Lemaitre completes European sprint double

BARCELONA (AFP) - Frenchman Christophe Lemaitre completed the sprint double at the European Championships here on Friday by following up his 100m triumph with victory in the 200m.

Britain's Christian Malcolm took second place in a tight finish, with Lemaitre's compatriot Martial Mbandjock claiming the bronze.

A characteristically stunning late burst down the straight saw Lemaitre cross the line in a time of 20.37sec, with Welshman Malcolm just 0.01sec behind in 20.38.

On Wednesday, 20-year-old Lemaitre tasted victory in the 100m ahead of Britain's Mark Lewis-Francis and Mbandjock.

Lemaitre succeeds Portugal's Francis Obikwelu, who also achieved the 100m-200m double in 2006, and the young Frenchman will now target a third gold medal in the 4x100m relay.