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News
China basketball turns to boxing (Mar 30)
 From the People’s Daily, in China: The national women's basketball team head coach Tom Maher, former coach of the Australian Opals, believes introducing boxing training will help players get quicker and stronger.
"It is a new training method. It improves the agility and the strength," said Maher, who introduced boxing when the team started training camp in Beijing early this month.
Team manager Bai Xilin also hailed the move.
"Chinese players lack the fighting spirit on the court. We need to fight for every ball and should not be afraid of physical clashes," Bai said. "We ask them to punch and fight during the boxing training and make them learn not to step back and quit. The players are also interested in the new training, and it becomes easier for them to be motivated."
Maher, with experiences of leading a use-to-be-minnows Australian national women's team to third place in the 1996 Atlanta Games, and to a silver medal win in the 2000 Sydney Games, also singled out defence as a key factor if the team is to challenge the world's best.
"They still need to learn how to stay in position to get the rebound. The defence is the No 1 thing."
Though with difficulties and pressure, Maher tries to keep upbeat.
"China is a big basketball country with a good sporting atmosphere," said Maher.
"The players are good and competitive. The WCBA (China's premier women's basketball league) is a very good league. And there are tight and good matches to watch."
Source: People’s Daily
China Basketball
China Women’s Team (pictured)
Molik returns in April (Mar 30)
From the WTA: Five months after announcing an extended break from tennis to recover from ongoing struggles with illness, Australia's Alicia Molik will take the court again, albeit not on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour just yet.
Molik, who just a year ago was ranked in the Top 10 in the world, will make her long-awaited return during the Asia / Oceania Zone Group I round robin competition in Seoul, South Korea between Wednesday, April 19 and Saturday, April 22.
Source: WTA
Mauresmo cruises into Miami semis (Mar 29)
 For the second straight day, Amélie Mauresmo had to face one of the few players that has beaten her this year, and for the second straight day she prevailed in straight sets, as the first two NASDAQ-100 Open quarterfinals were contested Tuesday.
After having lost to the Russian in the final of Doha just a few weeks ago, a defeat that delayed her return to the world No.1 ranking by two weeks, the top-seeded Mauresmo cruised past No.5 seed Nadia Petrova 63 61 on Tuesday night to reach the semifinals for the second consecutive year at the $3,450,000, Tier I Sony Ericsson WTA Tour event. The Frenchwoman was the steadier of the two players, as Petrova hit four more winners but sprayed 25 more unforced errors throughout the one-hour, six-minute rout.
It was a similar scenario to Mauresmo's two set, round of 16 victory over big-hitting Serbian teenager Ana Ivanovic, who had also beaten her in their most recent encounter, in the second round of Sydney in January.
Source: WTA tour web site
A place in the sun for Phillips (Mar 29)
 Young South Australian basketball player Erin Phillips will soon be leaving her post at the Adelaide Lightning and national Opals teams for a tour with the Connecticut Suns in the USA.
From the Suns web: “We’re excited to finally have Erin with us,” Connecticut Sun coach Mike Thibault said. “I think she is one of the best young point guards in the world. This signing will give us the opportunity to play both her and Lindsay together. While young, I expect she will have a learning adjustment period, but I expect her to be able to adjust at a fairly rapid pace.”
The 170cm guard was selected by the Sun in the second round (21st overall) of the 2005 WNBA Draft. She opted not to play last season due to her commitment with the Australian National Team.
This winter, Phillips averaged 15.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.9 assists for Adelaide of the Australian Women’s National Basketball League. She finished in the top 10 for the league in scoring, assists, field goal percentage, rebounds per game and steals and was named Adelaide’s team MVP.
Phillips recently won gold with the Australian National Team at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. She averaged eight points and 4.5 assists while stepping in for injured starter Tully Bevilaqua.
The Connecticut Sun regular season tips off on May 20th at Mohegan Sun Arena against the New York Liberty.
Team website
Sharapnova and Mauresmo through in Miami (Mar 28)
 From the Miami Tennis Open: Maria Sharapova moved into the quarterfinals, but she had a fight on her hands playing her good friend on the circuit, Maria Kirilenko. The two have known each other since they were 12.
It wasn’t one of Sharapova’s best performances in the windy conditions, but the fact that she had to find a way to win was good for her as she moved on, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1.
