BERLIN — For once, Usain Bolt ran in a final that didn't produce a world record.

That, in itself, is almost a record.

Bolt won his third gold of the world championships yesterday, getting a little help from his Jamaican friends in the 400-meter relay.

With the Americans sitting out — disqualified the day before — the sprinters from the Caribbean island easily pulled away from the field. All that was left to be decided once Bolt handed off the baton to anchor leg Asafa Powell was whether another world mark would tumble.

Not this day. Instead, the team's time of 37.31 seconds was only the second-fastest in history. Their mark of 37.10 from Beijing remains — for now.

There was only a muted celebration from the usually upbeat Bolt.

Not happy?

"What? I was happy," said Bolt, who obliterated the world records in the 100 and 200 earlier in the week, and set three in Beijing last year. "I was just tired."

Meanwhile, the Americans are growing weary of all the mishaps with the baton.

With botched exchanges, running out of the zone and now a pulled hamstring, the 400 relay teams just can't seem to get the stick around the track.

On a night when the Jamaicans won both 400 relays, the Americans were looking at ways to revamp their relay program.

After the men were disqualified Friday night for passing the baton out of the designated area, the women got knocked out when Muna Lee pulled up with a hamstring injury shortly after taking an awkward pass from Alexandria Anderson.

Lee, who was running for the injured Marshevet Hooker, instantly fell down on the track and had to be carried off.

"Every team has their ups and downs," Anderson said.

Lately, it's been more downs. Just as in Beijing, both 400 relay teams go home empty handed.

In the wake of yet another major championship without 400 relay gold, Benita Fitzgerald Mosley, the chief of sport performance for USATF, has vowed changes.

But that's been tried before.

"There's certainly a cloud of judgment around them about this relay, the expectation and stress. You cannot be a human being in this situation and not feel it," she said. "We're going to bring together a meeting of the minds, the best and brightest sports scientists, coaches and athletes and administrators, to craft a high-performance plan to guide our path and our steps as we try to maximize our performance."

With the American women's 400 relay team out of the picture, the Jamaicans breezed to gold in 42.06 seconds.

"It's sad for them," Jamaica's Aleen Bailey said. "We missed them. Hopefully next time they'll be there with us."

In other finals yesterday: