Gold for Mozambique

Maria storms home to take Africa's first gold

Africa has won its first Gold medal at the Sydney Olympics after Mozambique's Maria Mutola powered to victory in the 800m final on Monday.

It was Mozambique's first ever Olympics Gold medal.

The 28-year-old Commonwealth Games champion raced to the front in the home straight finishing in 1:56.15.

Mutola beat Austria's Stephanie Graf (1:56.64) into second place while Britain's Kelly Holmes (1:56.80), who was leading until the final 20 metres, took the bronze.

Mutola, a national heroine in Mozambique, has been one of the world's best 800m runner for most part of the past decade.

Sweet reward

The Gold medal proved a sweet reward for Mutola who first ran in the Olympics as a 15 year old in Seoul, Korea in 1988.

Mutola finished fifth at Barcelona four years later and then took a bronze medal at the Atlanta Games in 1996.

During the 1997 World Championships in Athens, Mutola won a bronze medal before scooping a silver in Seville in 1999.

Her world championship win in 1993 was Mozambique's first major medal and she went on to clinch the country's first Commonwealth gold in 1998.

Mutola holds the country's records from 200 to 3,000m and mastered her skills on an Olympic scholarship in the United States.