Campbell-Brown seals Jamaican sweep

By Nick Mulvenney

BEIJING (Reuters) - Veronica Campbell-Brown scorched to victory in the Olympic 200 metres final on Thursday to retain her title and complete a Jamaican sweep of all four individual sprint gold medals at the Games.

The 26-year-old exploded out of the blocks and ran a career best 21.74 seconds to beat American Allyson Felix into second place for a second successive Olympics.

The world 100m champion, who was denied the chance of a sprint double in Beijing when she failed to make the Jamaican team for the shorter sprint, raced home a metre clear and raised her arms into the damp air in celebration.

"Indeed, I'm very happy. It's great to come out and defend my title," she told reporters adding that the Jamaican title sweep was also "great".

Twice world champion Felix held off another Jamaican, Kerron Stewart, with a late surge to win silver in 21.93. Stewart crossed the line in 22.0 to claim bronze and win her second medal of the Games after finishing joint second in the 100m.

"We've shown again that Jamaica is the sprinting country," said Stewart. "We had and we have so many sprinters in Jamaica, it's crazy. We're taking over every event bit by bit."

American Muna Lee missed out on a medal by just one hundredth of second, finishing fourth ahead of compatriot Marshevet Hooker and the other silver medallist in the 100m, Jamaican Sherone Simpson.

Usain Bolt, who received his second gold medal straight after Campbell-Brown's victory, completed the men's sprint double on Wednesday and Shelly-Ann Fraser led Stewart and Simpson home in a Jamaican sweep of the women's 100m.