Bulgaria's Ivet Lalova Wins European Sprint Title

Bulgaria's Ivet Lalova, also known as "the fastest white woman", has triumphed with the European Title in the 100 m sprint at the European Track and Field Championship in Helsinki, Finland.

The 28-year-old Bulgarian sprinter ran the 100m in11.28 seconds, leaving behind Ukraine's Olesya Povh (11.32) and Lithuania's Lina Grincikaite.

This is the biggest success in the career of the Bulgarian star athlete and the first medal from a major open athletics championship.

It is also the first medal for Bulgaria from a short-distance sprint event at a European championship.

The 100 m final was a very closely contested race, with Ukraine's Olesya Povh leading until the last 30 meters, when Lalaova managed to outrun her.

Ivet Lalova scored an excellent performance in Helsinki, qualifying for Wednesday's semi-finals with a season's best 11.06 and then winning the semi-finals in 11.23.