At the end of the womens 400 metres relay,while the Indian quartet was involved in their lap of honour in front of the 60,000 fans at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium,few noticed Australias Sally Pearson doubled over in pain. The Beijing Games silver medalist and the Commonwealth gold medalist in the 100m hurdles was feeling the effects of excessive lactic acid buildup in the muscles,something a 400m runner is used to but a sprinter isnt. Pearson,a specialist in the womens 100m hurdles,had come into the Commonwealth Games expecting to win medal in the hurdles. She also attempted to win a double by running the 100m,a last minute decision. In the 400m relay,Pearson replaced team mate Lauren Boden,a specialist. Pearsons story from heartbreak to glory- in a span of four days is well chronicled. She was in tears and shattered after being disqualified for a false start following her 100m win. But she came back strongly to take the gold in the 100m hurdles. Pearsons decision to compete in the 100m was taken in consultation with her coach Sharon Hanna. Pearson was in such good shape and form,hence her ambition to win two golds. However,the Australian sprinter was not the only star from Beijing who attempted to experiment during the Commonwealth Games. Blessing Okagbare of Nigeria,a bronze medalist in the long jump at the 2008 Games,was planning to take part in the 100m as well as the 4x100m relay but never showed up because of an injury suffered just days before the opening ceremony. Kenyas Nancy Lagat made her mark outside her favourite event in these Games. After taking the 1,500m gold in commanding style,Lagat set her sights on the 800. She not only won the gold but set an impressive timing of 2:00.01. Just an hour before her winning effort in the 800,Lagat also competed in the womens 4x400m relay heats,an event that demands a foolproof team strategy. A fumbled baton exchange prevented Lagat from posing a threat to the Indian quartet in the final. Cross participation wasnt just limited to the track. Hayden Roulston of New Zealand,who won silver in the mens 4000m Individual pursuit (cycling) event in Beijing,decided to compete outside the wooden velodrome. He took part in the mens road race. At the end of the 168km long event,Roulston finished second. However,Roulston who started out as a road racer had also been competing as a professional road-racer after the 2008 Olympics. In the pool it was Rebecca Adlington of England who stepped out of her comfort zone. Adlington had won gold in the 400 and 800 at Beijing. Two years ago Adlington had set a world record in the 800. At New Delhi,she not only attempted to win gold in her best events but also gave a shot in the 200m and 4x200m (freestyle).She won the bronze in both these events and took gold in the 400 and 800. There were also other champions of Beijing who stuck to what they knew best and won gold comfortably in Delhi. Pole vaulter Steve Hooker,the World and Olympic champion,did not have to break into sweat on way to winning his Commonwealth Games gold. Brimin Kipruto in the 3000m steeplechase,Valerie Villi in the womens shot put,Carol Huynh in the 48kg womens freestyle wrestling event,Liesel Jones in the 100m breast-stroke and Eliud Kipchoge in the mens 5000m followed up their gold in Beijing with a medal of the same colour in New Delhi. Australian cyclist Amanda Mears performed creditably,finishing with a silver behind Victoria Pendleton of England in Beijing. Here she made the most of her English rivals absence to win three gold medals. However,she rued the absence of her chief rival. The gold would have meant a lot more had it been in competition with Victoria. The Games were also an opportunity for new talent to come through. Englands 16-year-old Tom Daley did just that as he upstaged reigning Olympic Champion Matthew Mitcham of Australia in the 10m platform events. The Australian mens hockey team added the Commonwealth Games gold to their Champions Trophy and World Cup titles. The Kookaburras had won the bronze two years ago.
