GOTEBORG (Sweden): Kim Gevaert completed a sprint double when she won the women's 200 metres on a remarkable night for Belgian athletes at the European Championships.

Gevaert was never threatened, cruising home in 22.68 seconds, and fell into an embrace with Tia Hellebaut, a fellow Belgian who won the high jump moments earlier on Friday.

No Belgian woman had won a European outdoor title before Gevaert's triumph in the 100m on Wednesday — and it was Belgium's first gold in 35 years. Two days later, Belgium has three gold medals.

Sheer delight

``At home, everybody is crazy because of my 100 metre gold medal. I wonder what is going on right now in Belgium with three gold medals,'' said Gevaert, who had a pair of silver medals in the two sprints four years ago.

``Three gold medals are just wonderful for such a small country. ``Before the start I was watching the high jump and screamed when my friend Tia won the gold medal. Seeing her gave me so much motivation two minutes before my own start.''

Hellebaut cleared 2.03 metres to win the best women's high jump competition in the history of European Championships and set national and meet marks.

Never before had more than one woman gone over 2 metres at a European Championship.

The results: Men: 3000m steeplechase: 1. Jukka Keskisalo (Fin) 8 min, 24.89 sec, 2. Jose Luis Blanco (Spa) 8:26.22, 3 Bouabdellah Tahri (Fra) 8:27.15; Decathlon: 1. Roman Sebrle (Cze) 8,526 pts, 2. Attila Zsivoczky (Hun) 8,356, 3. Aleksey Drozdov (Rus) 8,350.

Women: 200m: 1. Kim Gevaert (Bel) 22.68 sec, 2, Yuliya Gushchina (Rus) 22.93, 3. Natalya Rusakova (Rus) 23.09; 100m hurdles: Susanna Kallur (Swe) 12.59 sec, 2. Derval O'Rourke (Ire) 12.72, 3. Kirsten Bolm (Ger) 12.72; High jump: 1. Tia Hellebaut (Bel) 2.03m, 2. Venelina Veneva (Bul) 2.03, 3. Kajsa Bergqvist (Swe) 2.01. — AP

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