By Tim Stannard

1) Bolt goes for 200m record, as US celebrates hurdle clean sweep

That was too cool.

Just when it seemed that Usain Bolt could not be any more chilled despite the enormous physical and mental pressure of chasing a triple treble of Olympic gold medals, the Jamaican legend surpassed his god-factor on Wednesday by pretty much having a smile, chat and finger-wag over the finishing line with Canadian upstart, Andre De Grasse, for trying to pip him to the post in the 200m semifinal clash. "Andre was supposed to slow down. He didn't," joked Bolt.

Matters may be a little more serious on Thursday night as Bolt goes for gold, and a possible world record on the track in the flagship event of the evening’s track activity. Justin Gatlin will not be there though, having failed to qualify in his own semi.

There were more smiles – but after the race – with an American clean sweep in the women’s 100m hurdles after Brianna Rollins, Nia Ali and Kristi Castlin won gold, silver and bronze. There was also a USA track gold for Tianna Bartoletta after an enthralling long-jump competition.  

2) Day of super humans in Rio with decathlon and triathlon finals

Day 13 sees 23 gold medals up for grabs. One person who hopes to get his superhuman paws on one is American decathlete, Ashton Eaton, who has events both in the morning and evening in Rio in his attempt to defend his title from London 2012. The men’s hockey final takes place between Argentina and Belgium, as well as the men’s triathlon.

3) Swimmers robbery tale gets fishier as Brazil police get involved

The alleged robbery at gunpoint of three American swimmers gets more curious by the hour. Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz were taken off a plane headed for the US from Rio on Wednesday night to be questioned further by police over the incident. That questioning is expected to continue on Thursday. Meanwhile, Ryan Lochte has been speaking from the US and has claimed that the robbery did take place, but changed some details of the original story.

4) Barcelona hint at Claudio Bravo exit as Busquets praises squad depth

Despite winning the Spanish Super Cup, Barcelona manager Luis Enrique has noted that the whole two-legged competition is a bit of a waste of time when one side wins both the cup and the league the previous season, which was the case of Barcelona. "Football cannot be rooted in the past or by archaic methods," said the coach whose team kicked off at 11PM local time on Wednesday.

Javier Mascherano followed Andres Iniesta onto the injury list and is set to be out a week with a hamstring strain picked up during the Sevilla clash. And that’s exactly why Barcelona have done the right thing by strengthening the squad, claims Sergio Busquets.

Barcelona’s Sporting Director has poured a dab of lighter fluid on the BBQ of gossip by promising that Claudio Bravo will be in goal on Saturday for Barcelona’s opener against Betis. However, there is a ‘but’ reveals Roberto Hernandez - "after that, we will see. If in the end Bravo goes, another goalkeeper will have to come in first."

That goalkeeper looks increasingly likely to be Valencia’s Diego Alves, with the Mestalla club having reportedly told the keeper to find a new club as they are unable to meet the Brazilian’s increased transfer demands. Tune into the XTRA at 7PM ET as the show looks at Barcelona’s chances of retaining the league title. Again. And tune in from 11.00PM ET on Saturday for a full season preview.

5) Wenger still bargain hunter as West Ham sell star striker

Although Arsene Wenger might be seen as a visionary in centuries to come when historians poke through the ashes of the Great Football Bubble Burst which will see the Camp Nou turning into a hyper-Chipotle in 2056, supporters will still see the Arsenal coach as a miserly, old spendthrift. Not so, claimed the parsimonious Frenchman on Thursday, the money is there to be spent…but not wasted. “Buying calms the fans down – it is important to spend but even more important to spend it the right way,” soothed Wenger, ahead of Saturday’s EPL clash with Leicester City.

Indeed, West Ham are a prime example of what can happen when all one’s soccer eggs are put into one basket. The Hammers spent over $26m on forward, André Ayew, but announced that they could be without the player for over four months due to surgery on a thigh injury picked up in the season opener against Chelsea on Monday. Ayew lasted just 36 minutes.