News09 Oct 2010


Langat breaks Games 1500m record, Turner leads high hurdles sweep for England in Delhi – Commonwealth Games Day Three

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2008 Olympic champion Nancy Langat adds the Commonwealth title to her collection in Delhi (© Getty Images)

Delhi, IndiaKenya maintained their dominance in middle distance events at the Nehru stadium on Friday (8) as Olympic champion Nancy Langat won the 1500m title in a Games record of 4:05.26 and fellow countrywoman Grace Momanyi took the 10,000m gold at the end of a tactical race in 32:34.11.

Diamond Race winner Langat’s momentum continues

When Britain’s Stephanie Twell – racing here for Scotland – went to the front on the penultimate lap of the 1500m, Langat and her fellow Kenyans Irene Jelegat and Viola Kibiwott were lined up behind her like fighter jets about to take off.

When the Kenyans broke, headed by Langat, this year's Samsung Diamond Race winner in the event, the field stretched right out, but as the Olympic champion pushed on down the home straight it was New Zealand’s Nikki Hamblin who gave chase, followed by Twell.

As the race reached the straight, England’s Hannah England accelerated swiftly and it looked for a few moments as if she might overhaul Twell to earn a bronze, but the Scottish girl held on to take third place in 4:06.15, with England clocking 4:06.83 in fourth.

Hamblin’s bold run earned her silver in 4:05.97. Further down the field, Janet Achola set a Ugandan record of 4:09.51 in finishing ninth.

Momanyi leads Kenyan 1-2 in 10,000m, India’s Raut surprises for bronze

As a field of eight – including three Indian runners - set out in the 10,000m final, it was not hard to predict that the two Kenyans in the field – Momanyi and Doris Changeywo, would be parting company with their fellow runners sooner rather than later.

Momanyi and Changeywo did indeed make their break six laps from the end, with the former taking gold in 32:34.11, and the latter silver in 32:36.97.

What had not been predicted, however, was the presence in third place of home runner Kavita Raut, who moved clear of England’s Charlotte Purdue on the penultimate lap and ran clear to bronze – and as tumultuous reception as a tenth full stadium could manage – in 33:05.28.

Turner leads high hurdles sweep for England

Andy Turner’s victory for England in the 110m hurdles was expected, given that he was clearly the favourite in a total field of 11 runners, but his team was encouraged by a clean sweep which also included William Sharman, who revealed he had been on a hospital drip only hours earlier because of illness, and 20-year-old Lawrence Clarke.

Turner was sufficiently in control of the race to raise his right arm in triumph well before the line, which he crossed with a smile of relief.

His time was 13.38, well outside his best, but his primary aim here was to add another title to the one he had won at the European Championships in Barcelona three months earlier. Sharman clocked 13.50, and the exuberant Clarke, coached by Colin Jackson’s old mentor Malcolm Arnold, 13.70.     

Turner accepted he had been the clear favourite, but added: “It’s the pressure I put on myself that matters. I will go to next year’s World Championships full of confidence after this.”

Sharman, who had had to seek medical advice after the morning’s semi-finals, commented: “I was close to tears this morning. The only reason why I ran the final was because my mum flew over here to watch me.

“As soon as I finished the heats this morning I was taken to hospital and put on a drip. I had a resting heart rate of 90 (bpm).”

Elsewhere...

Two-time African champion Amantle Montsho of Botswana dominated the women's 400m with a Games record 50.10, finishing more than a second ahead of runner-up Folashade Abugan of Nigeria, who clocked 51.39. Aliann Pompey of Guyana was third in 51.65.

Canada’s Jamie Adjetey-Nelson took gold in the Decathlon with 8239 points, 171 ahead of Brent Newdick of New Zealand.

England’s Martin Brockman finished with a personal best of 7712.

The 22-year-old from Maidstone stood on the track after winning the climactic 1500m, swaying with the effort his victory, in 4:26.28, had taken, before raising his arms aloft upon realisation that he had done enough to replace his team mate, Kevin Sempers in the top three.

South Africa’s Christiaan Harmse, with a best of 80.63m, was a clear prospect for gold in the hammer final, but until he produced an effort of 73.15m in the sixth and final round it looked as if England’s Alex Smith would win with his personal best second round throw of 72.95m.

Smith had to settle for silver, with team mate Mike Floyd taking bronze with 69.34.

Trecia Smith, Jamaica’s 2005 World Triple Jump champion, managed only one scoring effort here, a season’s best of 14.19m, but it was enough for gold as she finished ahead of Trinidad and Tobago’s Ayanna Alexander, who jumped 13.91m, and Tabia Charles of Canada, who reached 13.84m.

Jessica Zelinka of Canada is the leader in the Heptathlon with three events remaining, on 3658 points, with Peaches Roach of Jamaica on 3603.

A personal best of 24.10 in the last Heptathlon event of the day, the 200m, left England’s Louise Hazel in bronze position overnight on 3597 points.

Mike Rowbottom for the IAAF


Click here for full results from Day Three

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