Briefs | Bolt says sub-19 seconds in 200 still a goal

The “Usain Bolt Variety Hour” hit Brazil, big time, on Monday. The closing number said it all: After talking about life, sprinting and the Olympics — and yes, Bolt insisted the Rio de Janeiro Games will be his last — the 6-foot-5 Jamaican pulled out his cell phone and started taking selfies while he shimmied off stage , surrounded by more than a dozen thong-and-headdress-wearing Samba dancers.
The evening with Bolt also included his now-immortalized “To The World” pose, a few serious questions about racing and doping, along with one reporter who said he had no question, but pronounced: “I really love you, man,” then poetry slammed the following: “I hope you win. I hope it’s your day. I hope you will go even though you get hit by a Segway.”

Kosovo wins country’s 1st-ever gold in judo

Kosovo’s Majlinda Kelmendi has won her country’s first-ever Olympic medal — and it’s a gold. Kelmendi defeated Italy’s Odette Giuffrida in the women’s 52-kilogram judo division final in a tight contest marked by aggressive grip-fighting as both competitors struggled to get a decisive hold on the other’s uniform. Kelmendi only managed to score once, but it was enough. After her victory was announced, Kelmendi hugged Giuffrida and then walked off the mat in tears. Wearing a blue uniform that matched some of the Kosovo flags being waved in the arena, a teary Kelmendi waved to the crowd and raised her arms in victory. The bronze medals were won by Japan’s Misato Nakamura and Natalia Kuziutina of Russia.

Grandmother of Thai Olympian dies watching him lift on TV

A celebratory occasion for a Thai Olympic bronze medal winner’s family turned somber as the athlete’s grandmother collapsed and died minutes before he won third place in the 56-kilogram weightlifting category. A mourning ritual was held yesterday at the home of Sinphet Kruithong, whose grandmother was among scores of family and friends watching his event live on a big television screen set up especially for the occasion in his village in northeastern Thailand. The festive atmosphere — villagers cheering and clapping as Sinphet heaved the weights up — turned somber Monday when people noticed that 82-year-old Subin Khongthap had collapsed. She did not live to see her grandson win the bronze medal.