James drives home US track woe, bronze for Isinbayeva

Grenada's James showed he is the future of 1-lap flat race as he kicked with 150 metres to go to cross the line in 43.94sec

I / London August 07, 2012, 9:30 IST

Grenada's Kirani James produced a stunning 400m run to deepen US track woes at the Olympics while Russia's two-time pole vault champion Yelena Isinbayeva had to settle for bronze.

Felix Sanchez stormed to an emotion-fuelled 400m hurdles Olympic gold medal at the age of 34 last night, regaining a title he first won in 2004, and dedicated his win to his late grandmother.

Sanchez won in a time of 47.63sec and pulled a photograph of his grandmother from his vest after he crossed the line in a teary tribute to the woman who brought him up in the United States.

James, the 19-year-old reigning world champion, won Grenada's first Olympic medal of any colour and showed he is the future of the one-lap flat race as he kicked with 150 metres to go to cross the line in 43.94 sec.

"It's a very ecstatic feeling, I am very proud for me, very proud for my country," James said.

"There must be a huge party in the streets right now."

He said going under 44sec for the first time showed he was "on the right track to do some good things", while Michael Johnson predicted he could beat the long-standing world record of 43.18sec that the American set in 1999.

The teenager became the first non-American winner of the event since 1980 and exacerbated the problems the US sprint team is facing on the track in London.

Jamaican duo Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce have already claimed the blue riband 100m events and look strong for the 200m.

To make matters worse for the United States, the New York-born Sanchez, who represents the Dominican Republic where his parents were born, stormed to victory ahead of American Michael Tinsley in the 400m hurdles.