No messing! These are Greene Games, Jones joins sweep

Fifteen minutes later, the flamboyant Greene blasted out of his starting blocks and took the men’s sprint by storm, powering into the lead around the halfway stage and surging away to beat training partner Ato Boldon of Trinidad.

Greene, the world champion and world record holder, clocked 9.87 seconds with Boldon trailing in 9.99. Bronze went to Obadele Thompson of Barbados in 10.04. The American’s customary pre-race swagger had suggested he feared no rival on the night and the race proved he had no equal.

After crossing the line he bent down to the track and said: "Thank you, Lord". He then hurled his stars-and-stripes shoes into the crowd and draped the US flag around his shoulders before setting off on a lap of honour.

Like Greene, Jones had started as the hottest of favourites for the blue riband events of the Games. Unlike Greene, Jones eschews flamboyance and exudes a sense of calmness that serves to add to her aura of invincibility.

Her margin of victory was devastating. Thanou finished more than a third of a second behind in 11.12 seconds with Lawrence third in 11.18.

"For me, it’s a sign of great things in the next couple of days," she said. "This has been my dream for 19 years of my life. It is a dream come true." (Reuters)