The Hindu : Sport / Athletics : Sherone shocks Veronica in 200m

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Friday, Mar 24, 2006

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Sport - Athletics

Sherone shocks Veronica in 200m

Brown pips Stephan Buckland in a photo finish; Zyl claims 400m hurdles crown

PHOTO: AP

Jamaica's Sherone Simpson (right) upstaged compatriot Veronica Campbell to win the women's 200m.

MELBOURNE: Jamaicans won both the 200m titles to complete a sweep of the sprint events at the Commonwealth Games on Thursday.

Sherone Simpson upset Olympic champion and team-mate Veronica Campbell to win the women's title.

Simpson was shoulder-to-shoulder with Campbell before pulling away in the final 30m to win in 22.59s. Campbell clocked 22.72 and South Africa's Geraldine Pillay was third in 22.92.

The 21-year-old Sherone is a 100m runner and finished sixth in the 2004 Athens Olympics and last year's World Championships.

The men's 200m title went to Omar Brown, who pipped Stephan Buckland of Mauritius in a photo finish. They were both timed at 20.47s.

Brown surged from third place to first in the final 50m. Jamaica's Chris Williams was third in 20.52.

Australia's Jana Pittman comfortably defended her 400m hurdles title — her first international victory since winning the World crown in 2003. She took the lead on the final bend and crossed the line in a Games record time of 53.82s, cheered on by 83,000 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. England's Natasha Danvers-Smith was second in 55.17 and Scotland's Lee McConnell third in 55.25.

Amazing experience

``This has been the most amazing experience of my life,'' Pittman said. ``I don't think there'll be a moment that matches this ever again. It was just sensational.''

Pittman became the World 400m hurdles champion in 2003 in Paris, but couldn't defend her title in Helsinki in August 2005 because of a hairline stress fracture in her back.

In between, she finished fifth at the Athens Olympics, just 17 days after undergoing knee surgery.

Louis van Zyl led a South Africa 1-2 in the men's 400m hurdles. Alwyn Myburgh had the lead at the final hurdle, but van Zyl passed him and Kemel Thompson in the final few metres to win in a Games record time of 48.05s.

Anika wins high jump

South Africa got another gold when Anika Smith's personal best of 1.91m gave her the high jump title ahead of Julie Crane of Wales and Jamaica's Karen Beautle.

Alex Kipchirchir Rono won the 800m in 1m 45.88s. Canada's Achraf Tadili was second and Kenya's John Litei Nkamasiai.

Australia's Scott Martin won the discus at 63.48m. Martin, who has been in television and print advertisements promoting the Games, beat the Canadians Jason Tunks and Dariusz Slowick.

Sydney Olympic gold medallist and two-time defending champion Maria Mutola of Mozambique qualified fastest for the women's 800m final in 1:59.03. — AP

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