By Abhishek Roy, IANS,
New Delhi : There was high drama late Thursday as Australian Sally Pearson was disqualified for false start after being declared a winner in the women’s 100m run following protest by England at the Commonwealth Games here.
The Australian team’s appeal against Sally’s disqualification has been rejected.
Sally was disqualified on the ground that she was responsible for a false start of the run, and not English runner Laura Turner as was decided soon after the incident.
Laura had been red carded and ordered out of the race. She vehemently protested following which she was allowed to run. She finished last.
After the race, England officials lodged a protest forcing the authorities to defer the medal presentation ceremony to Friday for revisiting the issue.
However, late Thursday England’s protest was upheld and the referee disqualified Sally and fresh results were declared giving the gold to Nigeria’s Osayemi Oludamola with a timing of 11.32 seconds.
Sally was inconsolable. “I am completely innocent. I was going out for the medal ceremony and then we were told it has been defered. This is something very wrong. I participated with full honesty. It’s a matter of my career,” said a weeping Sally.
St Vincent and Grenadines’ Natasha Mayers got the silver clocking 11.37 seconds. The bronze went to English girl Katherine Endacott who finished with a personal best timing of 11.44 seconds.
Meanwhile in men’s shot put, Canadian Dylan Armstrong won the gold with a throw of 21.02m, which is a Games record. He broke the record of Australian Justin Anlezark (20.91m) set in 2002 Manchester Games. The silver went to Jamaican Dorian Amand Scott for his 20.19 m throw and Australian Dale Stevenson bagged the bronze with a personal best of 19.99m.
In the women’s hammer throw, Canada’s Sultana Frizell won the gold with a Games record of 68.57m. She broke the record of Australian Brooke Krueger (67.90m) set at the 2006 Melbourne Games.
Wales’ Carys Parry won the silver with a season’s best performance of 64.93m and the bronze went to England’s Zoe Derham with a throw of 64.04m.