2008 Beijing Games Day 12

Usain Bolt of Jamaica is jubilant after winning the men’s 200-meter race.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Usain Bolt hangs onto his pair of golden sneakers, a big contributor to his golden runs.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Jamaica’s Melanie Walker leaps over the last hurdle as she passes Sheena Tosta, right, of the U.S. Walker wins the gold in the women’s 400-meter hurdles; Tosta the silver.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Melanie Walker waves the Jamaican flag after winning the women’s 400-meter hurdles.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Tiffany Ross-Williams of the U.S. looks disappointed about her eighth-place finish in the women’s 400-meter hurdles.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

U.S. cyclist Mike Day leads the pack in a quarterfinal heat at Beijing’s Laoshan BMX track.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

BMX riders fly into the first set of jumps.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Maris Strombergs of Latvia, No. 1, stays low off his jump in a qualifying BMX run.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Kyle Bennett of the U.S. is thrown from his bicycle after a collision in the first turn. He left the track with a dislocated left shoulder but did qualify for the semifinals.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Mike Day of the U.S. heads down the start ramp on his way to qualifying for the finals of the Olympic BMX competition.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

China’s Yao Ming encounters a tough Lithuanian double team during a quarterfinal game. China lost the game, 94-68, and was eliminated from the tournament.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Yao Ming maneuvers around Lithuanian defenders.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Kobe Bryant navigates his way to the basket past three Australian defenders in the first half of their quarterfinal game. The U.S. advanced to the semifinals with a 116-85 win.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Kobe Bryant dunks midway through the first half of the Australia-U.S. game. Bryant led the Americans with 25 points.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

U.S. center Chris Bosh falls as he defends Australia guard Patrick Mills in the men’s basketball quarterfinal. Bosh scored 10 points and had six rebounds as the Americans eliminated the Aussies with a 116-85 win.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

U.S. center Chris Bosh wears his patriotism in his mouth, sporting a red, white and blue mouthguard.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Dominican’s Gabriel Mercedes tries a flying kick against Chinese Taipei’s Shu-Chun Yang in the 58-kilogram quarterfinals in taekwondo.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Dominican’s Gabriel Mercedes is kicked to the floor by Chinese Taipei’s Shu-Chun Yang in taekwondo.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Charlotte Craig, left, of the U.S. battles Venezuela’s Dalia Contreras Rivero in the women’s 59-kilogram taekwondo quarterfinals. Craig lost and did not advance.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Russian duet Anastasia Davydova, left, and Anastasia Ermakova mirror each other in the synchronized swimming free final. They clinch the gold.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Chinese synchronized swimming duet Jiang Tingting and Jiang Wenwen perform with precision in the National Aquatics Center.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Christina Jones, right, and Andrea Nott of the U.S. dance back-to-back in their synchronized swimming routine. The pair finishes in fifth place.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)