CWG Day 2: Australia continues to dominate

NEW DELHI:
Australia continued to dominate till the close of the second day of the Commonwealth Games by doubling its count of gold medals to eight.

England and India both managed to climb up to the top three, by clinching two golds each. Wednesday promises to be a busy day for the athletes with 27 gold medals up for grabs.

8:25pm

Indian police said an anonymous call Tuesday warning of a bomb in the Commonwealth Games athletes' village was a hoax by a boy, AFP reports.

8:10pm

Canada's Marilou Dozois-Prevost won the Commonwealth Games women's 53kg weightlifting gold on Tuesday, reports AFP. Nigeria's Onyeka Azike took silver with Malaysia's Raihan Yusoff winning bronze.

7:50pm

Australia comfortably won a fourth successive Commonwealth Games gymnastics women's team gold on Tuesday, with England in second and Canada taking bronze, AFP reports.

Gymnastics women's team results:

Rank	Team	Points
1	Australia	163.7
2	England	158.2
3	Canada	154.75
4	Malaysia	144.05
5	Scotland	142
6	Singapore	140.65
7	New Zealand	140.55
8	India	124.3

7:30pm

India's Ravinder Singh won the men's 60kg Greco-Roman wrestling gold medal at the Commonwealth Games here on Tuesday, beating Terrence Bosson of England in the final, AFP reports.

Meanwhile, South Africa defeated Scotland 2-1 in a Commonwealth Games women's Pool A hockey match.

7:00pm

Australian wrestler Hassene Fkiri was disqualified Tuesday for making an obscene gesture to the judges in the Commonwealth Games 96kg Greco-Roman final, his coach said, AFP reports.

Fkiri, who would have picked up a silver medal, refused to shake hands with Anil Kumar after losing to his Indian opponent, and moments earlier had shown his middle finger to the judges.

Australian coach Kuldi Bassi said: "I didn't actually see anything myself but someone else told me he saw it.”

"He's a very nice person normally. He's very good, win or lose. He wasn't unhappy at all (before the fight), he was happy to be representing his country.”

"The Indian (Kumar) upset him a bit and was pulling his neck. I told him that was what was going to happen and I think he just lost control. It's very sad and it's bad for the country.”

6:45pm

Pakistani squash players Amir Atlas Khan and Farhan Mehboob were knocked out of the Men’s Singles at the Commonwealth Games, when they were beaten by Nick Matthew of England and Stewart Boswell of Australia, respectively in the third round.

Results for the third round of the Men’s singles:

Nick Matthew (ENG) beat Aamir Atlas Khan (PAK) 10-12, 11-3, 11-5, 11-5

Cameron Pilley (AUS) beat Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) 11-6, 11-7, 11-8

Peter Barker (ENG) beat Saurav Ghosal (IND) 11-5, 11-9, 11-13, 11-5

Stewart Boswell (AUS) beat Farhan Mehboob (PAK) 11-9, 11-6, 11-8

6:35pm

Another victory for home team: India completed a clean sweep of golds in the first day of wrestling at the Commonwealth Games Tuesday when Anil Kumar beat Hassene Fkiri of Australia in the 96kg Greco-Roman final, AFP reports.

6:20pm

Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and Aqeel Khan have been knocked out of Men's doubles Tennis in the Commonwealth Games, the Express Tribune sports desk reports.

The Australian team of Peter Luckzak and Paul Hanley beat the Pakistani duo 7-6, 6-4. The match lasted for 2 hours 30 minutes.

6:15pm

Aricco Jumitih gave Malaysia their second weightlifting gold medal of the Commonwealth Games on Tuesday when he edged compatriot Naharudin Mayudin for the 62kg title, reports AFP.

But there was more disappointment for India with Rustum Sarang and Omkar Otari both missing out on the medals after the hosts had also lost out on gold in Monday's two opening events.

5:50pm

India's Sanjay won the men's 74kg Greco-Roman wrestling at the Commonwealth Games here on Tuesday, beating Terrence Bosson of England to pick up his country's second gold from two Finals, reports AFP.

Some twitterciation for the games:

5:20pm

Bomb threat: Indian police searched the Commonwealth Games athletes' village on Tuesday after receiving an anonymous call warning of a bomb, AFP reports.

