Tonique Williams-Darling claimed the Bahamas's first individual gold in Olympic history on Tuesday when she took the women's 400 metres title in 49.41 seconds.

Silver went to world champion Ana Guevara of Mexico (49.56), with Natalya Antyukh of Russia winning the bronze (49.89).

Williams-Darling's triumph at the Olympic stadium confirmed her dramatic rise to prominence this year, during which she has repeatedly shattered her personal best.

The Bahamas' only previous gold medal came in the women's 4x100m sprint relay in Sydney four years ago.