Boxing: Khan, Barnes win CWG medals

Haroon Khan guaranteed a Commonwealth Games medal at the Talkatora Stadium in Delhi on Saturday.

However, he insisted beating a British fighter gave him more satisfaction than knowing he will head home with at least bronze.

The 19-year-old, wearing the vest of Pakistan, squeezed past Welshman Andrew Selby on countback after a tight 3-3 draw, then said he felt vindicated after alleging he had been frozen out of the Great Britain squad.

Khan said: "This is what I wanted to do - get a medal and beat a lad from the Great Britain podium squad. I've done that and proved them wrong. It [beating a Briton] is more important than the medal."

Responding to comments made by Selby after the previous round in which the Welshman said Khan was not worthy of a podium squad place, Khan said: "Selby said he battered me in sparring - well look what happened then.

"My hand was lifted and I'm just so proud. My job was to come here and prove the selectors wrong and I've done that. I've got a medal at 52kg and the British lad hasn't got it. I wanted a medal to prove I'm good enough and I've done that."

Khan took the lead with a left hand through Selby's tight guard in the opening round, but a good left in return allowed the Welshman, whose more accurate shots lacked power, to draw level.

A crisp counter-punching right from Khan put him back in front in round two but Selby's dogged persistence paid off with a second equalising punch towards the end of the round, setting up a dramatic finale.

Both fighters exchanged single points again in the third with Khan's looser, more powerful performance ultimately catching the eye of the judges and sending him through to a semi-final against India's Suranjoy Mayengbam.

Northern Ireland light-flyweight Paddy Barnes was less happy with his bronze medal and was in no mood to celebrate despite a strong and sharp 4-2 victory over Australia's Andrew Moloney.

Barnes, the European champion and Olympic bronze medallist, dodged the interview mixed zone after claiming earlier quotes he had given in which he claimed boxing was "boring" had been taken out of context.

Middlesbrough heavyweight Simon Vallily got his Games campaign under way with an explosive first-round stoppage of Dominic Winrow of the Isle of Man.

Vallily rocked his opponent with his first punch of the fight and forced a standing count with just 20 seconds of the contest gone. A huge left hand clubbed Winrow to the canvas and he was helped groggily back to his corner.

Vallily said: "It was good to get out there. I wanted to get into the tournament and get the ball rolling because all of this is a new experience for me but it's just great to be at the Commonwealth Games.

"There's a bit of pressure on me but it doesn't really affect me. I just train hard and get in and do what I've got to do. The pressure just comes with winning. With my power and speed I hope I can have a good tournament.''

Northern Ireland's Steven Ward moved within one more win of a medal with a 7-4 win over Australian Giancarlo Squillace, while Scottish heavyweight Stephen Simmons eased past South Africa's Masana Manganyi 10-2.

Simmons decked Manganyi with a strong right hand in the last round but the Scot, who was dropped from the fully-funded Great Britain podium squad earlier this year, was far from happy with his performance.

Simmons said: "I give it five out of 10. I'm here to take gold here and prove a point but I will need to make my performance better to do it. I'm never going to win gold with a performance like that.''

Riverland's champ celebrates another gold

Loxton-born Sophie Edington has added another gold Commonwealth Games medal to her trophy cabinet.

A triple gold medalist in Melbourne, Sophie Edington has taken gold in the 50 metres backstroke in Delhi.

Setting a Commonwealth Games record, she touched at 28 seconds, ahead of England's Gemma Spofforth with 28.03 seconds and Welsh swimmer Georgia Davies, third, at 28.33 seconds.

In Melbourne, Edington also won gold in the 100 metres backstroke and 4x100 metres medley relay.

Kalmadi thanks Delhiites and others for 'successful' CWG

Commonwealth Games Organising Committee Chairman Suresh Kalmadi today thanked Delhiites and "unseen" people for their contribution in making various events successful during the grand sporting event and said "excellent" results will help spread the message of Olympics in New Delhi. "The citizens of
Delhi have happily joined hands with Delhi Police to ensure the implementations of the Games Lane so that the athletes’ schedules are not affected by traffic. No event of this magnitude can be successful without the contribution of several people, unseen but vital," Kalmadi said in ‘Village News’ – a special daily newspaper, meant for Commonwealth Games Village residents.

