GAMES

Source: www.trinidadexpress.com By Kwame Laurence in New Delhi

Roger Daniel just missed out on a third trip to a Commonwealth Games rostrum when he finished fourth in the men's 10 metres air pistol singles event, at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range, here in New Delhi, India, yesterday.

The Trinidad and Tobago shooter finished fourth with a score of 673.1, a mere 0.9 short of the 674 total posted by bronze medallist Daniel Repacholi, of Australia. India's Omkar Singh grabbed gold with a score of 681.8, while silver went to Singapore's Bin Gai (676.2).

At the end of the qualification round, Daniel was third with 577, two more than Repacholi. Singh finished first, scoring 584 to equal the Games record, while Gai totalled 580 for second spot.

The other T&T shooter, Rhodney Allen was 14th with a score of 563.

Repacholi was the best of the eight shooters in the final, the Australian outscoring Daniel 99 to 96.1 to edge into third position.

At the 2006 Games, Daniel bagged bronze in the 50m pistol singles. And on Tuesday, he teamed up with Allen for third spot in the 50m pistol pairs event. Yesterday, bronze number three was snatched from the T&T soldier's grasp.

Daniel and Allen are listed for action today in the men's 25m centrefire pistol pairs. And Robert Auerbach will be on show in stage one of the men's singles trap.

Njisane Phillip, Christopher Sellier and Thireef Smart combined for fifth spot in the men's team sprint, at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex, yesterday, the final day of track cycling at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. The T&T team clocked 47.391 seconds in the qualifying event to trail Australia (44.488), New Zealand (44.583), Malaysia (45.378) and Scotland (46.724).

Australia went on to claim gold in a Games record 43.772, beating New Zealand (44.239) into second spot. In the bronze medal race, Malaysia (45.040) defeated Scotland (46.273).

Emile Abraham completed a little more than half of the scratch race final. With 38 laps to go in the 20-kilometre event, the T&T cyclist was lapped by the race leader. And it was not long before the main bunch reeled him in as well, the red flag going up to signal the end of Abraham's challenge, his hopes of completing the 40-lap race dashed.

Afterwards, Abraham told the Express the cancellation of a proposed pre-Games training camp contributed to his sub-par performance.

"The day before we were supposed to leave we got word that the training camp was cancelled due to lack of funds. It would have been my final stepping stone prior to here. When the training camp was denied it put us in a certain position because we were all counting on that. Each athlete always has a specific programme that they look forward to, and when things don't go that way it kind of screws up the entire preparation.

"We still came out here," he continued, "and put our best foot forward. We tried to represent the country as best as we can and I'm just happy to have made the final. I didn't do as well as I planned but I've got to look forward to the road race [on Sunday]."

Super heavyweight boxer Tariq Abdul Haqq was dominant in his duel with Pakistan's Meer Khan, at the Talkatora Indoor Stadium. Haqq won 10-1 to book a quarterfinal showdown with New Zealand's Joseph Parker.

Welterweight Aaron Prince was also on show, yesterday. He was beaten 11-3 by India's Dilbag Singh.

The T&T men's hockey team lost to South Africa in a Group B fixture, at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium. The scoreline, though, was one they could be proud of, the South Africans, ranked 12th in the world, winning 5-3.

Though way down at 29 on the rankings list, T&T were on level terms with their opponents at the halftime interval. Captain Kwandwane Browne scored in the 10th minute to equalise for T&T following a South Africa strike five minutes earlier. And four minutes before the break, Wayne Legerton was on target for a second T&T equaliser.

The 2-2 halftime score was a victory in itself for T&T.

By the 50th minute of the game, South Africa were up 4-2. But T&T remained in contention thanks to Legerton's second item, in the 52nd. The only other goal, however, was scored by Taine Paton, the South African finding the target in the very last minute of the match.

Kwan and company return to the Dhyan Chand Stadium today for a showdown with Canada.

The T&T hockey women were whipped 7-0 by India, yesterday, in their final Group A fixture. T&T lost all four matches to finish at the bottom of the five-team table.

Joshua McLeod, Caryle Blondell and Cadell Lyons were all eliminated in the opening round of the men's 50m freestyle, at the Dr. S.P.M. Aquatics Complex.

