RIO DE JANEIRO - Jamaica's Elaine Thompson on Wednesday became the first woman in 28 years to win the 100m and 200m at the same Olympic Games.

Three days after winning the century sprint, Thompson took 200m gold in 21.78 seconds.

The 24-year-old finished 0.4sec ahead of silver medallist Daphne Schippers of the Netherlands. American Tori Bowie won bronze (22.15sec) at the Olympic Stadium.

"My school motto was 'let the light shine' and I let my light shine tonight," said Thompson. "It's a big surprise to me because I have had a hamstring injury. You must overcome these things and tonight I am standing here with a gold. To beat Daphne is a hard run."

She is the seventh woman to complete the sprint double at sport's greatest stage.

World record holder Florence Griffith Joyner of the United States was the last woman to achieve this at the 1988 Seoul Games.

Dutch Fanny Blankers-Koen (1948), Australians Marjorie Jackson (1952) and Betty Cuthbert (1956), American Wilma Rudolph (1960) and East German Renate Stecher (1972) were the others that accomplished the feat.

World champion Schippers, hampered by a muscle problem when she finished fifth in the 100m, failed to live up to her status as favourite.

"I came here to win and that's all," said the third fastest woman ever, who clocked 21.63sec at the world championships in Beijing last year.

Only world record holder Griffith Joyner and fellow American Marion Jones have recorded faster times.