Barrino, who wowed viewers with her rich, gospel-tinged performance of pop tune, attributed the victory to her two-year-old daughter, Zion.

'I fought so that my child can have the best,' said the 19-year-old single mother from High Point, North Carolina, who had a 1.3 million-vote edge over Diana DeGarmo when the results were announced.

Starting with the four-month Fox TV talent contest, she emerged as the winner from among 70,000 contestants to claim the title, a record contract and a shot at music stardom.

America got it '100 percent right,' said Simon Cowell, the usually acerbic American Idol judge and music producer who was among those who fell under Barrino's spell.

An estimated 31.4 million people tuned in to watch Fantasia Barrino's tearstained victory at the conclusion of American Idol, Nielsen Media Research said yesterday.

That was down slightly from the 33.7 million who watched Ruben Studdard beat Clay Aiken at the end of last season.

Source: AP