US sprinters deliver promised gold

The relay win brought the championships to a climax

The United States men's 4x100m relay team grabbed their expected gold on Sunday in Edmonton to give them their fifth success in seven championships.

The Americans seemed not to be slowed down by the absence of world and Olympic champion Maurice Greene.

Tim Montgomery brought the team home in 37.96 seconds, but the big surprise of the race was South Africa's impressive performance.

They came home second in 38.47, while Ato Boldon's Trinidad and Tobago team clocked 38.58 for bronze.

The United States men's sprint relay team were originally disqualified in the heats of the event, but were reinstated after officials upheld their appeal.

Jon Drummond, the lead-off runner for the US team, ran on the inside line of his lane, an offence which normally leads to disqualification.

But the track referee changed his mind after looking at video evidence, which confirmed that Drummond only ran on the line because of an injury he sustained during the race.