Boxer James DeGale won an Olympic gold medal after a bruising middleweight final in Beijing.
The Harlesden fighter became Britain's 19th gold medallist of the 2008 games, and the first British boxer to claim gold at this weight for 40 years, after beating Cuba's Emilio Correa Bayeaux in a bad-tempered bout today.
DeGale raced into a 6-1 lead after the opening round when Bayeaux was penalised two points for biting his opponent's chest. The 22 year old was 10-4 up at halfway but as the bout got increasingly scrappy, a far from graceful Bayeaux clawed his way back. The lead was reduced to two in the final tense moments but DeGale hung on to win 16-14, despite being docked two points in the third round.
DeGale, after hugging his coach at the end of the contest, said: "I'd like to thank everyone back home for their support."
The champion flies back to England on Monday afternoon.
