Allyson Felix won the women's 200 meters at the London Games in 21.88 seconds, adding a gold medal to her previous two Olympic silver medals and highlighting a medal haul for the United States in track and field Wednesday night.
In four events at the Olympic Stadium, the United States came away with three gold medals, two silvers and two bronzes. Brittney Reese won the long jump and Aries Merritt won the 110-meter hurdles.
At the U.S. Olympic trials, Felix, 26, had run 21.69, history's fourth-fastest performance, to become the favorite in London. She finished fifth in the 100 meters Saturday, an event she used to help her prepare for the speed and endurance required in the 200.
It paid off Wednesday, as Felix crossed the finish line with a smile of relief on her face after settling for silver in the 200 meters in 2004 and 2008.
"I mean, finally," she said after the race. "It's been a long time coming. I am so overjoyed."
Running in Lane 7, she could not see any of her main challengers until she exited the curve, except for her countrywoman, Carmelita Jeter, who was outside in Lane 9. Jeter, who took silver in the 100, won bronze in the 200 in 22.14.
But it hardly mattered that Felix had a limited view of her opponents. She surged coming out of the curve to pass the two-time defending Olympic champion Veronica Campbell-Brown of Jamaica.
Felix held her elegant form nicely and pulled away in the homestretch, becoming the only sprinter to finish under 22 seconds. Campbell-Brown faded to fourth, while her fellow Jamaican, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, took silver in 22.09.
Women's long jump: Brittney Reese won the long jump, becoming only the second U.S. woman to win the event at the Olympics.
The two-time world champion went into the competition with the best jump of the season and put down the best mark in the final with 23 feet, 4 1/2 inches on her second attempt. She is the first U.S. woman to win the Olympic long jump since Jackie Joyner-Kersee in 1988. Russia's Elena Sokolova took the silver medal at 23-2 1/2 and Janay Deloach earned the bronze for the United States at 22-7 1/4.
"It's a surreal moment," Reese said. "I got very emotional - you do when you're representing your country."
Men's 110-meter hurdles: Aries Merritt led a 1-2 finish for the United States, winning in 12.92 seconds. Defending champion Dayron Robles of Cuba pulled up midway through and clutched his right hamstring.
Jason Richardson, the world champion, was second in 13.04. Hansle Parchment of Jamaica took the bronze in 13.12.
"I've worked so hard for this moment, and who knows if I'll ever get this chance again?" Merritt said.
Women's 400-meter hurdles: Natalya Antyukh of Russia won the women's 400-meter hurdles, edging world champion Lashinda Demus and narrowly missing the Olympic record.
Antyukh, a bronze medalist in the 400 at the 2004 Olympics, won in 52.70 seconds, just 0.06 outside the Olympic record set by Melaine Walker in Beijing.
Demus took silver in 52.77 and Zuzana Hejnova of the Czech Republic got the bronze medal in 53.38.
Other events: Americans Ashton Eaton (3,698 points) and Trey Hardee (3,537 points) are atop the standings in the men's decathlon after five events. The competition wraps up Thursday. ... San Francisco native Shannon Rowbury qualified for Friday's 1,500-meter final with a time of 4:05.47 - the slowest qualifying time. ... Cal alum Alysia Johnson Montaño had the fastest time (2:00.47) in Round 1 qualifying in the 800 meters. The semifinals are Thursday.
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