Felix finally wins 200

London, England (Sports Network) - For most Olympians, winning one silver medal is a source of great pride, but the two that Allyson Felix owned were anything but satisfying.

Not even the gold Felix won in helping the United States take the women's 1,600-meter relay in Beijing was a suitable replacement for what she really wanted.

But, here at the London Games, Felix finally found a way to defeat the one woman who had stood between her and that dream medal.

After finishing second to Jamaica's Veronica Campbell-Brown at the last two Summer Games, Felix did enough Wednesday night to earn the right to stand atop the podium for the women's 200 meters.

"I mean, finally," Felix said. "It's been a long time coming."

Felix had run so smoothly in heats for the event and the performance that won her that elusive gold medal was just as crisp. She took charge of the race around the turn and held onto the lead with a winning time of 21.88 seconds, crossing the finish line .21 seconds faster than anyone else.

For a change, Campbell-Brown posed no real threat to Felix. She finished in fourth place while her compatriot Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce claimed silver and Carmelita Jeter of the U.S. grabbed bronze.

"To lose twice to the same person, it's been tough," Felix said of her previous losses to Campbell-Brown. "But, it's all paying off."

Meanwhile, Campbell-Brown was denied a choice piece of track and field history. She was trying to become the first woman to win gold in the same event at three straight Olympics.

Still, even when faced with the disappointment of failing to medal in an event she had owned for eight years, Brown had congratulatory words for Felix.

"We've been racing each other for years," Brown remarked. "I'm happy for her. I knew how bad she wanted it."

For Jeter, she won her second medal in as many Olympic finals after finishing second to Fraser-Pryce in the 100 here in London. Meanwhile, fellow American Sanya Richards-Ross, the 400-meter champion in London, placed fifth.

While Felix ended her own personal quest for gold, she also became the first American woman to win the 200 since Gwen Torrence at the 1992 Barcelona Games.