Cathy Freeman of Australia was last night confirmed as the fastest woman in the world over 400 metres after class and character had fashioned a superb victory in Athens. Overcoming the handicap of being drawn on the inside lane, she kept her nerve in the first half of the race to get up in the last 20 metres and beat the Jamaican Sandie Richards in 49.77 seconds.

Freeman, the first Aborigine to win a major title when she succeeded in the Commonwealth Games three years ago, hoodwinked the more fancied Richards and American Jearl Miles Clark by contenting herself with a third placing in the semi-finals.

The consensus was that she lacked the finishing power to upset the other two athletes but it proved a winning tactical ploy when the real drama was played out in the final.

The downside was that she had to run along the kerb, traditionally the most difficult of all lanes from which to win but ultimately, she did it with an elegance which confounded her critics.

"I was determined that I wouldn't go out too fast," she said.

"I knew I had the finishing speed to win if I got the first half of the race right and it worked out perfectly for me. It was a bit frightening to find myself off the pace at half way but I knew that if I kept cool, I could do it.

"Gradually, the others began to come back to me and when I got to within a metre of the leader, coming out of the last bend, I realised that I could win the title. I still had a lot of work to do at that point, of course, but I was strong enough and hungry enough for success, to see it through.

"It means that I now have a world title to show for all the hard work I have put in over the last two years. And it almost makes up for missing out on an Olympic title."

Richards, big and strong, came storming through over the last 50 metres but on this occasion, her timing was fractionally astray. Centimetre by centimetre, she closed with the leader on the run to the line but unfortunately for her, it came all too soon and it cost her the biggest accolade of her career.

Overall, it was a disappointing night for the American team for another apparently safe title eluded them after Stephane Diagana of France swept to a handsome success in the 400 metres hurdles final.

Bryan Bronson was the pre-race favourite of the significantly bigger crowd but even before the athletes reached the final bend, the American's title chances had begun to erode.

Two lanes inside him, the young South African, Llewellyn Herbert who eventually took the silver medal, was closing. But ultimately, the decisive challenge came from lane six as Diagana timed his run with precision to win almost on the line.

"It's a great moment for me after missing out for almost a year because of an injury," he said.

"I gambled on conserving my energy in the earlier races and it paid off for me now. I was the strongest over the last 50 metres and now I'm looking to win more big prizes."

After the disappointing crowd figures of earlier days, an attendance of 30,000 turned up to roar on the local girl, Olga Vasdecki in the triple jump final. But she finished fourth in a competition won by the Czechoslovakian Sarka Kasparakova in figures of 15.20 metres.

Double Olympic champion Michael Johnson made no mistake clinching a place in the final of the 400 metres yesterday after almost crashing out in an earlier round because of a badly-judged finish.

The American defending champion set a fast pace in the first 300 metres before easing off in the home straight to win his semi-final in 44.37 seconds and move comfortably into today's final.

Johnson was almost eliminated in the second round on Sunday after he misjudged the final metres of a heat and failed to qualify directly for the next round as one of the top three finishers.

"It felt good," he said yesterday. "I do not have a problem, I did not have a problem yesterday. I just made a mistake and I am very disappointed with myself for doing that but it happened.

"I am ready to go out there and do the best I can to win the race."

American Tyree Washington won a tight finish to the first heat in 44.61 seconds.