Leisel leads Australia’s win

Australia completes a 1-2-3 in the women’s 200-metre breaststroke.

NEW DEHLI: Australia completed a 1-2-3 in the women’s 200-metre breaststroke with Leisel Jones retaining the title for the third successive Games.

Jones put in a devastating last 50-metre after being virtually neck-and-neck with Canadian Annamay Pierse for the first three lengths.

Jones touched first in 2:25.38 just ahead of Wallace and Katsoulis while Pierse could only manage fifth behind teammate Martha McCabe.

England’s James Goddard led from the front to win gold in the 200m backstroke get his title from 2002 back.

India closer to badminton final

India took another step towards its goal of reaching their first badminton team final when a 5-0 win over Wales ensured they would qualify from their group. The hosts achieved their third clean sweep in three matches, guaranteeing a place in the quarter-finals.

Aditi Mutatkar, world number 32, enjoyed a straight games win over the Welsh national champion Carissa Turner. Chetan Buradagunta won 21-12, 21-16 in the men’s singles against Martyn Lewis. India’s winning 3-0 lead was completed in the men’s doubles by Sanave Arattukulam and Rupesh Kallyad.

New weightlifting record

India’s Renu Bala not only retained her 58-kg women’s weightlifting title but also set a new Commonwealth Games record by lifting 90-kilogramme in the snatch before piling on the pressure with a clean and jerk of 107 for a 197kg total.

Australia’s Sean Lee, with a total of 192kg, claimed silver to add to her 2002 bronze. English 16-year-old Zoe Smith took bronze with a 188kg total after a brave late attempt to knock the Australian from the silver medal position when she twice attempted 108kg in the clean and jerk.

Biggest upset

Nigeria’s Joe Agbonavbare pulled off one of the biggest shocks of the event when he beat favourite Indian Manoj Kumar in the 84kg Greco-Roman wrestling final. South Africa’s Dean van Zyl won the bronze.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 7^th, 2010.