Baby joy for Olympic star Denise

Denise Lewis: Thought she was going to have a boy

Olympic gold medallist Denise Lewis has given birth to a baby girl.

The 29-year-old heptathlete and her partner, Belgian sprinter Patrick Stevens, are "delighted", a spokeswoman said.

Both mother and baby are doing well.

Lewis, who took gold at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, gave birth to the 7lb 4oz (3.2kg) girl at a London hospital on Monday.

Training

The arrival of a little girl apparently took the couple by surprise.

"The couple had been convinced that they were going to have a boy and therefore had not decided on any girls' names," the spokeswoman said.

The Wolverhampton-born athlete, who now lives in north-west London, continued to train throughout her pregnancy.

Denise, who was awarded an OBE earlier this year, is an ambassador for the Commonwealth Games, which are being held this year in Manchester.

She will continue in that role although it is unlikely that she will be in good enough shape by August in order to compete.

However she has vowed to be back to full fitness in time to compete at the World Championships in 2003 and defend her Olympic title in Athens in 2004.