Bolt sprinkles stardust on Glasgow, Bezzoubenko Queen

Bolt sprinkles stardust on Glasgow, Bezzoubenko Queen

Sunday, July 27, 2014 9:43 am


Australia took their Commonwealth Games cycling medal tally to 15 after another dominant session on Saturday as Jamaican sprint sensation Usain Bolt sprinkled stardust on Scotland.

Annette Edmondson won the women’s track cycling scratch race while Scott Sunderland landed the men’s 1km time trial.

The 22-year-old Edmondson, who was silver medallist in the individual pursuit, matched brother Alex’s tally of team gold and individual pursuit silver.

“Finally I’ve matched Alex,” said Annette, who takes part in the 25km points race on Sunday.

Canada's Patricia Bezzoubenko

Canada’s Patricia Bezzoubenko: Five gold medals

Star attraction: Usain Bolt, third right, poses

Star attraction: Usain Bolt, third right, poses

“I’ve never come home with the gold, it’s always been silver or bronze, so it really means a lot to me.”

The pressure was certainly on Sunderland as the defending champion from Delhi and Simon van Velthooven from New Zealand went last in the time trials.

But the Australian delivered in one minute 0.675 seconds to claim victory with Van Velthooven claiming second in 1:01.060, ahead of his countryman Matthew Archibald who finished on 1:01.162.

Australian duo Jason Niblett and Kieran Modra missed out in the men’s Para Sprint B tandem as Scotland’s Neil Fachie and Craig Maclean claimed a second gold of the Games with a 2-1 victory.

It was New Zealand who shone in the men’s 40km points race with Thomas Scully claiming gold with 98 and Aaron Gate bronze with 82.

Peter Kennaugh claimed Isle of Man’s first medal of the Games, finishing second with 84.

In the pool, South Africa’s Olympic champion Chad le Clos survived a freak accident to retain his 200m butterfly title in a Games record of 1min 55:07sec.

Grant Irvine took silver for Australia, while South Africa also claimed bronze thanks to Sebastien Rousseau.

The biggest scare for Le Clos had come out of the pool as he revealed he twisted his ankle when he slipped coming off a bus back to the athletes’ village on Friday night.

“Last night I slipped off the bus, so I was a bit worried, my ankle was a bit swollen,” said Le Clos who remains on course for seven medals.

“It wasn’t too bad, so I just iced it. This morning it was quite bad in the heats so I was a bit worried, but we had 10 hours to strap it up and needle it a little bit so thanks to the physios.”

– Five gold medals  for Bezzoubenko –

Taylor McKeown sealed Australia’s ninth gold medal from just 18 swimming events in the women’s 200m breaststroke while Daniel Fox took gold in the para-sport 200m freestyle.

Australia cam off second best in the 50m freestyle when England’s Fran Halsall beat sisters Cate and Bronte Campbell.

The action on the third day of the Games was dominated in the afternoon by the arrival of Bolt who will race in the 4x100m relay heats in what will be his first outing of an injury-hit season.

“Yes I’m here to run. I’ll be running, definitely,” said Bolt, the world record holder and Olympic champion in the 100m and 200m.

Canada’s Patricia Bezzoubenko was crowned queen of the Games, completing a five gold medal haul in rhythmic gymnastics.

Bezzoubenko had already won two golds in the team and all-around events and she added three more on Saturday in the clubs, ball and hoop individual disciplines.

The one gold that escaped her grasp was in the ribbon which went to Francesca Jones giving Wales their first gold medal of the Games.

“I was expecting a good performance but that’s it, no medals, I didn’t think about it. It just worked. It is amazing it is my first Commonwealth Games. I am so proud of my country,” said 27-year-old Bezzoubenko who trains in Russia.

Australian shooter Daniel Repacholi won the men’s 10m air pistol but the toast of the town in that event was third-placed Mick Gault of England who at 60 won a record-equalling 18th Commonwealth Games medal.

“Job done, finished, don’t care anymore. I got the record and I can just relax now,” said Gault.

In weightlifting, England’s Zoe Smith beat Nigeria’s Ndidi Winifred and Welsh veteran Michaela Breeze to claim gold in the women’s 58kg.

On the final day of the judo competition, Scotland took three of the five golds thanks to Euan Burton in the men’s -100kg, Royal Marine Christopher Sherrington in the +100kg and Sarah Adlington in the women’s +78kg.


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