Campbell takes women's 200m gold

Veronica Campbell of Jamaica won the Olympic Games women's 200 metres gold medal on Wednesday in 22.05 seconds, the fastest time since 1999.

The only other athlete to run as fast was the now disgraced Kelli White, who was stripped of her world 100m and 200m titles after failing a drugs test.

American teenager Allyson Felix won silver breaking the 24-year-old world junior record with 22.18sec, veteran Debbie Ferguson of the Bahamas taking bronze in 22.30sec.

Campbell said she had never really doubted her ability to win the title and achieve something that her predecessor Merlene Ottey never managed.

Campbell, the bronze medallist from the 100m, led from start to finish powering round the bend with only Felix able to stay with her.

But in the last 40 metres there was only one winner as the 22-year-old powered home to give Jamaica their first women's athletics gold medal since Deon Hemmings took the 400m hurdles in 1996.

Felix easily held on for second in what was only the 18-year-old's second major championships while Ferguson, the Commonwealth champion at 100 and 200m, ran on strongly to take third ahead of another Jamaican Aleen Bailey.

Filed by James Boylan