"It was just awesome. It was a wonderful feeling. There's nothing like a home crowd for me. So the experience was wonderful. I love running here."
The three-time Olympic gold medalist and world record-holder in the 100 and 200 meters took the baton maybe a stride behind Team USA Blue, but immediately powered into the final straightaway, his long strides gobbling up huge sections of the track.
Bolt won going away, getting his team the win in a carnival-record time of 37.9 seconds, only the second win in 11 tries for Jamaica in the USA vs. the World 4x100. While there are no official splits in a 4x100 race, some watches had Bolt running 8.8 seconds or better for his leg.
Certainly, he gave the people what they came to see. He followed it with an extended victory lap, waving to the crowd and even performing his trademark lightning bolt pose in the southeast corner.
Bolt credited his teammates - Mario Forsythe, Yohan Blake, and Marvin Anderson - for making his job easy.
"I got the baton pretty much in front, so I wasn't really worried about anything else," he said.
Bolt praised his team's work in getting the baton around the track safely and securely.
Conversely, the USA Blue team, which took second in 38.33 seconds, left the track in a sour mood because of poor baton passes.
"We didn't have perfect sticks," veteran Shawn Crawford said. "I wish we had perfect sticks so we could show what we could do."
Ivory Williams, the USA Blue anchor, said he used cheers from the crowd to spur him on.
"They were cheering for Usain Bolt, but I'm thinking they're cheering for me," he said. "I knew I wasn't going to be able to pass him, but I was trying. I think we can beat them. If I get in front of Usain Bolt, I don't think he's going to go by me."
