Rio de Janeiro: Elaine Thompson maintained Jamaica's incredible stranglehold on Olympic sprinting on Wednesday when she added the 200 metres gold to the 100m title she collected earlier at the Rio Games.
After winning nine of the 12 sprint events in 2008 and 2012 combined, Jamaica have now already won the first three in Rio.
While the days of the United States dominating sprinting are long gone, they can at least take some consolation from their own special sweep on Wednesday.
Brianna Rollins, Nia Ali and Kristi Castlin completed an unprecedented 1-2-3 in the 100m hurdles - the first gold on the track at the Rio Games for the United States.
The United States also took gold and silver in a fantastic long jump final through Tianna Bartoletta and Brittney Reese.
Thompson delivered gold in the 200 despite nursing a tight hamstring. She faced stiff opposition, particularly in the shape of Dafne Schippers, but after running a terrific bend she maintained her form to hold off the Dutchwoman and crossed the line in a season-leading 21.78.
Thompson become the first woman to win both the 100 and 200 since American Florence Griffith Joyner in 1988.
Schippers took silver and American Tori Bowie added a bronze to her silver from the 100. There was no disputing the depth of 100m hurdles talent on the US team, with world record holder Kendra Harrison and 2008 Olympic champion Dawn Harper failing to make the cut, but to take all three medals was more than they could have hoped for.
Rollins was the clear winner in 12.48 though Castlin had a nervous wait before discovering she had sneaked bronze. In the long jump Bartoletta soared to a personal best 7.17 metres with her fifth jump to take gold, with defending champion Reese leaving it even later with a last-attempt 7.15 to snatch silver ahead of Serbia's Ivana Spanovic.
Darya Klishina, Russia's one-woman athletics team, finished ninth.
Briton Mo Farah is ready to have a tilt at the distance double-double, though he had a scare when stumbling 200 metres from the end of his 5,000m semi-final.
Farah recovered from a fall to win the 10,000 earlier this week. His main rivals from East African countries also made it through to Saturday's final.
Kenya's iron grip on the men's 3,000m steeplechase continued as 21-year-old Conseslus Kipruto triumphed in an Olympic record eight minutes 3.28 seconds.
The East African nation has won every edition of the race since 1968 bar the two it missed due to political boycotts in 1976 and 1980. Evan Jager took silver for the United while double Olympic champion Ezekiel Kemboi finished third but was disqualified for stepping out of his lane. The bronze went instead to France's Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad.
Hot favourite Caster Semenya qualified for the 800m semi-finals with ease and was immediately plunged into a new gender controversy over her reported hyperandrogeny.
Usain Bolt admitted to being surprised by Canadian sprinter Andre De Grasse's final burst of speed in the 200 metres semi-final.
The Jamaican seven-times gold medallist exchanged friendly smiles with first-time Olympian De Grasse as they charged towards the line to finish the heat in 19.78 and 19.8 seconds respectively.
"He was supposed to slow down. I said 'What are you doing, it's a semi-final?' But I think he wanted to push me. I was a bit lazy but I got round," said Bolt, who is aiming to win his third triple batch of Olympic gold medals in Rio.
"I saw that he got a national record actually, so he means business," said the Jamaican, who turns 30 on Sunday, the final day of what he has said will be his last Olympics.
It would be the first time in history a runner has collected the"triple-triple", a goal so audacious that no athlete even attempted it before Bolt, who won the 100m on Sunday and told reporters he might be able to beat his world record time of 19.19 seconds in the 200m final on Thursday.
"I definitely think I can try for the world record, I definitely feel that," Bolt said. "I need to run efficiently and get into the straight and run the perfect race."
