Olympic sprint champion Usain Bolt ended his London Games in glorious style tonight with a third gold and a world record as he anchored Jamaica to victory in a blistering men's 4x100m final in 36.84 seconds.
USA smashed a 27-year-old world record in the women's 4x100 metres relay, running a sizzling 40.82 seconds to win gold at the Olympics for the first time since 1996.
The United States won the women's 4x100 metres relay title at the world championships on Sunday, Carmelita Jeter bringing the anchor leg home in a time of 41.56.
Usain Bolt ran the anchor leg for Jamaica's men as they scorched to a record-breaking success in a dramatic climax to the 4x100m relay.
Jamaica's Asafa Powell will miss the 4x100 metres relay at the World Championships in Daegu with the groin injury which forced him out of the individual event.
France's Christophe Lemaitre claimed a third gold at the European athletics championships on Sunday when he added the men's 4x100m title to his gold over 100m and 200m.
Ireland women's 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams have failed to reach the finals at the European Athletics Championships in Barcelona. The Ireland men followed suit by failing to make the 4x400m final.
The Irish women's 4X100m relay team took a big slice off the Irish record when they placed second in Geneva on Saturday.
Michael Phelps made it gold number five at the World Championships in Rome when he helped the USA to first place in the 4x100m medley relay, writes RTÉ Sport's John Kenny.
Jamaica's sprinting streak finally ended on Friday when the huge favourites failed to get the baton round in the Olympic women's 4x100 relay final, allowing Russia to take the gold medal.
Usain Bolt won his third gold medal of the Beijing Olympics as Jamaica smashed the world 4x100m record with a superb time of 37.10 seconds.
The United States' woeful Olympic track and field campaign got even worse on Thursday when their women's 4x100metres relay team went out in the first round.
The United States' miserable Olympic track and field campaign continued on Thursday when their men's 4x100metres relay team went out in the first round.
Australia broke their own world record in sprinting away with the women's 4x100m medley relay gold medal at the Beijing Olympics on Sunday.
Michael Phelps has broken Mark Spitz's record of gold medals in an Olympic Games with his eighth gold in Beijing in the men's 4x100m medley relay final in a world record time of 3:29.34.
USA won gold in the men's 4x100m freestyle relay on Monday, smashing the WR at the same time. Eamon Sullivan of Australia broke the men's swimming 100 metres freestyle world record on the first leg of the same race.
The Irish 4x100m women's relay team set a new Irish junior record in their heat at the World Junior Championship
The quartet of Aishling Cooney, Melanie Nocher, Fiona Doyle and Lorna Cummins set an new Irish senior record when they finished third in the final of the 4 x 100m medley relay at the Dutch National Swimming Championships in Eindhoven.
The Irish women's 4 x 100m relay team failed to qualify from their heat as they finished sixth in Gotherburg today, setting a new national record in doing so.
The German women's 4x100 metres freestyle relay swimming team broke the world record at the European championships timing 3minutes 35.22seconds as they took the title.