Olga leaps to hurdles joy

Kazakhstan's Shishigina after her hurdles triumph

Olga Shishigina won an exciting women's 100m hurdles final to claim Kazakhstan's first ever Olympic gold.

With the gold medal up for grabs after the shock exit of hot favourite Gail Devers in the semi-final, the 31-year-old Shishigina ran a strong second fifty to surge past the field.

Shishigina, a veteran hurdler, stopped the clock at 12.65 seconds. Nigeria's Glory Alozie, who led for most of the race, took the silver medal, and American Melissa Morrison claimed bronze.

Shishigina, the 1995 world silver medallist behind Devers, was hit by a two-year drugs ban in 1996 but returned to win World Indoor and Asian Games championships.

Alozie took part although her fiance was killed in a car accident at Nigeria's Olympic training camp just before the Games. She considered pulling out but felt her place was at the Olympics.

Women's 100m hurdles final:
1. Olga Shishigina (Kazakhstan) 12.65
2. Glory Alozie (Nigeria) 12.68
3. Melissa Morrison (U.S.) 12.76
4. Delloreen Ennis-London (Jamaica) 12.80
5. Aliuska Lopez (Cuba) 12.83
6. Nicole Ramalalanirina (France) 12.91
7. Linda Ferga (France) 13.11
8. Brigitte Foster (Jamaica) 13.49