McLeod was the fastest of the three T&T swimmers, touching the wall in 23.86 seconds to finish seventh in heat eight and 18th overall. The top 16 swimmers secured semifinal berths.

Blondell and Lyons were 22nd and 25th, respectively, clocking 24.18 and 24.30.

Para-swimmer Shanntol Ince will be in the pool today, competing in the women's 100m butterfly S9.

And at the Thyagaraj Sports Complex, T&T's netballers face Malawi in a Group A fixture.

Source: www.guardian.co.tt

President of the National Association of Athletic Administration (NAAA), Ephraim Serrette, said that the performances of sprinters Aaron Armstrong and Emmanuel Callender in yesterday’s 100 metres final should help them to get funding from the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs’ Elite Athletes Assistance Programme (EAAP). Armstrong won the bronze medal in a time of 10.24 while Callendar placed fourth. The race was won by Jamaican Lerone Clarke (10.12) with England’s Mark Lewis-Francis (10.20) finishing second. The EAAP assists in covering athletes’ expenses as they relate to travel, accommodation, nutritional supplies and medical care for international competition.

Serrette pointed out that since the event was relatively low keyed (the Commonwealth’s top 11 sprinters of 2010 declined to participate), it opened up the chance for Armstrong and Callendar to boost their status.
“I told them before they departed that it was an opportunity for them to get recognition,” he said. “The funding they get is based on their placings at international events so they should be joining the EAAP.”It was T&T’s fourth 100m bronze medal at the Games. Olympic gold medallist Hasely Crawford twice finished third (in 1970 in Edinburgh and 1978 in Edmonton), while Marc Burns was second runner up in Melbourne in 2006.

Ato Boldon won the 100m gold in Kula Lampur in 1998. Serrette added that the results reinforced his belief that athletics is the country’s strongest sport. “Track and field continues to bring T&T results and we are maintaining that presence on the world stage,” he said. “I’m glad to see that we are recognised as a sport that brings glory to T&T, be it at regional or international meets.” He went on to predict that more medals were coming for T&T via its 4x100m team, Cleopatra Borel-Browne (shot put) and Rhonda Watkins (long jump).

Source: www.trinidadexpress.com By Kwame Laurence in New Delhi

Aaron Armstrong followed in the footsteps of an esteemed group of Trinidad and Tobago sprinters when he struck bronze in the Commonwealth Games men's 100 metres dash, at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, here in New Delhi, India, yesterday.

Armstrong became only the sixth person from T&T to secure a Commonwealth 100 medal, when he crossed the line in 10.24 seconds, edging teammate Emmanuel Callender (10.25) into fourth spot.

Way back in 1954, Mike Agostini grabbed gold for T&T in the 100 yards. Twelve years later, Edwin Roberts earned bronze in the same event. Hasely Crawford claimed 100m bronze in 1970 and again in 1978. Ato Boldon emerged as Commonwealth Games sprint champion at the 1998 Games. And four years ago, Marc Burns bagged 100m bronze.

"Means a lot," Armstrong told the Express, "to come out here and represent Trinidad and Tobago, for all the support that they give us. And to be in the same category as those guys is truly a blessing, because I look up to Hasely Crawford, even my dad (former T&T sprinter Ainsley Armstrong) and everybody that's paved the way for us."

Jamaica's Lerone Clarke won impressively, stopping the clock at 10.12 seconds for a comfortable cushion on Englishman Mark Lewis-Francis, the silver medallist in 10.20.

"This is my biggest victory," Clarke declared. "Commonwealth Games is a big competition, and this is my debut meet running the 100 metres for Jamaica, so I'm proud to actually be the Commonwealth champion. I came into the race with confidence. I ran all my phases right and all my rounds right, and was able to deliver."

Though pleased to be among the top three, Armstrong was disappointed about the colour of his medal.

"The expectation was to win. For this year the goal was to be ready for Commonwealth. I was set up for a big one, but had a little tangle up with the guy from Canada (Sam Effah). We locked arms…it threw me off because my strong point is the end of the race."

In the semi-final round, Armstrong displayed his finishing power, coming from behind to win heat one in 10.14 seconds, the same time recorded by second-placed Clarke.

Callender won the second heat, also in 10.14, ahead of Effah (10.16) and Lewis-Francis (10.17). In the championship race, however, Callender was slow to react to the gun, leaving himself with too much to do. The T&T sprinter battled to the line, but came up just short, Armstrong beating him by one-hundredth of a second.

