Campbell-Brown powers to 200m world title

Dinesh WEERAWANSA reporting from South Korea

ATHLETICS: DAEGU, South Korea, Sept 3 (AFP) - Jamaica's two-time Olympic champion Veronica Campbell-Brown stormed to victory in the women's 200m Friday, denying American Allyson Felix a historic fourth consecutive world title.

Campbell-Brown flew out of the blocks and although Carmelita Jeter pushed her hard down the home straight, the Jamaican found the extra pace she needed to cross the line first in a season's best of 22.22sec.

After her impressive victory the 29-year-old trained her sights on the one medal missing from her glittering collection of sprint titles - the Olympic 100m title.

Jeter, bidding for a double after winning the 100m in South Korea, won silver in 22.37sec and Felix, who never looked like catching the powerful Campbell-Brown, had to be content with bronze in a time of 22.42.

Campbell-Brown, who finished second behind Jeter in the 100m final in Daegu, won the 200m Olympic gold in 2004 and 2008. She took silver at the 2007 and 2009 worlds and won the 100m world title in 2007.

"(My goal) was just to maintain, do the curve and come out at the straight. I was able to do that tonight," she said. "Allyson's a great competitor.

"It's been a long season and finally after many years of trying I get the victory at the world championships and the only thing missing now is the (Olympic) 100m gold medal so we'll see if it's my destiny next year."

An upbeat Jeter added: "I'm not upset, I'm very, very pleased. Who'd even have thought I was going to get a medal in the 200m? So I'm very happy.

"Veronica ran a great race. I tried to run with her but she was a step ahead of me. For London 2012 I'm planning on doubling."

Defeat was painful for Felix, who narrowly missed out on 400m gold earlier this week as she went for an unprecedented 200m-400m double.

"I'm disappointed and tired but have no regrets. I wouldn't change going for the double but I'm definitely disappointed," said the American, who took silver in the 400m behind Botswana's Amantle Montsho. "I did not reach my goal but I did my best. I still have a relay in front of me and will try to make it gold this time," she added. "I tried to do something new and it gives me a lot of motivation for the next year.

The 200m will be very important next year."I think the 400m took a lot out of me and I just tried to put it together in the 200. It is just a part of my nature, to try to get the best of me. I keep moving on."