Australia claim women hockey gold

Australia win second successive Commonwealth Games women’s hockey gold with win over New Zealand in final.

NEW DEHLI: Australia won their second successive Commonwealth Games women’s hockey gold with a 4-2 win over New Zealand on penalty strokes in the final.

Jessica Nicole scored the winner while Krystal Forgesson missed a penalty after the scores were tied 2-2 at the end of the regulation and extra-time.

Nicole put the defending champions in the lead in the ninth minute after converting a penalty corner. New Zealand bounced back in the second-half and scored the equaliser through Samantha Harrison in the 48th minute. Australia struck again to take a 2-1 lead after Asleigh Nelson converted a penalty in the 59th, only to see the Kiwis level the scores just at the final hooter off Clarissa Eshuis’s strike.

Sri Lanka end long wait

Manju Wanniarachchi won Sri Lanka’s first gold medal in boxing after 72 years. The garment-factory worker from Kandy beat Wales’ Sean McGoldrick in the bantamweight division to claim the only non-British win in the first five of 10 fights, which saw Northern Ireland take two golds and England and Scotland get a gold medal each.

Last day of shooting

Singapore, Scotland, England and Malaysia all won gold medals on the final day of the shooting competition. India were unable to add to their gold medal haul but have topped the table in shooting with 14 golds.

However, the hosts faced another disappointment as Indian athlete Rani Yadav, who came sixth in the women’s 20-kilometre walk, failed a dope test.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 14^th, 2010.