Bolt cruises to world record in 100-meters

Other track and field
While the buzz built for the men’s 100, U.S. sprinters Lauryn Williams, Torri Edwards and Muna Lee advanced to the quarterfinals of the women’s version, as did a trio of Jamaicans.

“It’s nerve-racking, the first round even,” said Williams who finished second in her heat in 11.38 seconds, 0.01 behind Christine Arron of France. “You don’t want to go out there and take it for granted — then you’re going to mess up.”

In the men’s 20-kilometer walk, Russia’s Valeriy Borchin won, then collapsed soon after and was taken away on a stretcher. After medical attention for dehydration, he was back on his feet.

In qualifying for the women’s pole vault, Yelena Isinbayeva — the Olympic and world champion and world record-holder — waited and waited for her first attempt until the bar went up to the automatic qualifying height of 15 feet, 1 inch. She cleared it with ease to get to the final, as did American rival Jenn Stuczynski.

Other swimming
The way world records have been falling at the Water Cube, Janet Evans’ 19-year-old standard in the women’s 800-meter freestyle — swimming’s oldest world record — was doomed to go down. And Britain’s Rebecca Adlington dropped it en route to her second gold medal; she also won the 400.

Cesar Cielo won the 50-meter freestyle, earning Brazil its first-ever gold medal in swimming.

Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry defended her Olympic title in the women’s 200-meter backstroke in a world-record time. Her old roommate at Auburn, American Margaret Hoelzer, got the silver.

Also, 41-year-old Dara Torres was the fastest qualifier in the women’s 50 freestyle. She’ll have the middle lane for the final Sunday morning.

“That’s a little more pressure,” said Torres, whose collection of 10 medals includes bronze in this event in Sydney, “and I’m old enough to be able to handle it.”

Men’s volleyball
The U.S. beat China in three sets, but the bigger news was coach Hugh McCutcheon rejoining the team a week after a knife attack that killed his father-in-law and wounded his mother-in-law. The woman, Barbara Bachman, arrived in her home state of Minnesota on Friday for treatment at the Mayo Clinic.

After the final point, Riley Salmon embraced his coach. McCutheon joined in a team high-five on the court.

“I wouldn’t have come back if I wasn’t ready to come back,” McCutcheon said. “It’s what I do — get out on the sidelines and get the boys fired up.”

The Americans went 3-0 without their coach, clinching a spot in the quarterfinals before he returned.

Softball
The American juggernaut crushed another opponent, with Jessica Mendoza hitting her third home run in two days and Jennie Finch pitching five shutout innings for a 7-0 victory over Taiwan. They’ve outscored their foes 36-1, have allowed just four hits in 29 innings, and have now won 19 straight Olympic games.

“USA is too strong to defeat,” Taiwan coach Chang Chia-Hsing said.

In other games, Japan beat China 3-0, Australia beat the Netherlands 8-0 and, at night, Venezuela plays Canada.

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