Australia thrash India to win hockey gold

Games end as hosts’ favourite Saina Nehwal wins against Malaysia’s Choo to claim the women’s singles badminton...

NEW DEHLI: The Commonwealth Games ended after 11 days of fiery competition with Australia delivering a brutal thrashing to India in hockey and hosts’ favourite Saina Nehwal winning against Malaysia’s Wong Mew Choo to claim the women’s singles badminton title.

Luke Doerner and Jason Wilon scored two goals each as Australia wiped out India 8-0 to win their fourth successive Commonwealth Games men’s field hockey gold. Australia have now finished on top in each edition of the Games since the sport was introduced in 1998. The victory also completed an unprecedented hat-trick of winning the World Cup, Champions Trophy and Commonwealth gold in the same year for Australia.

Australia surged into the lead in the 19th minute and the score was doubled two minutes later before a brace in the 34th and 52nd minutes.

Nehwal’s narrow win

Saina Nehwal, the first Indian woman to win a Super Series tournament, clawed her way back from match-point down to claim gold. The world number three beat Singapore’s Mew Choo Wong 19-21, 23-21, 21-13 to ensure her country’s best finish by the slenderest of margins.

Kenya bag marathon double

John Kelai and Irene Kosgei scored a golden marathon double to ensure Kenya ended the Commonwealth Games as the top athletics country for the first time. Kelai won in 2:14.35 while Kosgei claimed her country’s first-ever CWG women’s marathon title when she crossed the line in 2:34.32.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 15^th, 2010.