Grenada’s James wins Olympic 400m gold

LONDON – Grenada’s Kirani James won his country’s first ever Olympic gold as he added the 400m title here to his World Championship crown.

Tuesday, August 07, 2012
Kirani James celebrates his triumph.

LONDON – Grenada’s Kirani James won his country’s first ever Olympic gold as he added the 400m title here to his World Championship crown.The brilliant 19-year-old stormed away off the top bend to take gold in a personal best of 43.94 seconds, well clear of fellow teenager Luguelin Santos in second.  Lalonde Gordon of Trinidad and Tobago took the bronze.James said: "It means a lot. Grenada will be going crazy right now.”Since 2008, James has won Commonwealth Youth gold, World Youth gold, the World Juniors, World Championships and now the Olympics.With this display he becomes the eighth fastest man over one lap in history.This is a new generation of 400m men. In an event traditionally dominated by Americans, not a single man from that nation made the final.Silver medallist Santos of the Dominican Republic is just 18 years old, while only one man in the field - the Bahamas’s Chris Brown – is over 24.Agencies