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.

It was the closest finish in an Olympic 100 final since the 1980 Moscow Games, when Allan Wells of Britain held off Silvio Leonard of Cuba as the two were timed in 10.25.

Gatlin finished his fastest race ever with his mouth wide open, then dropped to his knees and clasped his hands in prayer. Then he jumped into the stands.

“I can’t believe it happened. It was a very great race,” Gatlin said.

“I’m living the moment. The competition was stellar. I said it was going to be the most exciting race in the world and it was.”

It was the first time in Olympic history that five men broke 10 seconds in a race. Four did it at Atlanta in 1996.

Gatlin, 22, won six NCAA titles in his two seasons at Tennessee, then won the 60-metre title at the world indoor championships last year.

But he had been overshadowed at the Athens Games by flamboyant training partner Crawford.

Crawford gave Gatlin a huge hug after his victory. Both are trained by Trevor Graham, the former mentor of Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery - who holds the 100 world record of 9.78 but did not qualify for the Olympics and has been charged with steroid use.

Mizuki Noguchi kept the Olympic Games women’s marathon title in Japan when she clinched gold in a time of 2hrs 26min 20sec.

Noguchi, the 2003 world championship silver medallist, inherits the title from her compatriot Naoko Takahashi, who took the gold in Sydney but who failed to qualify for Athens.

But it was a disastrous day for Britain’s world record holder Paula Radcliffe who pulled up in tears just after 35km when lying third, apparently suffering from a leg injury. Radcliffe had been the overwhelming favourite for the gold medal, but she was out of contention after 25km.

“I am very happy with this win,” said Noguchi. “Thank you very much and thanks to all the people who came out to support us.

“I was well prepared for this race. I knew there would be difficult conditions, like the heat and the sun, and a great deal of fatigue.

“I think that Radcliffe couldn’t stand the difficult conditions.”

Morocco’s Hicham El Guerrouj stayed on course for the elusive Olympic gold medal which has eluded him in the two previous games, with a commanding performance in his 1,500 metres semi-final.

The world record holder over the blue riband distance took control of his race early and dictated the tactics from the front before speeding up over the last lap to finish in 3mins 40.87sec.

El Guerrouj fell in the 1996 Olympic final and was sensationally beaten in 2000 by Kenya’s Noah Ngeny after winning 28 straight finals leading into the Sydney Olympics.

Kenya’s Bernard Lagat, considered by many to be the main rival to El Guerrouj, also progressed.

Lagat, along with his compatriot Issac Songok, made all the early running but needed to move up a gear down the home straight.

Morocco’s Adil Kaouch won in 3:35.69 with Lagat stopping the clock in 3:35.84.

However, two-time Olympic 100 metres flat champion Gail Devers’s dream of landing the 100m hurdles Olympic crown ended dramatically here on Sunday as she crashed out.

The 37-year-old American pulled up before the first hurdle of her opening round heat and fell to the ground clutching her left foot.

“As I came out of the blocks I jumped up and felt it pop,” she said.