rthy. "Hes in good shape. Hes ready to go. He really understands his role as far as the leader and one of the veteran leaders on our football team," McCarthy said. "I think Aarons off to a great start coming off a very good o

RIO DE JANEIRO -- In the shadow of mighty Usain Bolt, Allyson Felix achieved something unprecedented in womens track and field Friday by winning her fifth Olympic gold medal.And together with the rest of the 4x100-meter relay team, she brought the United States closer to its biggest medal haul in decades. The tally could have been higher, too, had the U.S. mens 4x100 team not been disqualified after finishing third in the subsequent final.The womens team was smooth, despite the rocky path to the final. Running the second leg in the relay, Felix kept the U.S. up there with the mighty Jamaicans, before English Gardner and Tori Bowie brought the baton, tightly clenched in their hands, home for gold.Felix had been bumped in the preliminary heats and lost the baton, but the U.S. team protested and got a second chance -- a solo re-run that allowed them to qualify on times.The drawback was they were given the worst lane of all, Lane 1, which has the tightest corners.It didnt bother them. The U.S. women brought it home in 41.02 seconds, and lead-off runner Tianna Bartoletta was already waiting for Bowie for a wild embrace and to celebrate the second-fastest time in history behind the world record that Felix and Co. set to winning gold at London in 2012. For Bartoletta, it was the second gold in Rio, after winning the long jump too.As so often, Felixs celebrations were mostly muted but her smile told it all. She had been through injury, the inability to defend her 200-meter title because she didnt qualify at the U.S. trials and, almost, a DQ in the relay heats.Adversity sometimes makes you stronger, she said. Weve each had a rocky road to get here and we came together to win the gold.She entered the games as one of just six women to have won four golds in track and field.At the same time, silver for Jamaica allowed Veronica Campbell-Brown to win a medal at a fifth Olympics dating back to the 2000 Sydney Games.It was not all perfection for the Americans though. In the pole vault Sandi Morris missed her third attempt at 4.90 meters by the smallest margin, allowing Ekaterini Stefanidi of Greece to win with 4.85 on a countback.Bolt, of course, was unmatchable again, as he gained his ninth gold medal over three Olympics by anchoring the Jamaican 4x100 relay home. In one of the biggest surprises of the track program, Japan took silver -- and had been leading before Bolt got the baton. Japanese anchorman Aska Cambridge held off the Americans, who were later disqualified for an exchange outside the zone in what has almost become a U.S. tradition by now. The U.S. team lodged a protest, hoping to get the medal back.Still, the U.S. added to their haul. They now have 27 medals with two days to go, including 10 gold. The Kenyan team is next with 10 medals overall including five gold, and Jamaica has six gold among nine medals overall. The U.S. team had 29 overall at the London Games four years ago, and 40 at the boycott-marred 1984 Los Angeles Games.The U.S. team has been on such a run, that Bowie takes it in stride.I glanced. I mean, I realize were leading the medal count. I mean, considering how big our country is Im not too surprised, she said with a laugh.On Friday, the Kenyans were counting on a medal in the 5,000 meters -- they got gold and silver. There was an upset as Vivian Cheruiyot powered past slumping favorite Almaz Ayana of Ethiopia and set an Olympic record of 14 minutes, 26.17 seconds.The 32-year-old Cheruiyot adds the Olympic title to two world championships in the 5,000 and one in the 10,000. She took silver in the 5,000 at the London Games four years ago.It initially appeared that Ayana would go for a second world record, after already setting a new mark in the 10,000 on the opening morning of the track program last week. But the efforts of the Olympic week appeared to catch up with her as she slumped late in the Saturday night race.Ayana set off strongly and seemed to take the lead for good after one third of the race. But fatigue caught up with her and Cheruiyot and compatriot Hellen Obiri, who won silver, saw their chance. Cheap Custom Soccer Jerseys China . Mickelson barely made the cut but had the best round of the day with nine birdies and an eagle coupled with two bogeys to sit two shots behind leader Craig Lee of Scotland. Lee shot a 69 for a 12-under 204 total. "I just love the fact I am in contention and have an opportunity in my first tournament of the year here in Abu Dhabi," Mickelson said. Discount Custom Jerseys . -- PGA TOUR Canada member Steve Saunders took a three-stroke lead Saturday in the Web. http://www.soccerjerseyscustom.com/ .C. -- Calgarys Kevin Koe did it the hard way again. Custom Soccer Jerseys Outlet . