As a junior athlete, she had won silver and bronze medals at the World Championships. Before heading for college in the USA at Essex County College and the University of Texas, she had actually defeated Hemmings in a 2001 race in Barbados while she was still a schoolgirl.

In Beijing, she was dominant. Her fine run of 52.34 seconds broke the national record set by Deon Hemmings in Atlanta and established a new Olympic record.

Read also:

http://en.africatopsports.com/2013/02/01/athletics-ivorian-murielle-ahoure-sets-a-new-record-for-africa/