Six years after he beat Maurice Greene to win Olympic sprint relay gold, Mark Lewis-Francis returned to the top of the podium at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

Birchfield Harriers ace Lewis-Francis took the baton on England team's anchor leg of the 4x100 metres trailing Jamaica’s Remaldo Rose.

But unlike Athens 2004, when he just held off the fast-finishing Greene, he chased his rival down to flash across the line just fractions ahead.

He was joined by Ryan Scott, Leon Baptiste and Marlon Devonish, the latter securing his third career Commonwealth relay gold.

And the victory more than made amends for the baton fumble at the European Championships.

And after rounding off his 2010 season with his third medal – to go with his silver in the 100m individual events in Delhi and the European Championships – 28-year-old Lewis-Francis couldn’t hide his delight.

“It feels absolutely amazing to have got gold,” he said. “It’s been a long season for me and I am very gracious and thankful to be here.

“I had so much determination at the end of the race and I just wanted to get the gold and it feels great.”

The men’s relay success capped off a golden 15 minutes for the England team with the women’s 4x100m squad also topping the podium.

And Darlaston-born Lewis-Francis admitted failure was not an option for his team having seen the women's display.

“It was great to see the girls get the gold before us because they ran well,” added Lewis-Francis. “After they ran like that there was just no way that we couldn’t win the gold.”

He added: "I finished the season on a high. This year's proved that I can compete with some of the best.

"I've had a terrible two years. This goes to show I'm more mature, I'm a more committed athlete and this is where I want to be.

"I spent two years at home rehabbing, wondering if I was ever going to be at a stadium, competing at an international level.

"Next year's going to be a bigger challenge, competing with the likes of Usain Bolt, Tyson Gay. Once you have a taste for it, you want more."