Gatlin the top gun

JUSTIN GATLIN ran the race of his life, barely holding off the fastest Olympic 100m field in history to win the gold in 9.85 seconds.

Francis Obikwelu of Portugal got the silver in 9.86. Defending champion Maurice Greene won bronze in 9.87, falling short in his quest to be crowned the greatest of all time.

A third American, Shawn Crawford, was fourth in 9.89. Five runners broke the 10-second mark, and another - world champion Kim Collins - finished in exactly 10 seconds.