He said there have been some fabulous results from the velodrome and the pool.

"The number of new Games records set is a testimony to the quality of competition and the field of play," he said adding that "I am confident that such excellent results will help spread the message of Olympic sport in India."

Kalmadi said his colleagues in the Indian Olympic Association share the optimism that "we can build on the surge of interest and enthusiasm among sports fans in the country. We know we can build on this to sustain the development of many new champions.

"It is pleasing to note that all competitions have been held according to schedule thus far."

The 19th Commonwealth Games being hosted by the country was marred by several controversies including corruption and filthiness in several facilities meant for athletes.

Over 7,000 athletes from 71 nations are living in the Commonwealth Games Village here to participate in 12-day-long sporting event scheduled to end on October 14.

Haryana chief minister wants Olympics in India

With players from Haryana leading India's gold medal hunt in the Commonwealth Games, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda Sunday said India should now host the Olympics.

'The country is capable of organising the Olympic Games. People have noticed the potential of the country. If the Olympics are held, I can say our players will bring laurels to the country,' Hooda said in Sonipat.

At least 11 players from Haryana have won Commonwealth gold medals out of India's tally of 28 golds.

'Being a sportsperson, I know players of country in general and Haryana in particular. They have huge potential. If they are provided facilities and support, the country can lead the world in sports,' he added.

Hooda said that international-level sports academies in boxing, wrestling, hockey, cricket and basketball were being set up in the state to provide the best sporting facilities to players from the state.

The Commonwealth medal winners and coaches of the state would be honoured in a function on Haryana Day Nov 1.

The players winning gold, silver and bronze medals would get cash awards of Rs.1.5 million (15 lakh), Rs.1 mn (10 lakh) and Rs.500,000 respectively.

Coaches of medal winners would be honoured with cash prizes of Rs.300,000, Rs.200,000 and Rs.100,000.

Commonwealth Games 2010: shambles continue as swimming pool filtration system fails

Where's the boss? Where's the tickets? and where's the chlorine? As the Commonwealth Games heads into its eighth day of competition there is no let up of the glitches and stuff ups that have marred the lead up preparations and the actual competition.

At the aquatic centre on the final day, the main pool was so cloudy and dirty, swimmers couldn't see more than two metres underwater, impacting on their turns. The wide television pictures illustrated a stark contrast between a sparkling blue diving pool and a brownish murky tinge to the main 50m pool.

Sources say the problem stemmed from the filtration system that failed completely. Ellen Gandy, an England bronze medallist on the last day, said that she couldn't see more than two metres in front of her during the warm-up.

Kamlesh Nanavati, competition manager at the SP Mukherjee complex, admitted to Telegraph Sport that it was a backwash problem with the pool's filtration but that no federation had directly complained.

He said: "The pool was not dirty but it certainly wasn't clear. We had two tests on the pool and there were no problems."

However British Swimming performance director Michael Scott filed an official complaint with the organisers an hour before the start of competition, but received no satisfaction.

"I feel I have a responsibility to my swimmers who have put in significant hours of training to make sure they have the best possible conditions.

"Would you expect a Formula One racetrack to have substandard conditions? I am obligated to ask the question."

This is the same pool that passed water testing two days ago after it was feared to have been the cause of a spate of ill swimmers, possibly from pigeon droppings contamination.

Divers derigging TV output on the final day said that they had never seen a competition pool so unclear. One said: "There were black bits [from the roof] floating on the bottom and the water has got worse throughout the week."

The Indians are crying foul that they are being unfairly treated by their visitors as the Games continue on their shambolic way.

The Indians claimed an English official was rude at the archery, and the South African swimmer Roland Schoeman had racially offended an Indian spectator calling him a monkey. Both had been cleared after investigations by their respective delegations.

