16-yr-old lifter fails drug test
Glasgow: Nigerian weightlifter Chika Amalaha (16 years) failed a doping test after becoming the youngest ever female to win a Commonwealth Games gold medal in the sport, organizers said Tuesday. As a result, India’s Matsa Santoshi’s bronze in the 53kg category may be upgraded to silver. Another Indian Swati Singh, who finished fourth in the competition, could also move a place up for the bronze. Amalaha has been provisionally suspended from the games after testing positive for diuretics and masking agents after winning the 53kg division last Friday. Amalaha’s “A’’ sample contained amiloride and hydrochlorothiazide, which are both banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency. Amalaha asked for the backup “B’’ sample to be tested, which will happen in london on Wednesday. Amalaha would be stripped of the gold medal if the “B’’ sample also comes back positive. Amalaha set Commonwealth Games records in her weight category with a total of 196 kilograms (432 pounds), breaking the previous mark of 188 kilograms (414 pounds). Dika Toua of Papua New Guinea won silver and Santoshi Matsa of India earned the bronze.
Bailey-cole wins 100m gold
Glasgow: Kemar Bailey-Cole did his best Usain Bolt imitation on Monday at the Commonwealth Games. It wasn’t quite to the standard of his Jamaican teammate and training partner — world record holder and double Olympic sprint champion Bolt — but close enough for the 40,000-plus enraptured spectators at Hampden Park. And a British sprinter - Englishman Adam Gemili - took the silver to add to the occasion. Bailey-Cole won the 100 meters in a time of 10 seconds flat, well outside Bolt’s world record of 9.58 set in Berlin nearly five years ago. Gemili finished second in 10.10, with Nickel Ashmeade of Jamaica taking the bronze. “It feels very good to have the spotlight on me once,” Bailey-Cole said.
joy for Malaysia
Glasgow: Nicol David hopes she delivered a bit of joy for Malaysia at last. On a squash court more than 6,500 miles (10,000 kilometers) from home, Malaysia’s national sporting icon produced her country’s 50th gold medal in Commonwealth Games history by defending her squash title on Monday. “Our medals can play a role in bringing a little bit of a boost to our country because we have gone through a tough time these last few months,” David said. “My heart goes out to the families.” Few have been untouched in Malaysia by the twin airline disasters of 2014. The country was already struggling to cope with the loss of MH-370 - which vanished after takeoff in March - when Malaysian Airlines suffered its second disaster. Based in Amsterdam, David had flown the same MH-17 route from Schiphol airport to Kuala lumpur that saw a jet shot down earlier this month over Ukraine.
Indian Athletes yet to get DA
New Delhi: A sizeable chunk of Indian athletes are yet to get their full quota of daily allowance a week into the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Most of the 215 strong Indian contingent have spent more than 10 days without the full allowance which has been increased to $50 (Rs3000 approx) from $25 (Rs1500 approx). The squash squad including Saurav Ghosal and Dipika Pallikal have not been paid their dues at all while the TT players received half of the allowance just yesterday night. “We have not got anything so far but we are told we should be getting the money soon,” Ghosal, who became the first Indian to reach the semifinals of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, said. Soumyajit Ghosh, part of the men’s table tennis side, said he received his 10-day allowance as per $25 and not the increased amount. “We have got it for 10 days just yesterday. Don’t know much about the rest of the amount. Hopefully, we will get that later,” said Ghosh, the reigning national champion. Sports Secretary Ajit Sharan explained the delay in the disbursement of daily allowance. “The allowance was doubled from $25 to $50 on Friday after we got approval from the finance ministry. However, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has not yet opened account there (in Glasgow) so all money could not be transferred,” Sharan said. “But there is nothing to worry. All the athletes will get their due allowance. The players are at the Games Village and every need of theirs will be taken care of. There is no need to worry as everyone will get their entitled sanctioned allowance,” he assured.
Pallikal, Ghosal begin well
Glasgow: India’s leading squash players Saurav Ghosal and Dipika Pallikal made a winning start in the doubles events at the Commonwealth Games here on Tuesday. Having failed to bag India’s first squash medal at the Commonwealth Games in the singles category, Ghosal and Pallikal teamed up for the mixed doubles. The fifth seeds dismissed Sri lanka’s Ravindu laksiri and Naduni Gunawardane 11-3 11-4 in Pool 5 at the Scotstoun Sports Campus. The other team in their group is 12th seeds Samantha Cornett and Shawn Delierre from Canada. In the men’s doubles, Ghosal combined with Harinder Pal Sandhu to beat 9-11 11-3 11-2 in Pool 7.
shooting team manager held at IGI
New Delhi: The manager of the Indian shotgun shooting team, which was returning from Glasgow after participating in the Commonwealth Games, was today detained at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) for carrying prohibited ammunition. Ararul Hassan Choudhury was accompanying the shooting team that included medal winners Anisa Sayyed and Rahi Sarnobat. “He was carrying hunting ammunition and was held at the Indira Gandhi International Airport for this reason,” National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) sources said. Choudhry is from Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh. When contacted, the NRAI was not forthcoming on the issue but said the manager-cum-coach has been released by the customs department at IGI. “He has been allowed to go and is already in Aligarh. We don’t have all the details and can’t say if he was actually detained or not,” a NRAI official said. The manager, caught in the middle of controversy, is learnt to be close to a couple of top NRAI officials.
eves look for good start
Glasgow: Indian women won in pairs but lost their triples match in lawn bowls in the 20th Commonwealth Games here on Tuesday. The Indian team won its first match in second round of pairs in section B, getting the better of Jersey Islands 14-12 at the Kelvingrove lawn Bowls centre. The Indian women, however, lost their triples match in section A against Malaysia 14-16.