"I definitely did not play my best tennis in the first two sets, but I was playing a lot of defense and she was stepping in the court," said Sharapova. "She was hitting very deep and hard, and especially against the wind, I was just pushing everything back.
"In the second set I think it was just one or two balls that made the difference, and then in the third I stepped it up. I could see that she was getting physically a little bit tired, wasn’t getting to as many balls. I started to pick up my game."
There was disappointing news for Swiss player Patty Schnyder: the seventh seed had to withdraw because of an injury to her right ankle, which had big ice packs on it the day before. That gave Svetlana Kuznetsova a walkover into the quarterfinals. The Russian would have been happy for that, as she had a tough match the evening before when she fought off Martina Hingis and a match point to win a third-set tiebreaker.
Also advancing to the quarterfinals are Tatiana Golovin, Ai Sugiyama and Jie Zheng – they defeated Elena Dementieva 6-2, 6-1, Sofia Arvidsson 6-7, 6-3, 6-2 and Jill Craybas 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 respectively.
Yesterday Amelie Mauresmo, who is leading the WTA Tour, worked her way into the fourth round, defeating Marion Bartoli 6-4 6-0.
Second and third seeds Kim Cijsters and Justine Henin-Hardenne both lost their first matches, while other high-profile players such as the Williams sisters and Lindsay Davenport have withdrawn.
Match website
WTA Tour web (pictured)
Plus…
From the WTA Tour: US Open champion Kim Clijsters received top honors Tuesday evening at "Stars For Stars," the Official Awards Party of Professional Tennis. The second annual joint ATP and Sony Ericsson WTA Awards ceremony honored tennis' finest players for their 2005 achievements.
Story link
Grinhams are grinners (Mar 26)
 Australian sisters Natalie and Rachael Grinham have won gold in the Commonwealth Games Women's Doubles Squash match, and have each won a medal in the Mixed Doubles, after they earlier won gold and silver respectively in the Women's Singles.
In the Squash Mixed Doubles, Australia’s Natalie Grinham and Joseph Kneipp took the gold medal after they defeated the No. 4 seeds, England’s Vicky Botwright and James Willstrop.
Natalie Grinham and Kneipp lost the first game to England 6-9 but came back very well in the following three games, 9-6, 9-5 and 9-6.
Natalie’s sister Rachael Grinham and her team mate David Palmer won over New Zealand’s Shelley Kitchen and Glen Wilson in the bronze match, 3-0.
It was an easy win for Rachael Grinham and Palmer as they clinched the bronze within half an hour.
The two sisters have also won the Women’s Doubles Final against New Zealand’s Shelley Kitchen and Tamsyn Leevey, who take home silver medals.
After their win, the sisters were extremely happy with their dominant performance.
"It's unbelievable, I have no words. After a shower and a break it will sink in and I will probably be screaming from the rooftops," said Natalie.
"We know each other so well. We have an advantage over most teams as our communication is always there. It's really great for us," said Rachael after her win.
Natalie and Rachael Grinham battled each other for the gold and silver in the earlier Women’s Singles, with Natalie taking the top podium.
Plus…
 The long anticipated showdown for Netball gold did not disappoint, as world champion New Zealand defeated reigning Commonwealth champion Australia, 60-55.
An enthusiastic crowd lifted Australia early in the game, however it was not long before New Zealand took control. Physical play from both teams saw players finding the floor as often as the ball.
Anna Scarlett applied the pressure for New Zealand in defence, forcing key errors from Australian sharp shooter Catherine Cox, while at the other end of the court, Bianca Chatfield battled to shut down Kiwi goal shooting dynamo Irene Van Dyk.
Australia rallied in the late stages of the match but had to settle for Commonwealth silver for the first time in 12 years.
"This smile won't leave my face for a long time," said New Zealand captain Adine Wilson. "It was a wicked crowd, it was awesome, we just loved it.
"The haka made me nearly cry. The Commonwealth Games were fantastic."
It was a disappointing day for bronze medal favourites Jamaica who went down to England 52-53. After starting strongly, Jamaica fell away in the dying stages of the game.
Abby Teare was instrumental to England's success after being repositioned as goal shooter. She opened up the attacking circle and created invaluable scoring opportunities.
Star Jamaican goal shooter Elaine Davis kept her team in the match only to be pipped at the post by the fast finishing English team.
