American Joanna Hayes wins women's 100m hurdle gold

Joanna Hayes of the United States captured the title of the women's 100m hurdles at the Olympic Games in Athens on August 24.

Joanna Hayes (L) of the U.S. wins the women's 100 meters hurdles final at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games August 24, 2004. Hayes won the gold medal in a time of 12.37 seconds.

The 27-year-old, who never won a major world title in this event, clocked 12.37 seconds, an Olympic record, for the gold medal.

"I have been waiting so long for this!" said Hayes. "The most important thing out there is to stay fast and clean. It wasn't clean in the end, but I was able to keep my focus until the end."

Ukraine's Olena Krasovska won the silver in a personal best time of 12.45 and another American Melissa Morrison timed 12.56 to retain the bronze medal she won in the Sydney Olympic Games four years ago.

Krasovska, competing in her third Olympics, said: "I was feeling the best ever in my life. I'd never felt so good before."

She added: "In Atlanta, I was very young and in Sydney, I didn' t make the final, but here I gathered myself together, prepared well psychologically as well as physically, and the result -- 12: 45 -- is just fantastic for me."

Reigning world champion Perditia Felicien of Canada didn't finish the race after hitting the hurdle and falling to the ground.