Russian Olga Kuzenkova, who finished second in Sydney and was runner-up in three consecutive World Championships, finally got top spot on the podium on Wednesday when she won the women's Olympic hammer gold medal.

The 33-year-old Kuzenkova, who had broken the previous Olympic record in qualifying, beat her own mark in a high-quality final when she sent her third-round throw 75.02 metres, the fourth longest in history.

There was a Cuban sweep of the minor medals as world champion Yipsi Moreno took silver with 73.36 and Yunaika Crawford the bronze with a personal best 73.16