Olympic champion and world record holder David Rudisha was beaten into second place by arch-rival Nijel Amos of Botswana in the Commonwealth Games 800m final
David Rudisha
Glasgow: Olympic champion and world record holder David Rudisha was beaten into second place by arch-rival Nijel Amos of Botswana in the Commonwealth Games 800m final on Thursday.
David Rudisha
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Kenyan star Rudisha, who missed most of the 2013 season with a knee injury, was caught over the last 100m by Botswana's Amos who won in 1min 45.18sec at Hampden Park. Rudisha claimed silver in 1:45.48 with South Africa's Andre Olivier taking bronze in 1:46.03.
"The race was good but the last 100m was difficult. I didn't have good preparations," admitted Rudisha. "Amos is a tough competitor. We were racing together in a tactical race but he was better tonight." Amos paid triubute to his great Kenyan rival. "This gentleman will always be the hero of the 800m," said the champion.
Jamaica's world silver medallist Warren Weir cruised into the 200m final. In the absence of double world and Olympic champion Usain Bolt, Weir, who won bronze behind Bolt and Yohan Blake at the 2012 London Olympics, timed 20.48sec in his semi-final.
Nigerian Blessing Okagbare kept her bid for a Commonwealth sprint double on course as she advanced to the final of the women's 200m. The 25-year-old scorched to a commanding victory in the women's 100m at Hampden Park on Monday, timing a Games record of 10.85 seconds and clocked 22.43sec in winning her 200m semi-final.
Vikas Shive Gowda won the men's discus, ending India's 56-year gold medal drought in men's athletics at the Commonwealth Games. The last and only male Indian athlete to claim a gold medal in athletics was Milkha Singh who won the men's 440 yards at the Cardiff 1958 Commonwealth Games.
Tour de France snub
Alex Dowsett, second to David Millar four years ago in the men's road cycling time trial, claimed Commonwealth gold for England in a closely-contested race through the streets and suburbs of Glasgow. He timed 47 minutes 41.78 with Australian rider Rohan Dennis crossing the line nine seconds slower to take silver and Geraint Thomas grabbing third to claim the bronze for Wales.
Millar, in his final season, was eighth. It was England's first gold medal in road cycling in 28 years and the winner said that being dumped by his team for the Tour de France was extra motivation. "Not being selected for the Tour was a massive disappointment for me," Dowsett said.
"I kind of spent the whole month fairly angry -- not at anyone in particular but just angry at the situation. "The Commonwealth Games was a big target for me anyway, but it suddenly became a huge target because I really wanted to do something big after the disappointment of the Tour de France." New Zealand's Linda Villumsen, also a silver medallist in New Delhi, produced a storming finish to clock 42 minutes 25.46 seconds and pip England's Emma Pooley in the women's race.
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