COMMONWEALTH GAMES 2002
Gold, Gold, Gold!!!
Brad Morgan
31 July 2002
The second last day of athletics competition at the Commonwealth Games took on a golden sheen for South Africa as the country's athletes won three of six gold medals on offer.
Shaun Bownes got the ball rolling when he upset world record holder Colin Jackson to win the 110 metres hurdles. The 31-year old Bownes clocked a season's best 13.35 seconds to edge out the Welshman by four one-hundredths of a second.
"I've been waiting a long time for this," said Bownes of the biggest victory of his career. Four years ago in Kuala Lumpur he won bronze, finishing behind Jackson and England's Tony Jarrett.
Okkert Brits, so often a disappointment in major championships, then joined Bownes on the winner's podium by defeating world champion Dmitri Markov to win the pole vault. Brits handled the difficult, wet conditions better than then Australian to win with a Commonwealth Games record clearance of 5.75 metres. "I've waited such a long time for this
golden moment," he declared afterwards.
World champion Hestrie Cloete successfully defended the title she won four years ago, and won South Africa's third gold medal of the day, when she cleared 1.96 metres for a convincing win in the high jump.
The men's four by 400 metres relay team qualified for the final, while the only off-note came when the men's four by 100 metres relay team - second at the World Championships in Edmonton - was disqualified.
South Africa's medal tally was further boosted when Ryk Neethling swam a superb final leg in the men's four by 100 metres freestyle relay to propel the team from fourth to second position and a silver medal. The effort by Neethling, Roland Schoeman, Hendrik Odendaal and Lyndon Ferns helped boost the country's medal haul to five golds, three silvers and four bronze medals. "We are absolutely thrilled. We helped to put South Africa on the map here," said Odendaal. "We knew we could do well and surprise these guys
here."
The successful day lifted South Africa up to fifth on the medal table, behind Australia, England, Canada and India. South Africa occupies third in the athletics standings, but has a good chance of further success when the Commonwealth's top ranked shot putter Janus Robberts takes part in his favourite event. Blind runner, Rory Field, is also a medal contender.
Peter Bramley delivered another shooting medal when he claimed bronze in the open full bore rifles competition, finishing fractionally behind gold medal winner Glyn Barnett and silver medallist Peter Jory in a very tight competition.
It was a day of mixed results in the boxing ring where Danie Venter won his light-heavyweight bout against Shawn Cox of the Bahamas 34-25, but Lesotho's Ezekiel Lebuka edged out Ludumo Galada 31-30 in their quarterfinal bantamweight bout 31-30. Venter's win earned him a place in the semi-finals and guarantees South Africa at least another bronze medal.
The South
African men's hockey team disappointed against New Zealand, going down five-two. The Kiwis' penalty corner specialist, Hayden Shaw, proved too hot to handle for the South Africans, netting four times, including a hat trick within the first 23 minutes. Greg Nicol and Emile Smith scored for South Africa who finished third in their pool and must next face England, the runners up from the other pool, for a place in the semi-finals.
Back in the swimming pool, Helene Muller finished fifth in the women's 200 metres freestyle final, won by England's Karen Pickering in a Games record 1:59:69. Mandy Loots finished second in her 50 metres butterfly semi-finals heat, while Gerhard Zandberg took third in his 50 metres backstroke semi-finals race. Sarah Poewe also qualified for a final, taking second in the 50 metres breaststroke semi-final, won by England's Zoe Baker in a world record 30.578 seconds.
Australia's Ian Thorpe was, meanwhile, up to his usual spectacular tricks, winning
two gold medals and setting a world record in the process. The Thorpedo anchored Australia to victory in the four by 100 metres freestyle relay and also won the 400 metres freestyle in three minutes 40.08 seconds, bettering his previous world mark of three minutes 40.17 seconds. The Aussie with the size-17 feet is chasing a record seven gold medals in Manchester.
On the track, Botswana achieved its best ever Commonwealth Games result when Gable Garenamotse won silver in the long jump behind England's Nathan Morgan who won with a leap of 8.02 metres.
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