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 100m bronze medallist.

Britain's sprinters had delivered the perfect response to accusations they were sub-standard.

Colin Jackson and Michael Johnson had criticised the standard of British sprinting during the Games and looked to have been proved right when there was no finalist in the 100 metres for the first time since 1976.

But Campbell, who revealed he was taking legal advice over Johnson's reported claim he had been faking his hamstring injury, had the last laugh as he clutched an Olympic gold medal.

Campbell said: "The things that were said at the beginning of the week hurt me and my family. It's been very stressful.

"It's probably been the most emotional week of my life.

"I didn't deserve that criticism, especially from someone who doesn't pay taxes in our country.

"I've always gone out there and done the best for my country.

"What I want to say to Michael Johnson is with my solicitors but there is something I'd like to say to Colin Jackson ... I've got a gold medal."

Before the relay team's stunning success, Britain's men were heading for their first Olympic Games without a single medal, but were inspired by Kelly Holmes' second gold in the 1500 metres earlier in the stadium.

Campbell added: "We were aware of that statistic. Having been there in the past and been one of those to win medals, I felt this was going to be one of those championships where it might not happen, but I believed I was not going to leave these Games without a medal.

"And when we saw Kelly had won another gold, we knew we had to win the gold medal.

"The belief in the team was amazing. The last thing our coach said before we went out was 'seize the day', and we tried to do that."

The victory was particularly sweet after the relay team were stripped of their world championship silver medal from Paris last year after team member Dwain Chambers later failed a drugs test.

And for Campbell, it no doubt meant even more after the man who pipped him to Olympic gold in the 200 metres in Sydney, Kostas Kenteris, was forced to withdraw from Athens due to a missed drugs test.

Campbell added: "Maybe this is what it should have been like four years ago."

Gardener paid tribute to the team spirit in the squad, adding: "I really believed as a team we could do it, but we had to be a team.

"The United States are amazing but we were training harder and harder and getting closer and closer, and we knew the only way we could take them on was by having the baton skills."

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.

The British men's 4x400m relay team rounded off the final event in the Olympic Stadium of these Games - Sunday's men's marathon will finish in the Panathanaiko Stadium - by finishing fifth, with the American quartet winning gold by almost five seconds from Australia and Nigeria.

The quartet of Tim Benjamin, Sean Baldock, Malachi Davis and Matt Elias had done so well in the semi-finals, but could not grab a medal despite a season's best time of 3:01.07.