Commonwealth Games notebook
AP Worldstream; Mar 17, 2006
DENNIS PASSA
South African hamstrings, biceps and fingers are taking a beating at
the Commonwealth Games.
The republic’s rugby sevens scrumhalf Stefan Basson had a series-ending
hamstring tear in the quarterfinals Friday.
South African head gymnastics coach Miklos Szabos, meanwhile, will
also be heading home after rupturing his biceps tendon while trying to
catch Gerhard Swiegers, who fell during his routine on the horizontal
bars Thursday. Szabos will require surgery.
To add to the South African injury woes, netballer Martha Mosoahle
has a dislocated finger but is hoping to play.
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WEIGHT LIFTED: _ Former Olympic silver medalist Yurik Sarkisian
retired from weightlifting on Friday after failing to win a medal at
the Commonwealth Games.
The 44-year-old Sarkisian, competing for Australia, failed in his
final attempt in the 69-kilogram class. He finished in seventh place,
after lifting a total of 255 kilograms, with Sri Lankan Chinthana
Vidanage winning the gold with a 271 total.
He took off his shoes on the platform to signal his retirement _
but it could be temporary.
“Today I am stopped, next year I don’t know,” Sarkisian said.
Four years ago in Manchester, he won three medals in the 62-kilogram
class.
“Too much pressure, I never feel this pressure before,” he said. “I
feel nervous, that never happened before too.”
Sarkisian, who was born in Armenia, won an Olympic silver medal for the
Soviet Union at the Moscow Olympics in 1980. He also competed at the
1996 and 2000 Olympics for Australia but finished out of the medals.
In his career, Sarkisian has won five world championships and held
23 world records.
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NIGERIA, ZAMBIA ON CARDS?: _ If Nigeria or Zambia win the right to
host the Commonwealth Games in 2014 or 2018, it would be the first
time an African country has held the event.
At a press conference in Melbourne on Friday, a Kenyan journalist
asked Commonwealth Games Federation chief executive Mike Hooper when
the games would go to Africa.
“I can’t answer that. That is up to the delegates from the 71 nations
and territories to determine,” said Hooper. “As you know, Abuja in
Nigeria is one of the candidate cities vying for the right to host
the 2014 Games, and like the other cities, I wish them well.”
Abuja is the Nigerian capital. Lusaka, the Zambian capital, is
competing with Adelaide (Australia), Auckland and Karachi, Pakistan
to host the 2018 Games.
The Commonwealth Games has only been held twice outside Britain,
Australia, New Zealand or Canada since 1930. The Games were held in
Kingston, Jamaica in 1966 and in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 1998.
They will return to Asia in four years, when the Indian capital,
New Delhi, is the host.
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SHOOTING STAR: Mick Gault equaled the record for most Commonwealth
Games medals won by an English shooter when he took bronze Friday
with Nick Baxter in the men’s 50-meter pistol pairs competition at
the Melbourne Games.
It was the 51-year-old Gault’s 12th Games medal, equaling Malcolm
Cooper’s haul between 1974 and 1990.
Swimmer Karen Pickering holds the overall English record for the most
Commonwealth medals with 13.
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SEEING DOUBLE: _ Identical Scottish twins Helen and Carol Galashan
are having trouble getting together _ at least before they got to
the competition stage at the Commonwealth Games.
The 18-year-old gymnasts perform the same routines, train at the
same gym and are sharing a room together at the athletes village
in Melbourne.
But injury and limited spots on the Scottish team had denied the
twins the opportunity of competing alongside each other _ Helen on
the bars and beam and Carol in all four apparatus.
“It is the first time we have managed to get it together,” Carol
said. “It is much better with the other one here.”
The pint-sized duo claim they have never abused their situation by
pretending to be the other one.
Team officials struggle to tell them apart. The only difference is
that Carol is four centimeters (1 1/2 inches) taller.
Helen competed at the 2002 Commonwealth Games while Carol recovered
from an elbow injury. The reverse occurred at the 2004 Olympic Games
where Helen was forced to sit on the sidelines as Carol went through
her routine. But they competed Friday in the team event.
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CONTROVERSY IN THE RING: _ Controversial boxer Soulan Pownceby will
make his first appearance for New Zealand’s Commonwealth Games team
on Sunday _ as captain.
Pownceby, 30, was jailed for four years in 1995 for the manslaughter
of his 5-month-old daughter and was convicted of four more assault
charges by 2000.
Since then, he has been under the tutelage and care of coach Paul
Fitzsimons at Christchurch’s Salvation Army boxing academy, where
the Australian Associated Press reports that he has become a sporting
idol to kids who know him as Soul Man.
Pownceby, because of his criminal record, was given a special entry
authority from the Australian government, despite Prime Minister John
Howard saying he should not be allowed to compete.
Before boxing competition started Friday, New Zealand team manager
Alan Dickey said Pownceby was a “tremendous team captain.”
“We’ve stayed away from the media,” said Dickey.
Pownceby, a light heavyweight, received a visa after Australian
Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone confirmed he was “of good
character.” But letters to the editor of several newspapers criticized
the move, including one that said Pownceby’s selection was “an insult”
to the games.
Pownceby, who also competed at the Athens Olympics _ losing in the
third round _ fights Glenn Hunter of Canada on Sunday.