Callender is listed to compete in the 200m as well and should be among the contenders for precious metal. He also has a good shot at medalling in the 4x100m relay.

"The 100 is a little more stress," said Armstrong, "a little more tension. When the relays come it's time to have fun. We're going to go out there, give it our best, and the plan is to win a gold and bring it back home to Trinidad."

Ayanna Hutchinson bowed out in the women's 100m semis.

The experienced T&T sprinter enjoyed a good start, and looked to be in a battle for the second spot and an automatic berth in the final. But Hutchinson tied up badly in the latter stages of the race, and had to settle for fourth in 11.58 seconds. The clocking was not good enough to secure qualification as a "fastest loser".

In the final, Nigeria's Osayemi Oludamola struck gold in 11.32 seconds. Vincentian Natasha Mayers (11.37) earned silver and England's Katherine Endacott (11.44) bronze.

Australia's Sally Pearson actually crossed the line first but was later disqualified after a false start review determined that she had jumped the gun the first time the sprinters left the blocks, and should not have faced the starter a second time.

Laura Turner was disqualified for the false start, but the England athlete ran under protest. As it turned out, both Turner and Pearson jumped the gun, the referee's decision to disqualify the "race winner"--following an English protest--cutting short the Australian's celebrations.

T&T athletes Lalonde Gordon and Ayanna Alexander will be on show at the Nehru Stadium today. Gordon runs way out in lane nine in the third and final men's 400m semi-final heat, while Alexander bids for precious metal in the women's triple jump.

In yesterday's one-lap preliminaries, Gordon clocked 47.07 seconds to finish third in heat five, advancing automatically to the semis.

Source: www.trinidadexpress.com By Kwame Laurence in New Delhi

Trinidad and Tobago netball captain Janelle Barker celebrated her 33rd birthday in style, at the Thyagaraj Sports Complex, here in New Delhi, India, yesterday. The experienced goal shoot was on fire, scoring 46 of her 47 attempts to lead her team to a 77-26 victory over the host nation in their Commonwealth Games Group A showdown.

Joelisa Cooper contributed 16 goals, while team baby, 16-year-old Samantha Wallace chipped in with 15.

T&T now have two wins and one defeat. In their opener, on Monday, they went under to Jamaica, 75-36, but bounced back with a narrow 52-51 triumph over Samoa on Wednesday.

In yesterday's other Group A fixture, Australia got the better of Jamaica 60-46.

At the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex, T&T cyclist Njisane Phillip finished fifth in the men's sprint. In the quarterfinal round, Phillip lost in two straight rides to New Zealand's Eddie Dawkins, but rebounded to beat Scotland's Ross Edgar, Canadian Travis Smith and England's David Daniell in the race to determine positions five to eight. Edgar was sixth, Smith seventh and Daniell eighth.

Shane Perkins beat his teammate Scott Sunderland 2-0 in the sprint finals for a one-two Australia finish. New Zealand's Sam Webster claimed the bronze with a 2-0 triumph over Dawkins.

Emile Abraham finished eighth in heat two in the qualification event for the men's 15-kilometre scratch race. The placing earned the T&T cyclist a berth in today's 24-man final.

Phillip, Christopher Sellier and Thireef Smart will also be on the track, bidding for honours in the men's team sprint.

At the Dr. S.P.M. Aquatics Complex, 15-year-old para-swimmer Shanntol Ince copped sixth spot in the women's 100 metres freestyle S9 final. The youngest swimmer in the field, Ince got home in one minute, 14.00 seconds.

South Africa's Natalie Du Toit, one of the most well known para-athletes on the planet, triumphed in a Games record 1:02.36 to complete the 50 free/100 free double. England's Stephanie Millward (1:03.69) snapped up silver, ahead of Australian Ellie Cole (1:05.20).

In the preliminary round, Ince, the first T&T para-athlete to compete at a major mainstream international Games, finished third in heat one and sixth overall in 1:14.01.

On Tuesday, Ince was fifth in the women's 50 free S9 final.

Cherelle Thompson clocked 26.70 seconds to finish sixth in heat two and 12th overall in the women's 50m freestyle semis. The T&T swimmer was 11th fastest in the heats, touching the wall in 26.65 seconds.

