Hattestad cruises to gold

Hattestad: Won with her first throw in the final

Norway's Trine Hattestad cruised to the Olympic javelin gold medal with her first-round throw of 68.91m.

Greece's Mirella Maniani-Tzelili took the silver, leaving Cuba's Osleidys Menendez with the bronze.

By throwing so close to her own world record, which she set at 69.48m in July, Hattestad put the gold out of the reach of all her rivals.

The 34-year-old said: "When I came here, I could almost taste the gold. I've won the World Championship before, but this is so much better. The Olympics are the biggest thing."

Champion

The battle for second place was won by Maniani-Tzelili. Last year's world champion twice broke her own national record with 67.51m, to beat Cuba's Menendez into bronze (66.18m).

"I came here for a medal," said Maniani-Tzelili.

"But Trine has been in top form, so I am happy with the silver.

"I will give the medal to my husband, Georgius. He came here to compete in the weightlifting, but he is injured. I hope this makes him happy."

Javelin Women's Final:

1. T Hattestad (Nor) 68.91m
2. M Maniani-Tzelili (Gre) 67.51
3. O Menendez (Cub) 66.18
4. S Nerius (Ger) 64.84
5. S Bisset (Cub) 63.26