Helsinki - Christophe Lemaitre stormed to gold in the 100m final at the European athletics championships on Thursday in 10.09 seconds, a time he vowed to better at the London Olympics.
“I have a lot of confidence and I'm sure I can run faster at the Olympics,” the Frenchman told reporters after beating compatriot Jimmy Vicaut by 0.03 seconds on day two of the championships.
Norway's Jaysuma Saidy Ndure came in third in 10.17.
Tears flowed for Ivet Lalova, who broke a femur in an accidental collision in 2005 in Athens, after she won the women's 100m.
“In April, I told myself I would only cry again when I had won,” said the Bulgarian after she crossed the line in a time of 11.28.
Pascal Behrenbruch of Germany produced personal bests in the pole vault and discus to win the decathlon with a total of 8,558 points.
Oleksiy Kasyanov of Ukraine was second, with Ilya Shkurenyov taking the bronze.
Javelin thrower Tero Pitkamaki disappointed his home crowd with a dismal performance, finishing 11th with 74.89 metres.
It was left to his team mate Ari Mannio to placate the fans as he threw 82.63 to take the bronze medal. Czech Viteslav Vesely won with a throw of 83.72, with Russia's Valery Iordan second. - Reuters