London 2012 Olympics: Ladies’ day as Charlotte, Nicola and Jade win gold

Her achievement came on another day of stunning success for Team GB, which was capped off when Jade Jones won Britain’s first ever taekwondo gold, beating Yuzhuo Hou of China in the women’s under-57kg final.

At the end of Day 13 of the Games, Britain’s medal tally now stands at 25 gold, 13 silver and 14 bronze.

Adams’s win was greeted with a thunderous reception at London’s ExCeL Olympic arena as the Leeds flyweight beat China’s Cancan Ren 16-7 to win gold.

Supporters were already on their feet for a standing ovation as Adams, 29, was named the winner over Ren, three times the world champion. The crowd did not seem to be in any doubt.

The crowd erupted with chants of “Nicola, Nicola” when she came out of the corner at the start of round two. It grew louder when she knocked her rival down a few seconds later and reached an even greater pitch when the round ended.

The boxer described winning gold as “a dream come true”.

She said: “I am so happy and overwhelmed with joy right now. I have wanted this all my life, and I have done it.”

Adams said she was looking forward to taking her medal home to Leeds, because it will be really “special”.

The Duchess of Cambridge and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg were among crowds who watched the title fight. After she won a place in the historic first Olympic women’s boxing final, Adams said she just wanted to make her mother, Dee, proud.

Adams is one of the 36 female fighters competing at London 2012.

Women’s boxing was included after the International Olympic Committee’s executive board ruled in August 2009 that boxing would no longer be a male-only event from the London Games.

Earlier, Charlotte Dujardin won Team GB another gold medal with a perfect and patriotic routine on her horse, Valegro, in the individual dressage.

Dujardin, who was the final rider, performed a jaw-dropping six-minute routine set to Land of Hope and Glory, I Vow to Thee, My Country and The Great Escape film theme.