McLeod wins Jamaica's first hurdles gold

Pre-race favourite Omar McLeod had the fastest times in the first round and semi-finals and saved his best for last by coming home in 13.05 seconds.

Published : Aug 17, 2016 08:03 IST , Rio de Janeiro

Omar McLeod celebrates after winning the Men's 110m hurdles.

Omar McLeod celebrates after winning the Men's 110m hurdles.

Omar McLeod secured Jamaica's first ever gold medal in the men's 110 metre hurdles with a stunning performance on Tuesday.

Pre-race favourite McLeod had the fastest times in the first round and semi-finals and saved his best for last by coming home in 13.05 seconds. France's Dimitri Bascou was fastest out of the blocks, but it was McLeod who had the smoother run to the finish line.

The 22-year-old McLeod cleared his hurdles with ease, joining Usain Bolt and Elaine Thompson as Jamaica's gold medal winners at Rio 2016.

Bascou, one of the favourites to challenge McLeod for gold, eventually came home in third for the bronze. Cuban-born Orlando Ortega secured the silver medal for Spain, just unable to catch McLeod on the line.