Post date: Aug 08, 2012 11:14:47 PM
American Allyson Felix finally turned silver into gold, winning the 200 metres gold in London after two previous second places in the Olympics.
LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (AUGUST 8, 2012) (IOC) - It was third time lucky for American Allyson Felix who won Olympic 200 metres gold on Wednesday (August 8) after taking silver at the previous two Games.
She ran a good bend but with Jamaican's Veronica Campbell-Brown and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce still in medal contention, Felix lengthened her stride down the home straight for victory in 21.88 seconds.Felix, who was runner-up to Campbell-Brown in 2004 and 2008 and lost her world title to the Jamaican last year.
Olympic 100 metres champion Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica took the silver in 22.09 ahead of American Carmelita Jeter, who won the bronze in 22.14.
Campbell-Brown faded down the home straight to finish fourth (22.38) with Olympic 400 champion Sanya Richards-Ross in fifth.
A beaming Felix, who has a record eight world championship golds, jogged her lap of honour holding the U.S. flag as the nation claimed three athletics golds in the session.
Russia's Natalya Antyukh won the Olympic gold medal in the women's 400m hurdles in a time of 52.70 seconds. Lashinda Demus of the United States won the silver and Czech Republic's Zuzana Hejnova won the bronze.
Japan's Hitomi Obara came from behind to win gold in the final of the lightest women's freestyle wrestling division.
She beat Mariya Stadnyk of Azerbaijan to add the Olympic 48kg title to the eight world championships she has won in a dazzling career.
Obara fell to her knees on the wrestling mat and wept with her head in her hands as Japanese supporters erupted in the packed arena. Obara lost the first of three rounds, but fought back to win the next two.
The pair had also met in last year's world championship final, a closely fought contest that Obara also won.
BMX's action kicked off in low-key style with a long and repetitive time trial at London's VeloPark. In one unfortunate incident, Latvia's Edzus Treimanis crashed face first into a large bump in the final rhythm section.