On Saturday the chairman of the organising committee, Suresh Kalmadi – the author of the gaffe about Prince Diana – failed to show at the daily press conference for the second consecutive day.

His replacement, the organising committee secretary general Lalit Bhanot – the author of the line about westerners having different standards of cleanliness to Indians – instead had to take the wrath of an increasingly frustrated Commonwealth Games Federation.

The main problem is the poor crowd attendance at some venues, even though some had been boosted by free tickets to schoolchildren. Bhanot tried to bat away complaints about the sparse attendances, claiming close to one million tickets had been sold, including 54,885 yesterday and said the size of the crowd at the athletics was very good, the boxing was full and of course, the hockey, India's national sport, was sold out for

Indian matches, including Sunday's crunch clash against Pakistan. But the CGF president Mike Fennell stepped in noting "you weren't at this morning's meeting" and revealed an internal investigation was under way.

"When people go to the ticket office and can't purchase a ticket because they are told the event is sold out, something is not right about the ticket sales and we have asked for a thorough report on it." said Fennell.

Of course many of the animal capers are unavoidable. The cobras in the athletes village – the count is up to five snakes –, the swooping crows at the hockey, the wayward dog on the athletics infield, add colour to a Games.

It's the drama the Games don't need.

Australians Win Fan-Free Road Races At Comm Games

Tight security featuring gun-toting police on top of steel barricades kept most of the spectators away during a Commonwealth Games women's cycling road race won by Rochelle Gilmore of Australia on Sunday.
It was a perfect day for the race — moderate temperatures, sunny skies and a scenic course through some of the most picturesque parts of downtown New Delhi, including the famous India Gate and Presidential Palace. Even a dog and a monkey sighted on the course didn't bother the competitors.

Gilmore won in a sprint finish in 2 hours, 49 minutes and 30 seconds. Elizabeth Armistead of England was second and another Australian, Chloe Hosking, took bronze.

Another Australian, Allan Davis, won the men's road race of 168 kilometers (103 miles) later Sunday in a sprint finish over Hayden Roulston of New Zealand in a time of 3:40.48. David Millar of Scotland took bronze. Pre-race favorite and Tour de France sprinter Mark Cavendish finished seventh.

But the morning race, staged over eight laps of a 13.7-kilometer (8.45-mile) course, was almost devoid of fans. Television footage showed mostly soldiers and other security officials standing behind the fenced and barrier-laden course.

The lack of crowds didn't bother Gilmore.

"Perhaps it was for the best in terms of security," she said. "We knew a lot of spectators would be watching us on TV."

Gilmore's victory comes after Australian cyclists won 12 of 14 gold medals on the track.

It was a Kiplagat kind of evening at the nearly full Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, where 800-meter runner Boaz Kiplagat Lalang led the way to win gold in 1 minute, 46.60 seconds. Richard Kiplagat was next in 1:46.95 and Abraham Kiplagat took bronze in 1:47.37.

David Greene of Wales surprised defending champion Louis van Zyl in the men's 400 hurdles, beating the South African to the finish line in 48.52 seconds. Van Zyl was second in 48.63 and Rhys Williams of Wales took bronze in 49.19.

In the women's 400 hurdles, Muizat Ajoke Odumosu of Nigeria won in 55.28, followed by Eilidh Child of Scotland in 55.62 and Nickiesha Wilson of Jamaica in 56.06.

Nicole Forrester of Canada won the women's high jump, clearing 1.91 meters. The men's discus gold medal went to Benn Harradine of Australia, who threw 65.45 meters.

Diving began its four-day run and Canada took both golds Sunday.

Jennifer Abel and Emilie Heymans won the women's 3-meter synchro. Australians took the other medals — Briony Cole and Sharleen Stratton the silver and Jaele Patrick and Olivia Wright the bronze.

Alexandre Despatie defended his title in the 1-meter springboard by taking gold later Sunday. One of the biggest names in the diving competition — Olympic 10-meter platform champion Matthew Mitcham of Australia — won the silver.

