LONDON - Yannick Agnel captured his second gold medal in 24 hours at the London Olympics when he won the men's 200-meter freestyle final on Monday, beating a stellar field in one of the most exhilarating races in the swimming pool.

Agnel, whose stunning anchor leg swim won France the 4x100 freestyle relay the previous night, led all the way to win the gold in a time of one minutes 43.14 seconds, 1.14 outside Paul Biedermann's world record, set at the 2009 world championships in Rome when the now-banned polyurethane bodysuits were allowed.

China's Sun Yang, who won the 400 freestyle on Saturday, deadheated for second with South Korea's Park Tae-hwan in 1:44.93 while American world champion Ryan Lochte was fourth.

The 200 requires a combination of speed, stamina and tactical nous and Agnel had all three in abundance, dictating the race from the outset then bursting clear of his rivals on the final lap to provide France with their third gold medal in London's Aquatic Centre.