SAINT-DENIS, France -- Kelli White kept her promise.

White, who told her mom a long time ago that she would win two world titles, captured the gold medal in the 200 meters Thursday night at the World Championships -- four days after she won the 100 title.

White became the first American woman to win both sprints at one world meet. Not even Marion Jones, who had been the defending champion in the 200, has done that.

Jones is taking time off after giving birth to a son in June. She plans to return for the 2004 Athens Olympics.

White took a big lead coming off the turn and was way ahead of the field throughout the race. She finished in 22.05 seconds, the fastest time in the world this year. After crossing the finish line, she held up two fingers on each hand.

"I am happy, I'm really tired," she said. "I didn't know how it would go, this is race No. 8."

White had to run four heats in the 100 on Saturday and Sunday, and four more heats of the 200 -- two on Tuesday, one Wednesday and the final Thursday. She also plans to run on the U.S. 400-meter relay this weekend.

Anastasiya Kapachinskaya of Russia was second in a personal-best time of 22.38. U.S. sprinter Torri Edwards, who was the silver medalist in the 100, added a bronze in the 200. The only other women to win both sprints at a World Championships are Germans Silke Gladisch in 1987 and Katrin Krabbe in 1991.

The success of White and Edwards -- who gave the U.S. team four of the six medals in the women's sprints -- is in stark contrast to the squad's male sprinters, who were shut out of the medals in the 100.

But U.S. men hope to do considerably better in the 200.

All three Americans qualified for Friday night's final, with U.S. champion Darvis Patton running the fastest time of 20.03 -- a personal best -- in Thursday's semifinals. Also qualifying for the final were John Capel and Joshua Johnson.

Other winners Thursday were Italy's Giuseppe Gibilisco in the men's pole vault, Cuba's Yipsi Moreno in the women's hammer throw and Australia's Jana Pittman in the women's 400-meter hurdles. American Sandra Glover won a silver medal in the hurdles.