 |
|
||
 |
|||
 |
 |
 |
   | 
| |||||||||||||||||||||
Jamaica secure sprint clean sweep
 Jamaica's sprinters celebrate a unique Commonwealth Games for the nation MELBOURNE, Australia -- An electrifying burst by world record holder Asafa Powell carried Jamaica to a rare Commonwealth Games clean sweep of sprint titles. Jamaicans won the men's and women's 4x100m relays on Saturday to go with the 100 and 200 golds and the hurdles. This makes them the first country to win all the sprint titles at a major championship since a Carl Lewis-led U.S. at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Australia led into the final turn in the men's 4x100 but Adam Miller botched the handover to Matt Shirvington, although it probably made little difference to the outcome as Powell blazed down the straight. Powell ran fluently in Melbourne to dispel any concerns about the groin injury that had kept him off the track since last July, a month after he set the new world mark of 9.77. "I feel really good that I got through. It's early in the season, I'm really fresh on the track," Powell said. Sheri-Ann Brooks, winner of the women's 100m, ran a strong second leg and 200m champion Sherone Simpson stormed home for favorites Jamaica to win the women's relay in 43.10 ahead of England and Australia. England were left dumbfounded after apparently winning the 4x400 relay with ease in 3:27.17, only to be disqualified on a technicality. Officials ruled that Natasha Danvers had been standing in the wrong place on the line as she waited for the baton handover to run the third leg. Australia, who crossed the line second in 3:28.66, were awarded the gold medal. "What race were they watching?" said Christine Ohuruogu, the 400 individual champion who ran an impressive final leg. "As far as we are concerned, we are the Commonwealth 4x400 relay champions," she said. The Englishwomen got some sympathy from Australia, even though Tamsyn Lewis, who ran the third leg against Danvers, lodged a protest. "They rightly deserved to win the gold medal," said 400 hurdles individual champion Jana Pittman. India were promoted to the silver medal and Nigeria elevated to the bronze. The disqualification compounded England's misery after their men's 4x100 team, boasting three members of Britain's gold-winning quartet from the Athens Olympics, failed to hand over the baton in their heat and were eliminated on Friday. Australia picked up a 4x400 relay double after individual 400 champion John Steffensen led off strongly and Clinton Hill powered home for a time of 3:00.93. The hosts also tasted despair when men's 1,500m favorite Craig Mottram fell heavily in a mid-race mishap sparked when England's Nick McCormick clipped the heels of team mate Andrew Baddeley, who in turn fell forward and brought down Mottram. "To finish the Commonwealth Games like that is frustrating," said Mottram, silver medallist in the 5,000. "I'm pretty annoyed about it," he said. New Zealand's Nick Willis avoided the commotion and ran a brilliant race to claim his country's first 1500m Commonwealth gold medal in 3:38.49. Boniface Kiprop won Uganda's second track gold when he held off a three-man challenge from Kenyans Geoffrey Kipngeno and Paul Langat and Tanzanian Fabian Naasito to win the 10,000. His victory followed Dorcus Inzikuru's win in the inaugural women's 3,000m steeplechase on Tuesday, her country's first Commonwealth track success. 
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
| © 2007 Cable News Network LP, LLLP. A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this service is provided to you. Read our privacy guidelines. Contact us. Site Map. |
|
External sites open in new window; not endorsed by CNN.com
Pay service with live and archived video. 