“The police control room received a telephone call from an anonymous caller who said there is a bomb in the village,” spokesman Rajan Bhagat said.

He declined to say how credible the threat was but explained that no-one had been evacuated.

4:50pm

South Africa's Natalie Du Toit on Tuesday held on for victory in the women's 50m freestyle S9 category race, retaining the Commonwealth title for the third straight Games, AFP reports.

The 26-year-old from Cape Town, who lost her leg in a motorbike accident in 2001, held off a strong challenge from Australia's Annabelle Williams, who got silver, and Stephanie Millward of England, who came third.

Du Toit is one of the world's most well-known para-athletes and has dominated disabled swimming at the last two Commonwealth Games and Paralympics.

4:45pm

New Zealand defeated Malaysia 5-0 in a Commonwealth Games women's Pool B match here on Tuesday, AFP reports.

Leading finals results in Commonwealth Games track cycling on Tuesday:

Women 500m time trial

Rank	Name	Country	Time (sec)
1	Anna Meares	Australia	33.758
2	Kaarle McCulloch	Australia	34.780
3	Becky James	Wales	35.236
4	Monique Sullivan	Canada	36.238
5	Jenny Davis	Scotland	36.416
6	Alison Shanks	New Zealnd	36.565

Men 1000m time trial

Rank	Name	Country	Time (min)
1	Scott Sunderland	Australia	1:01.411
2	Mohd Tisin	Malaysia	1:02.768
3	Edward Dawkins	New Zealand	1:02.777
4	Myron Simpson	New Zealand	1:03.449
5	Travis Smith	Canada	1:03.656
6	Bernard Esterhuizen	South Africa	1:04.421

4:10 pm

Interesting news:  the Times of India reports that for the first time in CWG history, Indian channel Doordarshan is providing "high definition" coverage of the Games, also using underwater cameras. The report cites Director General of DD Aruna Sharma:

"For Aquatics events, we will have under water cameras. Opening, closing ceremonies and road events will be covered by helicopter and special moving cameras will be installed for some events. In short it will be altogether a delightful experience."

4:00 pm

More golds taken as Aricco Jumitih givese Malaysia their second weightlifting gold medal of the CWG on Day 2 when he edges compatriot Naharudin Mayudin for the 62kg title.

Singapore wins their second shooting gold medal of the CWG on Day 2 when Aqilah Sudhir and Xiang Wei Xiang Ser take the women's 50m rifle three positions title.

3:55 pm

England's Liam Tancock winn gold on Day 2 in the men's 50m backstroke, breaking the CWG record, reports AFP.

3:45 pm

Michelle Pickles writing for 3news is "fascinated" by her Delhi experience, writing that the contrast between the living conditions of the rich and poor is "astounding".

The contrast between rich and poor is astounding.

On one street the slums - shacks, tents, tin huts, rubble, and people living in terrible, filthy conditions.

The young children, carrying even younger children, who come up to our car windows and press their faces against them – it’s heartbreaking.

Turn the corner, and there are palatial homes, with pristine grounds, trees and shrubs manicured to perfection.

We visited a 7-star hotel the other night – I didn’t even know there was such a thing! It was absolutely beautiful, people staying in the lap of luxury.

Then there are the sights that make you sit up and realise where you are!

Yesterday, we drove past an elephant being ridden down a main road, in peak hour traffic.

I’ve seen whole families, mum, dad and two kids on one scooter.

And a guy practically doing a Bollywood dance on another scooter.

Amongst it all, the Commonwealth Games are taking centre stage.

3:35 pm

Congratulations to Fran Halsall for giving England their first swimming gold! Halsall on Day 2 won gold in the women's 50m butterfly at the CWG.

Australia are on fire at the CWG as an 11-0 win against Trinidad and Tobago in a Pool A women's hockey match adds to their growing list of triumphs.

Emily Hurtz scored a hat-trick while four goals were fired in the first half and seven in the second to leave their 26th-ranked rivals without any answers at the Major Dhyan Chand stadium on Day 2.