Plus…
Malaysia dominated Women’s Badminton Doubles at the Commonwealth Games, despite fourth-seeded Jiang Yanmei and Li Yujia of Singapore looking sharp at the start of the match.
The Malaysian pair of Chin Eei Hui and Wong Pet Tty came back strongly, taking an 11-9 lead at the break, going on to win the first game 21-17.
The Singapore duo began to lose their positioning during the second game, giving Malaysia a slight advantage. Chin and Wong capitalised on this to seal the match with a 21-19 second game.
England took the remaining Doubles gold, as top seeds Gail Emms and Nathan Robertson tackled New Zealand in the Mixed Final.
Second-seeded Daniel Shirley and Sarah Runesten Petersen took an early lead, only to be edged out, 21-17, in the first game.
Both teams were making errors at the start of the second game, and shared lucky breaks when the shuttle clipped the net. England then assumed control, winning most points against the New Zealand serve.
Robertson finished the second game as he did the first, with an emphatic smash, England claiming the gold medal, 21-17, 21-10.
Source: Commonwealth
Games
Upset win for relay (Mar 25)
 In a night of upsets, Australia has won gold in both the Men's and Women's 4x400m Relays at the Commonwelath Games in Melbourne.
Jana Pittman put the Australian women in front on the first lap, with Jamaica soon after pushing forward to take a clear lead of more than five metres.
But gold slipped from the Jamaicans' hands during the baton exchange between Novlene Williams and Shellene Williams. The team admirably continued to finish fourth.
England crossed the line first, but was later disqualified for running outside their lane - giving the gold medal to Australia, with a winning time of 3:28.66.
"I'm not complaining about the way we won," said Australian runner Tamsyn Lewis."Relays have rules, and rules are rules.
"I was just trying to chase the girl in front of me. There was a lot of rough stuff happening ahead of me."
In the final results, India won the silver medal and Nigeria the bronze. Jamaica finished fourth, Papua New Guinea, fifth and South Africa was also disqualified. Sierra Leone, whose Games team has seen several members abscond, did not start.
Plus…
 Isabella Ochichi of Kenya has delivered a magnificent run to win the Women’s 5000m Final, crossing the line with a time of 14 minutes 57.84 seconds, ahead of England’s Joanne Pavey.
Lucy Wangui Kabuu of Kenya finished in third place, adding a bronze medal to the gold she won in the Women’s 10,000m Final.
Ochichi led the race from early on, with compatriots Wangui Kabuu and Ines Chenonge keeping pace. Eloise Wellings and Sarah Jameison of Australia, Pavey and Tanzania’s Zakia Mrisho stuck with the group.
Mrisho, who recorded a strong qualifying time, made a surprise drop-back with around seven laps to go. Pavey made her first push at the ten-minute mark to move into third place and then moved shoulder-to-shoulder with Ochichi.
As the competitors passed the 400m mark, Ochichi stretched ahead and Pavey moved into clear second position.
Wellings and Jamieson both gave brave final pushes but Wangui Kabuu held on for third.
Plus…
Australian Kym Howe has set a Commonwealth Record of 4.62m to take gold in the Women's Pole Vault.
Howe's result, exceeding her personal best by one centimetre, was a convincing win over compatriot and silver medallist Tatiana Grigorieva, by 27 centimetres. Grigorieva couldn't get near her personal best of 4.56m set in 2001.
"I just can't even think right now, my head is so full of excitement I can't even remember the jump," said Howe.
Canada's Stephanie McCann took bronze, sharing the 4.25m mark with equal fourth placed Dana Ellis and Roslinda Samsu of Malaysia, and Australia's Victoria Parnov. McCann was awarded the bronze medal on a count back.
Samsu's result eclipsed her former personal best by five centimetres.
In minor placings, England's Kate Dennison vaulted 4.15m for seventh, a height matched by Melina Hamilton of New Zealand and Canada's Kelsie Hendry. England's Elizabeth Spain reached 4.00 metres for 11th, as did Zeo Brown of Northern Ireland who finished in 12th position.
Source: Commonwealth
Games
Opals turn gold (Mar 24)
 Australia are the Women's Basketball gold medallists after yesterday’s convincing win over New Zealand recording a resounding final score of 77-39.
England won the bronze after defeating Nigeria 78-75, in a close fought contest.
