Second Olympic gold for Marion Jones

Marion Jones raced to a second Sydney medal today in the women's 200 metres and moved a step closer to becoming the first woman to win five golds in a summer Olympics.

With positive dope-tested husband CJ Hunter watching from the stands, Jones took an early lead and then pulled away from the field to finish in 21.84 seconds. In a race usually decided by hundredths Jones won by almost half a second. After winning by the biggest margin in 40 years, Jones took a victory lap - stopping along the way to give her husband two kisses and a hug.

"Some of the words I'd use to describe it are relieved and excited," Jones said. "I think I'm just overall happy that my sprints are over." The 24-year-old assumed the lead at halfway and accelerated away from the rest of the field to win by a commanding two metres.

Although her time was half-a-second shy of the late Florence Griffith-Joyner's world and Olympic record, Jones became the first woman to achieve the Olympic sprint double since Flo-Jo in 1988.

Pauline Davis-Thompson of the Bahamas was second in 22.27 and Susanthika Jayasinghe of Sri Lanka, came third, winning her country's first Olympic medal since 1948. Within minutes, President Chandrika Kumaratunga appeared on state television to address the 25-year-old runner in Australia. "We are all proud of you," Kumaratunga said. "As a woman, I'm doubly proud of your victory."

Australia's Cathy Freeman, the 400m champion who took a last-minute decision to enter the race, finished seventh.