Lightning Usain Bolt strikes thrice

You see him run a sprint only on camera. Try catching him with your naked eyes in the stadium, and chances are you will not realize what passed by.

The phenomenon called Usain Bolt did it again, albeit this time with the help of three Jamaican teammates.

Spectators in the packed Bird's Nest got what they had been waiting for the whole of Friday evening: Bolt doing his signature sprint and setting another world record.

Bolt ran the third leg, handing the baton to former 100m world record-holder Asafa Powell, yelled and pointed as Powell began the anchor leg.

Jamaica's Usain Bolt (front) starts to run as teammate Michael Frater (back-R) arrives with the baton during the men's 4?00m relay final at the "Bird's Nest" National Stadium during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games on August 22, 2008. Jamaica broke the men's 4x100m relay world record in the Olympic final timing 37.10seconds.

And within seconds, just past 10 pm, the 4x100m men's relay record of 37.40 seconds lay shattered. Nesta Carter had started the amazing run, passing the baton to Michael Frater. The new record: 37.10 seconds.

Such was their dominance that the Jamaicans were almost a full second faster than silver medallists Trinidad and Tobago, which finished in 38.06 seconds. Japan took the bronze in 38.15.
The applause for the winners was deafening, with the Mexican wave in the stands accompanying the Jamaican team's victory lap on the tracks.

Men's 4x100m relay Asafa Powell, Usain Bolt, Michael Frater, Nesta Carter of Jamaica celebrate after winning the final of the athletics competition in the National Stadium during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games August 22, 2008.

It was Bolt's third gold. The first two, 100m (9.69 seconds) and 200m (19.30 seconds), came in world record times, too.

But it was a sad day for Jamaica's women sprinters. The favorites failed in passing the baton (in the third leg) in the 4x100 relay, allowing Russian women to run home with the gold.

Jamaica's Usain Bolt (L) celebrates next to teammate Asafa Powell after they won the men's 4x100m relay final at the National Stadium during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games on August 22, 2008. Jamaica won the men's 4x100 metres Olympic title timing a new world record of 37.10 seconds.