Scenes of unparalleled joy heralded the result all of Australia wanted as Cathy Freeman won the 400 metres championship.

After her World Championship triumph the host population chose Freeman to carry the mantle of its chief representative at the Games. Now, as flash bulbs lit up the darkened standards like myriad fairy lights and thunderous noise cascaded around the Olympic stadium, destiny, it seemed had been fulfilled.

One could only guess at the innermost thoughts of Sonia O'Sullivan, present partner of Nick Bideau, who once filled the same role with Freeman, as the cheers ran out over an adjoining track where the Irish athlete was in the process of warming up for the 5,000 metres final.

After the victory Freeman herself appeared to hover between delight and torment as she squatted on the track with her head in her hands.

What was she feeling? "Relief. Just total relief," she said. "I was overwhelmed because I could feel the crowd just around me, all over me. I felt everyone's emotions and happiness and joy absorb into every pore of my body. I just had to sit down to try and make myself feel normal and get comfortable. Because to win a gold, it was just beyond words."

As she set off on her lap of honour the goodwill poured down on top of her. She took not only the Australian flag but the Aboriginal one. Afterwards, however, she was not strident about the political aspect.

"I'm sure what has happened tonight and what I symbolise will make a difference to people walking down the street, and to their attitudes and to political attitudes. All I know is that I have made a lot of people happy from all kinds of backgrounds that call Australia home."

In all, it took her just 49.11 seconds to sate the appetite of a nation. But at times it may have seemed like an eternity as the Jamaican, Lorraine Graham threatened for a few fleeting strides to steal the glory. The Australian, clad in a body suit which gave her the look of a space woman, turned on the gas between the two top bends. As the stagger unwound, it was soon clear that she had the measure of Britain's Katherine Merry, who finished third.

But out in lane eight Graham relinquished the lead very grudgingly as Freeman caught her. In those tense moments, the burden of responsibility as much as the fire in her legs, may have hurt the Australian. But then, slowly, Graham capitulated and the great dream had at last been realised.

Later, somebody had the temerity to ask Bideau what he thought of her victory, only to be given the terse reply that he didn't see it. He was busy counselling O'Sullivan, but was, perhaps, the only Australian who deliberately went absent at that moment.

On an evening when we discovered yet again that there is little in sport to match the excitement and the tumult of Olympic track competition, the programme built to a suitable climax with thrilling win for Haile Gebrselassie in the 10,000 metres in a time of 27 minutes 18.20 seconds.

The little Ethiopian is unbeaten in significant races at the distance for seven years, but with just 200 metres to go it looked as if all was lost for the defending champion. In an unusual moment of self doubt, he hesitated and his great Kenyan rival Paul Tergat pounced from behind.

Tergat lengthened his stride and looked all over a winner as he went for home down the finishing straight.

Even for one with Gebrselassie's proven pace the challenge of cutting back the lead seemed impossible. But once he had re-assembled his scattered wits, the little Ethiopian was after him and in moments all of us who witnessed it will treasure, fought back to win on the line. Of such mettle, are great champions made.

British world record holder Jonathan Edwards also showed his class under pressure when he won the triple jump with a third-round leap of 17.71 metres. Having missed out in Atlanta and last year's worlds in Seville, this time there was no denying him. "This was my last chance," he admitted.