Allyson Felix third time lucky

Dinesh Weerawansa Reporting From England

Sprinter Allyson Felix put the icing on the cake in a memorable day's action for the USA when she fulfilled a 12-year dream to win the women's 200m at the 2012 Olympic Games worked off at Olympic Stadium last night.USA made a strong comeback to reduce the deficit with China in the final medals table to a solitary gold medal by day 12 of the 204-nation Games now in progress here in the British capital.

After the early setbacks with Jamaica accounting for both the men's and women's 100m champions, the USA made a stunning return last night winning three of the four athletic gold medals that were on offer. Besides women's 100m gold, the mighty Americans won men's 110m hurdles and women's long jump final. However, Russia prevented the USA making a clean sweep last night when Natalya Antyukh won the gold medal in women's 400m hurdles final.

American Felix was third time lucky after finishing second in successive Olympic Games. But a determined American lass made sure that she finally gets her hands on that much awaited gold medal with a brilliant run in the women's 200m final. “I am a big believer in visualization. I run through my races mentally so that I feel even more prepared,” she said.

“Everyone just expected me to give up this spot, because I think lots of people ... know me and they know that I'm seen as this very nice girl,”Felix said. She won the IAAF World Championship women's 200m gold medals inHelsinki 2005 and Osaka 2007 but lost to Campbell in 2009. However, Felix won most wanted medal that was missing from her ever growing collection of medals.

Twenty-six-year-old Felix, runner-up in Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 Olympic Games to Jamaica's Veronica Campbell-Brown, overcame a sluggish start to lead coming off the bend and was never going to be caught, clocking 21.88 seconds to finish 0.21 ahead of 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce - a personal best 22.09. It was only in the last 25m that Felix took the lead to go pass the finish line like a rocket.

USA's Carmelita Jeter, silver medallist over 100m - took bronze in 22.14.Campbell-Brown's dream of becoming the first woman to win a track event for three Olympics in succession was finally shattered as she could finish only fourth in 22.38. Almost an hour before Felix’ dream run, Brittney Reese won the gold in women's long jump final. She managed just two legal jumps from six attempts, but the first of those permitted efforts was 7.12m in the second round and proved good enough to win the title after Russian Elena Sokolova was unable to improve on her best of 7.07m, also achieved in the second round. Janay DeLoach claimed bronze by just one centimetre from Latvia's Ineta Radevica, who jumped 6.88m twice but saw DeLoach manage 6.89m in round five.

Aries Merritt was the first of the three American gold medallists in athletics last night as USA enjoyed a one-two in the 110m hurdles as Merritt, in the absence of China's hot favourite Li Xiang, secured victory in 12.92 seconds, the fastest time in the world this year. Team-mate Jason Richardson took silver in 13.04, with Jamaica's Hansle Parchment taking bronze in a new national record of 13.12. Great Britain's Lawrence Clarke was fourth in 13.39, while defending champion and world record-holder Dayron Robles of Cuba pulled up injured midway through the race.The only exception, if otherwise would have turned out to be a complete whitewash by the Americans Russian ya Antyukh claimed the first gold medal

of the evening at the Olympic Stadium in the women's 400m hurdles. There was tremendous interest on this event in Sri Lanka as Sonali Christian Merril competed in first round heats on Sunday.

Antyukh recorded a personal best of 52.70 seconds to finish just 0.06 outside the Olympic record held by 2008 champion Melaine Walker, with USA's Lashinda Demus setting a season's best of 52.77 to take silver. Czech Zuzana Hejnova claimed the bronze medal just ahead of Jamaica's Kaliese Spencer.Sarah Attar today became the first Saudi Arabian woman to compete in

Athletics at the Olympic Games - and she hopes her participation at London 2012 will ‘make a difference'. Wojdan Shaherkani, the other female memberof the Saudi team, competed in the Judo last week with Attar having to wait until today to make her appearance. Eventhough she came last in the final heat of the 800m, the 19-year-old is aware that was the least important aspect of a historic day.Meanwhile, Brittney Reese completed a good night for the USA by claimingvictory in the women's long jump.'It is a historic moment. I hope it will make a difference. It is a huge step forward. It's a really incredible experience,” he said after clocking a time of 2:44.95.

LONDON, Thursday.