In the gold medal play-off, the Australians outscored New Zealand in every quarter and were rarely troubled in what was, at times, a physical contest.
Australian Lauren Jackson scored 23 and Belinda Snell shot 10. Top scorer for New Zealand was Donna Loffhagen with 8 points.
"This is so awesome. To play in front of this crowd is something I will never forget," exclaimed Jackson. "I never thought I would get the chance to play for my country again in Australia."
In the game for the bronze medal, England outscored Nigeria for the first three quarters, but had to withstand a late fightback when Nigeria shot 29 points to England's 23 in the last quarter.
Top scorer for England was Andrea Congreaves with 21 points, Shelly Boston scored 14 and Rosalee Mason shot 12.
"I'm absolutely ecstatic and delighted," said a jubilant Congreaves. "We knew Nigeria would be tough but our girls were fabulous - it was a bit of a nail-biter. We are absolutely stoked to get the medal."
Funmi Ojelabi top scored for Nigeria with 18 points. Other contributors included Ezinne James with 12 and 11 points from Mobolaji Akiode.
Plus…
Sherone Simpson has lifted Jamaica to second place on the Athletics medal tally, with a golden finish to the Women's 200m Final.
Jamaica has 16 medals in Track and Field, including the Women’s 200m gold, which was won by Sherone Simpson in 22.59 seconds.
Simpson took the lead from the start, but was soon joined by Campbell as together the pair raced away from the field.
Simpson recorded a time of 22.59 seconds, leading her teammate Veronica Campbell and South African Geraldine Pillay.
The latter found a surge of strength in the final stretch of the race to break free from the pack and take the bronze medal in 22.92 seconds.
"I'm just happy that I could come here, I'm happy with my performance," said Simpson, after the race.
Plus…
In front of a roaring crowd of 82,000 sports fans, Australia’s Jana Pittman claimed the title of Women’s 400m Hurdles gold medallist, setting a new Games record time of 53.82 seconds.
Favourite from the outset, Pittman had a strong lead running out of the final bend and finished metres ahead of second placed Natasha Danvers Smith of England.
Scotland’s Lee McConnell ran third, to take the bronze medal in 55.25.
"This has been the most amazing experience of my life," an exuberant Pittman stated after the race.
Source: Commonwealth
Games
Techno TV to boost tennis audience (Mar 23)
From Reuters: Women's tennis will embrace a new technological era by introducing mid-match television interviews, instant TV replays to decide line calls and enhanced microphones at this week's Miami event.
The changes, which have the players' support, mean the likes of Amelie Mauresmo and Maria Sharapova will conduct television interviews moments before stepping on court and their coaches will share their thoughts with viewers during matches.
Story
China’s sport industry on the rise (Mar 23)
A report on the China Economic Net website highlights the influence women are exercising on the development of the country’s sport and fitness industry.
It says, in part: China's sport industry is speeding up with an annual growth rate of over 20 percent…The result of an investigation named 2005 Questionnaire on the life quality of Chinese women shows that women have a stronger awareness of fitness in general, and 82.6 percent women take exercises periodically.
Story
New shot-put record at Games (Mar 23)
 New Zealand's Valerie Vili has thrown a Games Record distance of 19.66m with her second attempt to win the gold medal in the Women's Shot Put at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
Vili, the silver medallist from the Manchester Games, was the pre-competition favourite with a Personal Best 73cm further than that of the next best competitor - Gui Zhang of Singapore.
The Manchester gold medallist, Nigeria's Vivian Chukweumeka, could not match Vili and had to settle for the silver medal, after throwing 18.25m on her second attempt.
Trinidad & Tobago's Cleopatra Borel-Brown took the bronze medal with a best throw of 17.87m. Borel-Brown recently finished eighth in the Shot Put at the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) World Indoor Championships in Russia.
Vili is coached by Kristen Hellier, a former New Zealand javelin record holder and Commonwealth Games silver medallist.
"I'm bloody happy. You never know you’ve won until the end of the competition," said a delighted Vili.
Plus…
Barbados scored its first-ever Commonwealth Games hockey win by defeating Nigeria 4-1 in its Classification Match.
In what was both teams' first Games appearance, Barbados relegated Nigeria to bottom place with a second half scoring spree.