3:20 pm

CWG tennis results are out for events that have taken place so far on Day 2:


Men's singles

1st rd

Matt Ebden (AUS x3) bt Patrick Ogier (GRN) 6-3, 6-2

Somdev Devvarman (IND x1) bt Devin Mullings (BAH) 6-4, 6-2

Ross Hutchins (ENG) bt Aqeel Khan (PAK) 6-2, 7-6

Jamie Murray (SCO) bt Rodney Careh (BAH) 6-2, 7-5

Rolle Marvin (BAH) bt Thangarajah Dineshkanthan (SRI) 2-6, 6-1, 6-0

Harshana Dinuka Godamanna (SRI) bt Kamil Patel (MRI) 6-4, 6-1

Women's singles

1st rd

Anna Smith (ENG x7) bt Antonette Muttiah (SRI) 6-0, 6-0

Amanda Carreras (GIB) bt Tiriata Keeba (KIR) 6-0, 6-0

Sohinee Ghosh (MRI) bt Stacey Roheman (LCA) 6-1, 6-0

3:10 pm

Every cloud has a silver lining, and while the Games' have been hit hard with criticism, Roanna Edwards (blogging for ABC) speaks fondly of her Delhi experience and marvels at the low-cost living and appetising cuisine. She writes:

I've learned that eating in Delhi is almost half the experience of visiting the amazing city.

To give you an idea of the culinary treats on offer in India, allow me to tell you about my meal tonight.

It was called 'Fixed Thali'.

Thali by definition is a selection of different dishes usually served in small bowls on a round tray, and fixed means you don't choose them, you just get the assortment of the night.

Tonight it was 10 bowls filled with an amazing array of tastes including including butter chilli, dry chutney, dol, curd, a small sweet coconut treat and a plethora of other traditional curry-type offerings.

Meal = $4 each.
Door to Door taxi service = $1 each
Unforgettable experience in the buzzing Indian capital = PRICELESS.

2:55 pm

Another victory for Australia as Scott Sunderland helps Australia to a triple gold medal sweep on Day 2, setting a new CWG record in the men's 1000m time-trial, according to AFP.

"Today it really felt like I got it together," said Sunderland, the 1000m time trial winner at the Los Angeles World Cup in 2008.

"We had a plan and it came off. I knew I had the legs to win."

2:30 pm









A Wall Street Journal blog states that organisers at the CWG consider another alternative to fill the vacant seats at the Games' venues.

The organizing committee could also turn to an old standby for filling official events in India: children and the poor. Mr. Kalmadi said that since the schools in New Delhi are on vacation, the organizing committee could bring  school kids to fill up the seats and also provide free tickets to the “people from lower levels of society.”

1:55 pm

More gold for the Aussies as Sunderland wins men's 1000m time-trial gold.

1:50 pm

Commonwealth Games medals table (events that have taken so far on Day 2)












1:25 pm

Yet another gold for Australia as Anna Meares wins the women's 500m time-trial cycling gold medal with a new CWG record on Day 2.

1:20 pm

CWG organisers defend themselves by saying that ticket queues are 'a mile long', according to a story in the Telegraph.

The Games' have been criticised for being poorly attended and the Twitterati attributes this to the simultaneous Aus v Ind Test cricket series taking place in India.

1:05 pm

According to a report in the Guardian, Rebecca Adlington, who won England's first medal of the Games on Day 1, was irritated by 'unpredictable' transport arrangement for atheletes.

She had to get up at 4am to make it to the pool in time for her first heat at 8.30am. "The buses take 45 minutes to get here so you spend most of your day on the bus," she said.

"Ours got lost this morning so we were sitting there for 50, 55 minutes. The transport isn't running as smoothly as we all thought. You just have to get up early and get here, even if you are half an hour early. I literally ran through here this morning, swam down and managed to get the 10 o'clock bus back and get an hour's sleep."

She is not the only one disappointed with the overall organisation of the Games.

12:50 pm

Kalmadi's bloopers at an all-time high!

Britain's Princess Diana may have died in a car crash in 1997, but New Delhi Commonwealth Games supremo Suresh Kalmadi thanked her for being at the opening ceremony on Day 2!

The blundering chairman of the organising committee made the faux pas in a press conference to update reporters on the troubled Games' progress. "Yes, Princess Diana was there," he said before correcting himself. "Prince Charles and (Camilla) the Duchess of Cornwall. Now they have gone off and they appreciated all the efforts made heres" reports AFP.

