Great Britain's men's 4x100metres relay squad pulled off a sensational gold medal-winning performance in Athens.

Reigning champions America had gone into the final as red hot favourites to hold onto their title.

But Jason Gardener, Darren Campbell, Marlon Devonish and Mark Lewis-Francis swept to glory in stunning fashion.

Lewis-Francis got the baton from Devonish with a metre lead and somehow held off Maurice Greene on the anchor leg.

It was desperately close at the death but Lewis-Francis hit the line millimetres ahead of the American 100metres bronze medallist.

A jubilant Mark Lewis-Francis told Eurosport: "This has done my confidence a lot of good and I'm going to go out there and try in the individual event to become one of the greatest sprinters of all time."

BBC pundit Michael Johnson believes the key to Great Britain's victory in the 4x100m was the excellent exchanges between Gardener, Campbell, Devonish and Lewis-Francis.

Johnson said on BBC1: "Jason Gardener ran an OK first leg, he didn't run incredibly but he ran OK.

"He and Darren Campbell had an excellent hand-off, and Campbell's hand-off to Marlon Devonish was pretty good too.

"But the American had real trouble with the second exchange and then they didn't run very well.

"Coby Miller came back and didn't run very well and then a horrible third exchange but a great exchange for Britain.

"Mark Lewis-Francis had pressure from Maurice Greene and also the Nigerians and he held on and it was an incredible run."

Colin Jackson added: "Mark was not going to let Maurice Greene pass for love nor money. I always fancied them to get a medal but a gold is a huge bonus.

"Heritage has a lot to do with your performance - you never want to let your side down.

"You don't want to be part of the team that doesn't get a medal. A gold is amazing and it can hang on the wall forever."

The 4x100m men were followed on to the track by the 4x400m women's quartet of Donna Fraser, Catherine Murphy, Christine Ohuruogu and Lee McConnell.

It was a gallant effort but they finished fourth in a season's best 3:25.12 behind America, Russia and Jamaica.