WINDSOR, England (AP) — Yuri Cheban of Ukraine wins Olympic gold medal in men's singles 200-meter canoe sprint.
Cheban stormed to gold in a thrilling race before packed grandstands on Dorney Lake.
The sprint over 200 metres is new to the Olympic programme and designed to increase interest in the sport, with the canoeists taking three strokes per second in an explosive fight for the line.
Cheban, a bronze medallist from Beijing, flew off the start and had half a length lead by 100 metres. Lithuania’s Jevgenij Shuklin took silver and Russia’s Ivan Shtyl, the 2010 world champion, took the bronze in what had been a very open event. (Reporting by Kate Holton; Editing by Clare Fallon; For all the latest Olympic news go to http://www.reuters.com/london-olympics-2012)