It was Despatie's record seventh gold Commonwealth Games gold for Canada. His first came in 1998 at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia when he was 13.

"It feels like a long time ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday," said Despatie. "Hopefully I have a bit more to give. At 25 years of age it's weird being called a veteran."

Meanwhile, organizing committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi said a volunteer on the organizing committee had been reported to police over the alleged sale of counterfeit tickets. Local media also reported that two people were arrested for scalping games tickets and that some games credentials were also sold illegally.

Commonwealth Games Federation President Mike Fennell said 850 of the planned 1,500 doping tests at the games had been conducted, and that 600 tests that have been returned were all negative.

There was a positive tone Sunday from Bhubaneswar Kalita, India's chef de mission. Despite a host of problems at the Commonwealth Games — late construction of venues, transportation and security concerns and clogged roads — Kalita said he remained optimistic that India would one day hold an Olympics.

"Yes, our good performance and hosting games like this will definitely step forward (the bid) to host the Olympics in India," Kalita said.

Wrestler Sushil Kumar wins 28th gold for India

World champion and Olympic bronze medalist Sushil Kumar of India has beaten Heinrich Barnes of South Africa to win the the 66-kilogram freestyle wrestling final at the Commonwealth Games to bring India's gold tally to 28. Kumar pinned down his opponent in the second round when leading 2-0, 5-0 to
clinch the gold on Sunday.

Sushil Kumar had earlier in the semifinals pinned Famara Jarjou of Gambia in a mere nine seconds.

The world champion had also not conceded a point in the previous two bouts.

The fierce battle for gaining the second spot in the Commonwealth Games continued in earnest between India and England on the seventh day of competitions with the hosts edging in front by bagging four gold medals.

Teenage archer Deepika Kumari upset an Olympic bronze medallist to win the recurve gold, Harpreet Singh clinched the 25m centre fire pistol gold, archer Rahul Banerjee grabbed the men's individual recurve gold and world wrestling champion Sushil Kumar won the 66kg title by destroying all his rivals.

Vijay Kumar bagged silver behind Harpreet, freestyle wrestler Anuj Kumar also got a silver in men's 84 kg, trap shooter Manavjit Singh Sandhu secured a bronze while Jayanta Talukdar finished third behind Banerjee.

Sania Mirza and Rushmi Chakravarthi beat compatriots Nirupama Sanjeev and Poojashree Venkatesh to secure the women's doubles bronze in tennis and swell India's medal kitty.

Banerjee's sister Dola finished third in women's recurve and grappler Anil Kumar got the bronze in 55kg freestyle as India came up with another impressive display to jump over England and regain the second spot behind leaders Australia.

Asian silver medallist Jai Bhagwan (60kg) and nine-time national champion Dilbag Singh assured India of two more boxing medals but defending champion Akhil Kumar made a shock exit in the Commonwealth Games by advancing to the semifinals on Sunday.

Jai, a Commonwealth Championship gold-medallist, blanked Waheed Sogbamu of Nigeria 10-0, while Dilbag (69 kg) thrashed Botswana's Moabi Mothiba 11-3 in while Akhil Kumar bowed out after losing to Olympic bronze-medallist Bruno Julie of Mauritius in the 56 kg quarterfinals.

The two boxers joined Amandeep Singh (49kg) and Suranjoy Singh (52kg), who won their quarterfinal bouts on Sturday, in assuring themselves of their maiden CWG medals.

The haul of four gold, two silver and five bronze medals took the Indian tally to 28-19-22 while England were once again made to play catch-up with a haul of 25-45-29. Australia were far ahead with 57-33-35.

India were also just three gold medals short of overhauling their best-ever harvest of 30 at the Manchester Games in 2002 when three gold medals were awarded for each weight class, a practice that has been discontinued since.

The day opened with 17-year-old Ranchi-born Deepika, daughter of an autorickshaw owner, stunning 2004 Athens Olympics bronze medallist Alison James Williamson 6-0, showing amazing precision and steady nerves in windy conditions to win her second gold of the Games.