Gilmore wins fan-free cycling race at Comm Games
Tight security featuring gun-toting police on top of steel barricades kept most of the spectators away during a Commonwealth Games women’s road race won by Rochelle Gilmore of Australia on Sunday.
It was a perfect day for the race - moderate temperatures, sunny skies and a scenic course through some of the most picturesque areas of downtown New Delhi, including the famous India Gate and Presidential Palace. Even a dog and a monkey sighted on the course didn’t bother the competitors.
Gilmore won in a sprint finish in 2 hours, 49 minutes and 30 seconds. Elizabeth Armistead of England was second and another Australian, Chloe Hosking, took bronze.
But the morning race, staged over eight laps of a 13.7-kilometer (8.45-mile) course, was almost devoid of fans. Television footage showed mostly soldiers and other security officials standing behind the fenced and barrier-laden course.
The lack of crowds didn’t bother Gilmore.
“Perhaps it was for the best in terms of security,” she said. We knew a lot of spectators would be watching us on TV.”
The men’s road race was to be held later Sunday on a day when 29 gold medals were to be presented and the games entered a second week.
Gilmore’s victory comes after Australian cyclists won 12 of 14 gold medals on the track.
The narrow, technical course proved to be hazardous for Sharon Laws of England, who crashed into the barriers on a tight left-hand turn. Gilmore liked it, though.
“It’s a fantastic circuit,” she said. “It’s really smooth and fast, with a lot of corners. I love corners. I really enjoyed the race.”
Diving began its four-day run and Canada took the first gold when Jennifer Abel and Emilie Heymans won the women’s 3-meter synchro. Australians took the other medals - Briony Cole and Sharleen Stratton the silver and Jaele Patrick and Olivia Wright the bronze.
“The Australians were good and we knew they would be coming into this,” Abel said.
One of the biggest names - Olympic 10-meter platform champion Matthew Mitcham of Australia - was second in qualifying for the 1-meter springboard final to be held later Sunday.
“That was pretty good for a morning session,” Mitcham said. “It’s just the preliminaries so it’s good to get them out of the way.”
Favorite in the event is Alexandre Despatie of Canada, who won the 1-, 3-meter and 3-meter synchro with Arturo Miranda at the Melbourne games four years ago. Despatie led the 1-meter qualifiers Sunday.
“It’s a bit greedy for me to expect to beat him - he’s a springboard specialist and I’m the platform,” Mitcham said. “But it would be good to throw a challenge at him.”
In two early shooting golds, Jasmine Ser of Singapore won the women’s 10-meter air rifles singles and Harpreet Singh of India won the 25-meter center-fire pistol event.
Athletics finals included the men’s and women’s 200 and men’s 800 meters, the women’s 400-meter hurdles, the men’s discus and women’s high jump.
Meanwhile, organizing committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi said Sunday that a volunteer on the organizing committee had been reported to police over the alleged sale of counterfeit tickets. Local media also reported that two people were arrested for scalping games tickets and that some games credentials were also sold illegally.
Commonwealth Games Federation president Mike Fennell said that 850 of the planned 1,500 doping tests at the games had been conducted, and that 600 tests that have been returned were all negative.
There was a positive tone Sunday from Bhubaneswar Kalita, India’s chef de mission. Despite a host of problems at the Commonwealth Games - late construction of venues, transportation and security concerns and clogged roads - Kalita said he remained optimistic that India would one day hold an Olympics.
“Yes, our good performance and hosting games like this will definitely step forward (the bid) to host the Olympics in India,” Kalita said.