Golden night of action

Edwards: Biggest jump in the world this year

Cathy Freeman, Michael Johnson and Haile Gebreselassie won golds on an amazing Monday night of athletics in Sydney.

The evening was always going to special for Australian members of the world record crowd of 112,524 who had flocked to the stadium to see Freeman win their first athletics gold of these Games.

But for the second night running there were also celebrations for British fans as Jonathan Edwards won the men's triple jump gold with the longest leap in the world by anyone this year.

Michael Johnson comfortably won the 400m gold

Britain's Katharine Merry also took a bronze behind Freeman in the women's 400m and Kelly Holmes repeated her feat in the women's 800m.

But there was disappointment for Britain's Colin Jackson, who finished fifth behind Cuba's Anier Garcia in the 110m hurdles.

The world champion is now set to end his career without an Olympic gold to go with previous silvers and bronze.

World record holder Johnson's success in the 400m was entirely expected, and was even regarded as an anti-climax as he failed to beat his world's best time.

Edwards' giant leap

Edwards took Britain's gold medal tally to six, the best total since Melbourne in 1956.

The 34-year-old was immediately embraced by Holmes who had snatched her unexpected bronze just seconds before.

But there was disappointment for triple jumper Larry Achike, who was edged out the bronze medal position in the final round.

Cuba's Yoel Garcia won the triple jump silver and Russia's Denis Kasputin third place.

Achike jumped 17.29 as Edwards managed 17.12 with his first effort before taking the lead with 17.37 in the second.

Kapustin was briefly on top with 17.46 for his second jump, but Edwards went well past in the third round.

The third Briton Phillips Idowu also performed strongly, finishing in sixth.

Holmes behind Mutola

Holmes has only been back in action for six weeks after injury.

Freeman: Defining monent for home country

She led around the final bend in the women's 800m, and hung onto a medal to complete an amazing comeback from injury.

Favourite Maria Mutola of Mozambique won ahead of Austrian Stephanie Graf, who took silver.

Freeman's triumph, Merry's medal

Australian hero Freeman won gold in the women's 400m with Britain's Katharine Merry taking the bronze medal just ahead of compatriot Donna Fraser.

Kelly Holmes could not believe her medal

Lorraine Graham of Jamaica picked up the silver medal behind Freeman, who won Australia's first athletics medal to the obvious delight of the Sydney crowd.

Freeman ran 49.11secs , with Graham almost half a second behind, but the British were never distanced as Merry clocked 49.72 and Fraser 49.79secs.

Jackson flops behind Garcia

Cuba's Anier Garcia won gold in the 110m hurdles final, with Colin Jackson trailing in fifth.

Colin Jackson was disappointed to end with no gold

The Briton false started - as he had in the semi-final an hour and a half previously - and despite a good start when they went the second time he lost ground in the middle part of the final.

Americans Terence Tremell and Mark Crear took the silver and bronze medals, ahead of their fourth-placed compatriot Allen Johnson.

Garcia's time was 13.00 seconds, with Tramell finishing in 13.16 and Crear 13.22.

Johnson and Jackson were not far behind with the American finishing in 13.23 and the Briton closing in the final stages to 13.28.

Johnson's comfortable win

Johnson won his expected gold in the men's 400m, although there was no gold medal for the Sydney crowd to savour.

But the American, who set the world's best time in the Atlanta Olympics and at last year's world championships in Seville, still proved he was still in a class of his own with victory in Sydney.

Alvin Harrison of the United States took the silver and Gregory Haughton of Jamaica the bronze, but both were well off the winner's pace.

Johnson clocked 43.84, while Harrison was well beind in 44.40 and Haughton a further three-tenths back.

Thriller for Haile

Ethiopia's reigning Olympic champion Haile Gebreselassie defended his Olympic 10,000m title in a thrilling finish with Kenya's Paul Tergat.

The pair were shoulder-to-shoulder as they came to the line, and hung on to his seven-year unbeaten record by a whisker.

Haile's compatriot Assefa Mezgebu won bronze.

O'Sullivan denied by Szabo

Ireland's Sonia O'Sullivan won a silver medal in the women's 5,000m, behind long-time rival Gabriela Szabo of Romania.

The pair had a terrific fight for the line in the closing straight, but Szabo had just enough to repel O'Sullivan's surge to the line.

Ethiopian Gete Wami won the bronze, finishing less than two second behind the winner, with Britain's Jo Pavey in 12th place, almost 18 seconds adrift.

Discus delight in Lithuania

Virgilijus Alekna won the second Olympic athletics gold medal for Lithuania since the split with the Soviet Union

He took the men's discus title with a fifth-round throw of 69.30 metres.

Lars Riedel, Germany's defending Olympic champion, this time had to settle for silver.

The bronze medallist was Frantz Kruger, of South Africa, who set an African record 68.19m.

Dragila vaults to history

Stacy Dragila of the US won the first women's pole vault competition with 4.60 metres.

She finished ahead of Australia's Tatiana Grigorieva and Iceland's Vala Flosadottir.