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13:01 GMT, Friday, 22 August 2008 14:01 UK

Maggi wins Olympic long jump gold

Maurren Maggi claimed Brazil's first Olympic track and field gold medal as she won the women's long jump crown.

The 32-year-old Brazilian leapt 7.04 metres in the very first round and that mark could not be overhauled.

Defending champion Tatiana Lebedeva could not better her first effort of 6.97m, which was enough for silver.

Nigeria's Blessing Okagbare leapt to a personal best of 6.91m for bronze as Britain's Jade Johnson finished in seventh with a best of 6.64m.

Maggi was banned from competition for two years after failing a doping test at the 2003 Pan American Games.

Brazil's Superior Sports Tribunal cleared her of the charge after she claimed the positive test came from a cream she used after cutting herself when removing her hair.

But The International Amateur Athletics Federation would not ratify the acquittal and appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Maggi refused to attend the hearing and therefore served the ban.

"I didn't give my best but if I was the girl in fourth place I would be really angry right now"
Jade Johnson

Britain's Johnson called for those found guilty of doping offences to be banned for life.

"I think the most annoying bit for me is that a drugs cheat came back and won the Olympic Games," said Johnson.

"I think people should be banned for life if they take drugs, simple as that.

"I didn't give my best today but if I was the girl in fourth place I would be really angry right now."

Sweden's Carolina Kluft - the 2004 heptathlon winner who opted for this event rather than defending her crown - was eliminated after the first three rounds and finished down in ninth.

"It wasn't that good, my run-up was not working," explained the 25-year-old, who leaves a major championship without a medal for the first time since 2002.

Okagbare was delighted with her performance, especially as she only reached the final as a late replacement for heptathlete Lyudmila Blonska, who was expelled from the Games after testing positive for steroids.

"This is the biggest miracle of my life, God has brought so many miracles but this is the greatest one," the Nigerian said.




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Related to this story:

Kluft out of Olympic triple jump (15 Aug 08 |  Athletics )
Rooney through to 400m showdown (19 Aug 08 |  Athletics )
BBC Olympics blog (15 Aug 08 |  Olympics )
Beijing 2008 (14 Feb 08 |  Olympics )
Find your local athletics club (13 Oct 05 |  Get Involved )

RELATED INTERNET LINKS:
Beijing 2008 - athletics
BOA profile of Jade Johnson
BOA profile of Goldie Sayers
Olympic schedule from the BOA
Athletics from the BOA
International Athletics
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