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday. Wholesale Custom Soccer Jerseys Online . The injury bothered Bledsoe in the Suns victory over the Clippers on Monday and he sat out the teams home loss to Memphis on Thursday night.GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Ryan Braun apparently has some work to do to repair his friendship with Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Describing himself as shocked and disappointed, Rodgers said Friday after the Packers first training camp practice that Braun "looked at me in the eye on multiple occasions and repeatedly denied the allegations" that the Milwaukee Brewers slugger was using performance-enhancing drugs. Braun this week accepted a season-ending 65-game suspension after admitting to violating baseballs rules against using PEDs. Rodgers felt duped by his buddy and business associate, a sentiment being expressed by many others in Wisconsin. A Milwaukee restaurant is named for two of the states most well-known athletes, and Rodgers last year defended his friend on Twitter, going so far as to betting his multimillion-dollar salary that Braun was clean. "Its disappointing, not only for myself as a friend but for obviously Wisconsin sports fans, Brewer fans, Major League Baseball fans," Rodgers said before a throng of media surrounding his locker. "It doesnt feel great being lied to like that, and Im disappointed about the way it all went down." Rodgers and Braun have spoken since the sluggers suspension. Asked if he considered themselves friends, Rodgers didnt answer directly but said in part, "I trusted him, and thats the thing that probably hurts the most." The future of their business relationship -- theyre involved in a licensing agreement for the 8-twelve MVP Bar and Grill -- was yet to be determined, Rodgers said. With the benefit of hindsight, Rodgers plans to take a more measured approach next time if faced a similar situation in the future. "People make mistakes. I definitely believe in forgiveness and moving forward," Rodgers said. "Obviously, (Braun) has a tough task in front of him moving forward with his career, on and off the field." All the attention at the first practice was atypical even for Rodgers, a former Super Bowl and NFL MVP who leads one of most dangerous passing attacks in the league. He was smiling and laughing on the field Friday, running through drills like the rest of his teammates on an overcast, breezy morning. In the locker room, however, the off-thhe-field questions didnt stop at Braun.dddddddddddd Earlier this week, former Packers receiver Greg Jennings -- now with the archrival Minnesota Vikings -- criticized of his ex-quarterback. In an interview with the Star Tribune, Jennings questioned Rodgers leadership and implied the quarterback had become bigger than the team. "Dont get me wrong, 12 is a great person," Jennings was quoted as saying, referring to Rodgers. "But when you hear all positives, all positives, all positives all the time, its hard for you to sit down when one of your teammates says, Man, come on, youve got to hold yourself accountable for this. Its hard for someone to see that now because all theyve heard is Im doing it the right way, Im perfect. In actuality, we all have flaws." Rodgers said he wasnt spending time or energy on Jennings comments. "To me, Im concerned with the opinions of the guys in this locker room and the guys we have here," Rodgers said. "Its exciting to be able to be one of the leaders of this football team, and Im very confident in my style." Not surprisingly, the current Packers had the quarterbacks back. "It is what it is," receiver Randall Cobb said about Jennings remarks. "Aaron is a great leader. He puts us in some great situations on and off the field. He makes it easier for us to have someone to look up to for support and leadership." Rodgers had one of the best offseasons of his nine-year career, according to coach Mike McCarthy. "Hes in good shape. Hes ready to go. He really understands his role as far as the leader and one of the veteran leaders on our football team," McCarthy said. "I think Aarons off to a great start coming off a very good off-season." As for practice itself, McCarthy liked what he saw. Its just the first day, so he and the coaching staff plan to take a closer look at tape for a better evaluation. The tempo has picked up a little from previous years, in part because music is being played on loudspeakers during what are being called "TV timeouts." Its designed to give players a breather and, in part, to mimic the routines during games. Rodgers favourite tune in the rotation? Darius Ruckers version of "Wagon Wheel." ' ' '