Usain Bolt still the fastest man in the world

Even a lumbering start couldn't slow down the world's fastest man. Usain Bolt became the first person to win three straight Olympic 100-meter titles, blowing down the straightaway in 9.81 seconds at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. The Jamaican great defeated American rival Justin Gatlin by .08 seconds for his seventh Olympic gold medal. Andre de Grasse of Canada won the bronze. Bolt started pulling away from Gatlin with about 30 meters left. His electrifying kick capped an exciting Day 9 of the Rio Games that included Justin Rose winning the first Olympic golfing gold medal in 112 years with a two-stroke win over British Open champion Henrik Stenson.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS FROM DAY 9:

American teen sensation Simone Biles added a third gold in gymnastics, capturing the women's vault title, and the U.S. men's basketball team had yet another scare, this one from France, before advancing to the quarterfinals as the top, albeit shaky, seed.

Second-seeded Andy Murray of Britain beat Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina for his second consecutive Olympic singles tennis gold medal.

The South African sprinter Wayde Van Niekerk broke Michael Johnson's 17-year-old world record on Sunday night in Rio de Janeiro, leaving two of the greatest one-lap runners of this era in his dust. Van Niekerk finished in 43.03 seconds - 0.15 seconds faster than Johnson ran on Aug. 26, 1999 in Seville, Spain.

Justin Rose won the first golfing gold medal at the Olympics in 112 years Sunday, beating Henrik Stenson by two strokes, and Simone Biles added a third gold in gymnastics, capturing the women's vault title.

Ethiopian world record holder Genzebe Dibaba qualified for the women's 1,500 metres final with the fastest time, comfortably winning her heat in four minutes 3.06 seconds to justify her tag as favourite for Olympic gold.