Rio Day 13: Bolt Wins Again, Probe of US Swimmers and Other Memorable Moments

A weightlifter became the first Rio athlete to be stripped of a medal

Usain Bolt earned another first in the 200 meters, Brazilian officials said Ryan Lochte and the other American swimmers lied about being held up, and America's Ashton Eaton retained the title of best athlete in the world by winning the decathlon. Here are some memorable moments of Day 13 at the Rio Games, in case you missed them.

Bolt Wins 200 Meter Gold, for the Third Time

Usain Bolt won his third straight 200 meter gold Thursday night — the only athlete to accomplish that feat. Bolt finished in 19.78 seconds, defeating Andre De Grasse of Canada, who took silver at 20.02 seconds. France's Christophe Lemaitre won bronze in 20.12.

Earlier in the Rio Games, Bolt set the same record in the 100 meters. He crossed the finish line in 9.81 seconds, beating rival Justin Gatlin by .08 seconds.

"World's Greatest Athlete"

Ashton Eaton earned the title of the "world’s greatest athlete" Thursday night by winning the decathlon for the second straight Olympic Games.

In the final event, the 1,500 meters, Eaton held off France’s Kevin Mayer to finish with 8,893 points. Mayer had 8,834 points, and in third was Canada’s Damian Warner with 8,666 points.

Eaton, 28, competed in 10 track and field events over two days to defend his Olympic title. The events: 100 and 400 meters, 110 meters hurdles, long jump, shot put, javelin throw, discus throw, high jump, pole vault and finally the 1,00 meters.

Eaton became the third man to defend an Olympic decathlon title.

Police: Lochte, Other U.S. Swimmers Lied About Robbery

Ryan Lochte and the other U.S. Olympic swimmers who claimed to have been robbed at gunpoint in Rio de Janeiro had actually vandalized a gas station restroom before being confronted by security guards, one of whom pointed a gun at the men to scare them, the city’s police chief said at a news conference Thursday.

The swimmers -- Lochte, Jack Conger, Gunnar Bentz and Jimmy Feigen -- were not robbed, nor were they victims of violence of any sort, and they owe the people of Rio an apology, said the chief, Fernando Veloso.

"The only truth they told was that they were drunk," Veloso said.

Lochte initially had said their taxi was pulled over early Sunday by men posing as police officers when they returned to the Olympic Village from a party at the Casa Franca, an Olympic hospitality house. One of the men pressed a cocked gun to his forehead before taking his money, Lochte said. He later changed his story to say the cab had stopped at the gas station so they could use the bathroom.

But Brazilian authorities said they could find no evidence that the men's story was true, and on Wednesday a judge ordered Lochte and Feigen to remain in Brazil and their passports seized while police continued to investigate. But by then Lochte had returned to the United States.

Conger and Bentz were later taken off their flight to the United States at the Rio airport.

Police say the men stopped at the Shell gas station shortly before 6 a.m. and when they used the bathroom, it was vandalized, the police chief said. They eventually paid R$100 in Brazilian reals and $20 for the damage.

Conger and Bentz left Brazil Thursday night, according to a statement from U.S. Olympic Committee CEO Scott Blackmun. Feigen provided authorities with a revised statement Thursday night in the hope that his passport would be released as soon as possible, the statement said.

Weightlifter Stripped of Medal Over Doping

A male weightlifter from Kyrgyzstan became the first athlete to be stripped of a medal at the Rio Games after a doping test. Izzat Artykov tested positive for strychnine after winning the bronze medal in the 69-kilogram division, according to the The Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Later in the day, a Chinese swimmer and a Brazilian road cyclist were disqualified from Olympic competition, also after positive drug tests. Final verdicts were issued in the cases of swimmer Chen Xinyi and cyclist Kleber Ramos.

631396637MD00270_Weightlift
Getty Images
Izzat Artykov of Kyrgyzstan celebrates during the Men's 69kg Group A Weightlifting contest on Day 4 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Riocentro - Pavilion 2 on Aug. 9, 2016, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The 18-year-old Chen, who finished fourth in the 100-meter butterfly, had previously accepted a "provisional suspension" after testing positive for a diuretic. She pulled out of her final event, the 50-meter freestyle. On Thursday, after a hearing, the court said she had been formally disqualified and her fourth-place result annulled.

Ramos tested positive for the blood-booster EPO in a pre-games test on July 31. He had accepted a provisional suspension "on a voluntary basis" and did not request a hearing. The court said he has been disqualified.

Two other athletes were expelled last week.

Boxing Fallout Continues

The association running the Olympic boxing tournament removed its executive director from the Games on Thursday, a day after some judges were sent home for questionable calls in the matches.

The International Boxing Association reassigned Karim Bouzidi but did not say why. The tournament instead will be operated by the president of the European Boxing Confederation.

An unspecified number of referees and judges were dismissed from the Olympics on Wednesday after the governing body determined that officiating at "less than a handful" of Olympic bouts had been incompetent. The association declined to name the judges or specify which bouts had been problematic.

Among the controversial decisions:

Russia's Evgeny Tishchenko won the heavyweight gold medal with a decision over Kazakhstan's Vassiliy Levit, who was more aggressive. The crowd booed Tishchenko as he received his gold medal.

Ireland bantamweight world champion Michael Conlan lost a quarterfinal decision to Russia's Vladimir Nikitin. Conlon made obscene gestures at the judges and accused the International Boxing Association and Russia of conspiring together. Nikitin clinched the bronze but was medically disqualified Thursday from a semifinal bout.

Relay Team Races the Clock

In a rare rerun, the U.S. 4x100 relay team raced by themselves, against the clock, in the Olympic Stadium to qualify for the finals after one of the team was jostled by a Brazilian sprinter during an earlier heat.

American Allyson Felix dropped the baton as she prepared to pass it to teammate English Gardner during the morning’s qualifying heat and it looked as if the U.S. team had been eliminated. But then officials ruled that the Brazilian runner had obstructed the Americans.

In the rerun, the U.S. team qualified with the fastest time, 41.77 seconds. China had finished eighth but was eliminated from the final.

American Wins Wrestling Gold

Helen Maroulis became the first American woman to take home a gold medal for wrestling, edging out Japan's Saori Yoshida, a three time reigning Olympic champion and a 13-time world champion.

Before losing to Maroulis, Yoshida had only lost two matches in the past 14 years and had hoped to become the second wrestler to ever win four gold medals.

Golfing With the Wildlife Hazard 

It took five people running around the bushes of the Rio Olympic golf course to catch a snake on Thursday.

There are 263 species of animals that call the newly constructed golf course their home.

While the giant capybaras, the world's largest rodent, have made headlines roaming around the course, Rio staff members found themselves dealing with a different critter Thursday.

Contact Us