Jarryd Gregoire was 15th overall in the men's 100m butterfly semis in 56.53 seconds, while his teammate, Cadell Lyons was 16th in 56.73.

In the heats, Lyons (55.86) and Gregoire (56.55) were 14th and 16th, respectively. Another T&T swimmer, Joshua McLeod (56.68) was 18th and did not advance to the semis.

Christian Homer was 17th fastest in the men's 100m backstroke heats, the 17-year-old swimmer clocking 1:00.33.

Late last night (T&T time), Lyons, McLeod and Caryle Blondell were in action in the men's 50m freestyle heats.

Shooters Roger Daniel and Rhodney Allen combined for sixth spot in the men's 10m air pistol pairs event, at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range. Daniel scored 568 and Allen 553 for a total of 1,121.

India secured gold with a Games record 1,163, forcing England (1,143) to settle for silver. Singapore (1,139) bagged bronze.

Daniel and Allen, who teamed up on Tuesday for bronze in the 50m pistol pairs, will be in action today in the 10m air pistol singles event.

At the Talkatora Indoor Stadium, T&T boxer Andrew Fermin was disqualified at 2:17 in the third and final round of his light heavyweight bout with Samoa's Filimaua Hala.

Super heavyweight Tariq Abdul Haqq and welterweight Aaron Prince will bid for quarterfinal berths today. Haqq squares off against Pakistan's Meer Khan, while Prince tackles India's Dilbag Singh.

In squash, Colin Ramasra was beaten in straight games by Scotland's Alan Clyne in their men's singles classic plate semifinal duel, at the Siri Fort Sports Complex. The match lasted 15 minutes, Clyne getting the better of the T&T pro 11-3, 11-6, 11-3.

At the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, T&T's hockey women lost for the third time in as many matches.

But though they were beaten 6-1 by Scotland in the Group A contest, T&T could take heart from a couple firsts. Charlene Williams was on target one minute from the end of the game for T&T's first goal in the 2010 Commonwealth Games tournament. And it was the first time the hockey women avoided double figures here in New Delhi, following 12-0 and 11-0 whippings at the hands of South Africa and Australia, respectively.

T&T will be back on the pitch today for their clash with India. And the hockey men face South Africa in a Group B match-up.

NEW DELHI: Source: http://hindu.com  by K.P. Mohan

On a day of controversy and confusion at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the women's 100-metre result was overturned by the jury after Australian Sally Pearson won the gold but was found to have false-started.

In what would have been the 24-year-old Australian's first Commonwealth Games gold, for that matter her first major championship victory, Pearson was told around four hours after her victory that she would not be the champion and the gold would be awarded to Nigerian Osayemi Oludamola.

It was heart-break for the Australian and of course it was a big surprise for the Nigerian, with the bronze-winner Natasha Mayers (St. Vincent and Grenadines) getting silver and fourth-placed Katherine Endacott (England) upgraded to bronze.

Jamaica's supremacy in men's sprinting was maintained by 29-year-old Lerone Clarke who outclassed the field in 10.12 seconds. It was a start to finish victory for the Jamaican, who is only eighth-ranked among his countrymen for the season. England's Mark Lewis-Francis (10.20s) had a medal at last from the Commonwealth Games and he was overjoyed.
Trinidad's Aaron Armstrong claimed the bronze in 10.24s.
The problem in the women's race had begun at the start itself, with England's Laura Turner being disqualified for a false start. She claimed that a fly had entered her mouth forcing her to react which caused the false start and she was allowed to run under protest. The Englishwoman finished last, but England pressed with its protest which eventually revealed to the jury that Pearson had also false-started.

Turner reacted 0.070s to the gun while Pearson did so at 0.071. Both breached the allowable limit of 0.1000. The false start control apparatus would have detected both at the start, but Pearson's infringement was only noticed when the English protested.
Both Turner and Pearson were disqualified, but Australia lodged a counter protest which took hours to decide. Australia's contention that Pearson had only responded to a false start triggered by Turner was thrown out.

Clarke who won in great style, was never challenged and had a fraction of a second to spare towards the end for a sideways glance.
“It feels amazing. It's my first championship victory. I know I am the best in the Commonwealth,” said Clarke whose 10.12s was the best seen in Delhi.