to victory. Bolt had already won the 100 and 200 meters. It was his second such sprint triple at the world championships, matching the two he has achieved at the Olympics.

Bryant wins milestone Champions Tour event

ENDICOTT, N.Y.

It has been 33 years since the Champions Tour was born, and its newest champion is somebody special: 50-year-old rookie Bart Bryant is the tour’s 1,000th winner. Bryant, who shot a tournament record-tying 10-under 62 in the second round to build a four-shot lead, closed with a 72 on Sunday and finished at 16-under 200 to beat Russ Cochran and Corey Pavin by one shot in the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open.

It was a memorable moment for Bryant and the senior tour, which began in 1980 at the Atlantic City Country Club in Atlantic City, N.J. Don January, who won that first tournament, was on hand to congratulate Bryant and hand him the trophy. The inaugural year consisted of four events.

England’s Fitzpatrick wins US Amateur

BROOKLINE, Mass.

One hundred years after British superstars Harry Vardon and Ted Ray stopped at The Country Club on their unsuccessful victory tour, Matt Fitzpatrick finished the job. Fitzpatrick won the U.S. Amateur on Sunday, beating Australian Oliver Goss 4 and 3 in the 36-hole final Sunday to become the event’s first English champion since 1911. The 18-year-old soon-to-be Northwestern freshman is the first foreigner to win any major USGA event at The Country Club, a streak that grew into a legend when Francis Ouimet beat Vardon and Ray here in the 1913 U.S. Open.

Fitzpatrick never trailed in the final match, taking the lead for good on the second hole of the afternoon round — the 20th of the day — and going 2 up one hole later. Goss cut it to one on No. 9, but fell behind two again on the 10th hole when he lipped out on a 4-foot putt. Fitzpatrick went 3 up on the 14th hole and then on No. 15, where he had won four of his previous five matches, he was short of the green and Goss was off the back.

Sharon Speedway hosts special program

Hartford

Sharon Speedway hosted a special event Saturday night featuring the Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC RUSH Dirt Late Model Touring Series in the “Gary Knollinger Memorial” and the BOSS non-wing Sprint Car Series. Celebrating in the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply victory lane were Ryan Montgomery, 16, of Fairmont, W.Va., in the Barris Supply RUSH Late Model Sweeney Tour; Aaron Middaugh of Polk, Ohio, in the BOSS Sprint Series; Mike Clark of Bristolville in the Gibson Insurance Agency Stock Cars; Ryan Fraley of Wheatland, Pa., in the HTMA/Precise Racing Products Econo Mods; and Jim Haefke Jr. of Austintown in the Deforest Used Parts Mini Stocks.

Coming up on Tuesday is the Lou Blaney Memorial Alzheimer’s Association Benefit Event featuring the “410” Sprint Cars for $5,000 to-win, plus the BRP Big-Block Modifieds Tour for $2,000 to-win. Gates open at 4 p.m. with warm-ups at 6:10 followed by Sprint Car time trials and racing at 7.

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Vindicator staff/Associated Press