London was chosen to host the 2017 world athletics championships on Friday after beating Doha for the right to stage the global track and field showpiece for the first time.
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) announced the decision after a head-to-head battle in which London won by 16 votes to 10 among the council members.
"We've worked really hard for this," UK Athletics chief Ed Warner said. "I'm the optimist in our camp and I've been optimistic all along."
London's bid team, including 2012 Olympics chief Sebastian Coe, Sports Minister Hugh Robertson, London Mayor Boris Johnson and former Olympic champion Denise Lewis, hugged each other after the decision was read out by IAAF president Lamine Diack.
"I'm more than thrilled," said Sydney Games heptathlon champion Lewis. "For me this is all about athletics and the legacy we needed for our sport, for the Olympic stadium and its life beyond 2012. This is the right result.
"It has been a team effort. To win something like this you rely on everyone to do a great presentation, we worked hard... we knew London had great strength and I think those are the things that outweighed (Doha's bid) in the end."
Both bids had very different messages, with London urging the governing body to bring the showpiece back to its "traditional heartland and fan base" while Doha proclaimed the Middle East was a ripe new market that would help the IAAF grow track and field and safeguard the global appeal of the sport.
