London 2012 - Day 13: Nicola Adams wins gold

Adams decked Ren in the second round on her way to a stunningly comprehensive victory against an opponent who had beaten her in each of the previous two World Championship finals.

Adams made a superb start, producing much the cleaner work in the opening round, firing home a quick combination and a left hook and making it difficult for Ren to find her range as she bounced in and out of reach.

A beautiful straight left followed by a right hook towards the end of the round helped Adams into a deserved 4-2 lead, but it was far from over against the Chinese champion who stormed out for the second and landed a big right hand in a furious flurry of action.

Adams was completely unfazed, landing with a beautiful countering left, then a right as she bullied the Chinese fighter into the ropes and unleashed a left followed by a chopping right which dumped Ren to the canvas for a count.

It was a staggering round by Adams, who took a 9-4 lead into the second half of the contest, but will have known to stay on her guard against an opponent who has dominated at the top of her division for four years.

In a quieter third, Adams proved a master at keeping Ren out of range, darting in to score with crisp counters, and at the end of the third the gold medal was at her mercy after establishing a colossal 14-5 lead.

Utterly dominant, Adams continued to dominate the final round, dancing around the outskirts of the ring and landing counters seemingly at will, celebrating with an Ali shuffle in the final 10 seconds to round off a stunning win.

Adams said: “It’s a dream come true. I’ve just wanted this all my life. To think I’ve finally done it, I’m finally here. All this support has really made my day.”

On the knockdown, she added: “I didn’t even see that coming. It’s just was one of those things, it just happened.

“I’d like thank all the supporters here, all the supporters who’ve followed me.

“I’ve brought that gold medal back to Leeds.

“It’s amazing. To have the flag lifted, I just can’t wait. I’m just so happy and overwhelmed.

Adams’s brother Kurtis, 24, said the action in the Olympic boxing tournament had been a good advert for women’s boxing.

He said: “I have never been surprised by the quality. I have seen Nicola training and know what the standard is. Nicola can box and Katie Taylor (lightweight gold) is phenomenal and Claressa Shields (middleweight gold) is amazing.

“They are all great ambassadors for the sport.”

Back home in Leeds, Lord Mayor Ann Castle said: “Massive congratulations to Nicola for her superb gold medal. Anyone who has had the privilege of meeting her knows how determined Nicola was to win gold in London, so to see her achieve her goal is absolutely fantastic.

“Nicola is such a lovely, grounded person so it is wonderful to see her do so well. Her smile really lights up a room and we look forward to seeing that smile beaming again with the gold medal around her neck. We are all thrilled for her and so proud she comes from Leeds.”