Third time lucky as Felix wins women's 200m gold

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America's Allyson Felix made it third time lucky to win the Olympic 200m crown here Wednesday and deny Jamaica's Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce a sprint double.

Felix, a silver medallist at the 2004 and 2008 Games over the distance, powered to victory in 21.88sec to thwart Fraser-Pryce's hopes of adding the 200m title to her newly acquired 100m crown.

Fraser-Pryce took silver in 22.09sec with Carmelita Jeter of the United States winning bronze in 22.14sec.

Jamaica's Veronica Campbell-Brown -- chasing a historic third consecutive Olympic 200m gold after pipping Felix at the two previous games -- was fourth in a time of 22.38sec.

Felix, 26, looked smooth throughout, coming off the bend with a significant lead and holding her nerve in the home stretch to win a long-overdue first gold.

Felix is a three-time world champion over 200m but could only manage bronze at last year's world championships in Daegu, South Korea.

But she came into the Olympics in top form having clocked the fastest time in the world this year, running 21.69 seconds at the US Olympic trials.

America's Sanya Richards-Ross, aiming to complete a rare 200m-400m double in London after winning the 400m earlier in the Games, finished fifth in 22.39sec.

Felix's victory is America's first gold in the event since 1992, when Gwen Torrence won in Barcelona and is a rare recent success in the battle against sprinting powerhouse Jamaica.

The United States, formerly the undisputed kings of sprinting, have been forced to watch as the Caribbean island of Jamaica have stolen their mantle.

The Jamaicans dominated in Beijing in 2008, winning all four individual sprint races and the men's 4x100m relay and Usain Bolt has already taken gold in the men's 100m in London.