12:40 pm

Singapore bags the CWG gold medal in the men's 50m Pistol Pair event on Day 2. Swee Hon Lim and Bin Gai had a total of 1094 shots, reports AFP.

12:35 pm

Looks like it's just not Kalmadi's day as he issues an apology to Australia who that claimed its athletes were "treated like cattle" at the opening ceremony.

According to AFP, Australian team chef de mission Steve Moneghetti said his athletes were forced to wait in a tunnel in 40-plus degree conditions to march in Sunday's opening ceremony, and they may boycott future ceremonies.

12:30 pm

More Twitterism for Kalmadi

12:20 pm

Embattled CWG supremo Suresh Kalmadi blames empty venues on ticket booths not being set up outside stadiums, but insists the blunder has been fixed.

The troubled Games kicked off on Monday but they played out in front of hardly any fans, and it was a similar scenario on Tuesday at many places.

Kalmadi, the face of the Games who was booed at the opening ceremony, insisted everything had now been sorted out.

"On spectator galleries being unsold, well some were good, like the swimming, and now it is alright," he said at a press conference.

"We have set up in every stadium now ticket box offices. "There were problems, some of the ticket stalls were not put up, but all the stalls are up now at all the stadiums. The situation has been rectified."

12:15 pm

Singapore's Swee Hon Lim and Bin Gai clinch the gold medal in the CWG men's 50m Air Rifle pairs event on Day 2, reports AFP.

11:50 am

Commonwealth Games Federation chief Mike Hooper denies that he felt threatened in New Delhi after an effigy of him was burned, and says that reports of his "lavish lifestyle" in New Delhi were wrong, reports AFP.

Hooper admitted he was disturbed by what happened, but denied he felt under threat. "Obviously it was upsetting personally, but I'm not going to dwell on it," he said in a press conference in which Commonwealth Games Federeation chief Mike Fennell tried to prevent Hooper answering.

"Of course I'm upset, but as far as do I feel safe in Delhi? Yes I do. The security in place is appropriate and I dont have any issue with that."

11:40 am

The Economic Times reports that the closing ceremony for the CWG will be ''even more spectacular" than the opening:

If you thought the aerostat — one of the highlights of the opening ceremony on Sunday — was impressive, get ready for round two.

The helium balloon, brought to India at a cost of Rs 38 crore, will be making its second appearance in the closing ceremony. Confirmed Bharat Bala, creative consultant and part of the core cultural committee of the organising committee (OC), ‘‘ The aerostat will be a significant part of the closing ceremony. We will be using it more extensively.’’ The helium balloon, which is one of the most expensive props that has been used for a sports event till date, was used as a canvas for the various acts that were conceptualized for the opening ceremony.

11:30 am

Another win for team India as Anisa Syyed and Rahee Sarnobat clinch the gold in the CWG Women's 25m Pistol Pairs event on Day 2.

11:20 am
Good news for the Pakistan camp! Pakistan thrashes Scotland 3-0 in CWG men's Pool A hockey match on Day 2, reports AFP.

11:15 am

Congratulations to India on winning the first Games gold in shooting!

Abhinav Bindra and Gagan Narang win India's first gold of the Commonwealth Games on Day 2 with victory in the men's 10m Air Rifle Pairs shooting competition, reports AFP.

Twitterati reacts to India’s win

11:10 am

Here is a list of qualifiers for the CWG day 2 swimming finals, according to an AFP report.

Women's 50m freestyle S9

1. Natalie Du Toit (RSA) 29.82

2. Annabelle Williams (AUS) 30.03

3. Stephanie Millward (ENG) 30.09

4. Ellie Cole (AUS) 31.11

5. Katarina Roxon (CAN) 31.57

6. Shanntol Ince (TRI) 34.30

7. Kiran Tak (IND) 38.79

8. Anjani Patel (IND) 47.64

Men's 200m freestyle

1. Jean Basson (RSA) 1:48.21

2. Thomas Fraser-Holmes (AUS) 1:48.63

3. Robbie Renwick (SCO) 1:48.73

4. Dave Carry (SCO) 1:48.84

5. Kenrick Monk (AUS) 1:48.84

6. Stefan Hirniak (CAN) 1:49.11

7. Robert Bale (ENG) 1:49.26

8. Ross Davenport (ENG) 1:49.38

11:00 am