World Athletics Championships: Bolt bids for third gold as Jamaica reaches relay final
A win here would further cement his legendary track status
Beijing: Usain Bolt will have the chance to go for a golden treble at the world championships in Beijing after his teammates advanced into the finals of the 4x100m relay on Saturday.
A Jamaican quartet comprising Nesta Carter, Asafa Powell, Rasheed Dwyer and Nickel Ashmeade clocked a season's best of 37.41 seconds -- the 10th fastest time ever run -- to win their heat ahead of France and China, whose 37.92 was an Asian record.
It means Bolt, who has already beaten American rival Justin Gatlin to the 100 and 200m titles, will have the opportunity to return home with a third world gold from Beijing when he replaces one of his teammates for the final.
The US team, made up of 100m bronze and silver medallists Trayvon Bromell and Gatlin, and fellow finalists Tyson Gay and Michael Rodgers, won their heat comfortably in 37.91sec.
The last outing between Jamaica and the United States came at the World Relay Championships in the Bahamas in early June, the US team running out victors, much to Bolt's visible annoyance.
The Jamaicans, anchored by Bolt, have won all world and Olympic sprint titles since the 2008 Beijing Games, and a win here would further cement his legendary track status. Gatlin, however, said he had confidence in his teammates. "We are hungry, we want to get out here and show that we can do it. We want to get the stick around, we want to do our job," he said.