The West Indian nation hadn't registered a goal in this year's competition until today's match but sprang out of the blocks, earning four penalty corners in the opening five minutes.
Tricia-Ann Greaves of Barbados became the first woman in her country's history to score a Commonwealth Games goal when she drilled through the Nigerian defence from a penalty corner in the fifth minute.
But Nigeria wrested back control of the midfield as Christy Agbo levelled the score in the 14th minute when she was left unchecked in the circle.
Nigeria looked to have the better of its opposition and should have led at the break after Agbo missed the chance to convert her second from a cross from Lucy Michael Aleji.
But Barbados came out the more determined side after half-time, putting the Nigerian defence under pressure with their spirited attack.
Greaves of Barbados scored her second goal from a loose ball after a penalty corner in the 59th minute and team-mate Joanna Davis made it 3-1 when she converted another penalty corner two minutes later.
Barbados's Allison Olivia Haynes sealed the history-making win in the final minute of the match.
Plus…
The Women’s Heptathlon wrapped up with a race to the 800m finish line, as England’s Kelly Sotherton took the gold medal with a combined total of 6396 points.
Silver went to Australia’s Kylie Wheeler, who gave the final sprint a gallant effort and finished with 6298 points – a personal best.
Another personal best was recorded by England’s Jessica Ennis as she scooped bronze, with a score of 6,269.
In the Javelin Throw performance, the penultimate event for the women, Sotherton secured her lead with 721 points.
The star for this discipline was New Zealand’s Rebecca Wardell who delighted the crowd with two huge throws, recording a personal best of 48.48m in the First Round. She finished in seventh place overall.
Wheeler, Ennis and South African Janice Josephs, who finished fifth overall, all recorded personal best distances in the Javelin.
Source: Commonwealth
Games
Australia takes Gold in synchro (Mar 23)
 Australian’s Bree Cole and Sharleen Stratton have taken out gold in the first diving event at the Commonwealth Games yesterday, winning the 3m synchronised springboard event.
The pair sealed the deal with a sublime final dive; finishing with a score of 290.7, well clear of the Canadian silver medallists Melanie Rinaldi and Rebecca Barras while English duo Tania Indergaard and Rebecca Sage claimed bronze.
Meanwhile, Australia’s Chantelle Newbery and Kathryn Blackshaw did extremely well to place fourth after Blackshaw was a last minute replacement for the injured Loudy Tourky. The pair had only been training together for a week. They were poised to take bronze but dropped back to fourth after making a mistake on their final dive.
In other diving news, Australia’s Loudy Tourky and Chantelle Newbery won gold in the 10m synchronised platform event last night, narrowly defeating fellow Australians Melissa Wu and Alex Croak. Canada’s Roseline Filion and Meachan Benfeito claimed the bronze medal on 303.15 points.
13-year-old Wu is the Games youngest athlete while Croak is a former gymnast, competing for Australia in the gymnastics team in Sydney in 2000 and also at the 2002 Manchester Games.
Tourky and Newbery were favourites to take out the event since winning the silver medal at the World Championships last year, despite living in different cities and rarely training together.
By Jessica Craven
Schipper adds 2 (Mar 22)
 Australia's Jessicah Schipper
claimed two more gold medals
on the last night of the Games
Swimming competition.
Spectators at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre were last night treated to a night of super swimming with the Australian team setting a world record in the Women's 4x100 Medley Relay.
The team, consisting of Games heroes Sophie Edington, Leisel Jones, Jessicah Schipper and Lisbeth Lenton set the world record time of 3.56.30.
England came second in a time of 4.04.61 and the bronze medal went to Canada with time of 4.05.95.
In the 200m Butterfly, Australia's Jessicah Schipper led all the way to win in a Games record of 2:06.09. Fellow Aussie Felicity Galvez swam a strong race to claim silver in 2:08.16, holding off Terri Dunning of England who won the bronze in 2:09.87.
After her win Schipper said: "I'm happy to go that fast. I think it is my second fastest time ever."
Australian Stephanie Rice claimed her second gold medal of the Commonwealth Games winning the Women’s 400 Individual Medley in a new Games record of 4:41.91.
English swimmer Rebecca Cooke was second in 4:44.60 and Jennifer Reilly from Australia came third in 4:47.13.
Rice led for most of the race and beat her own personal best time by five seconds. She also won the 200m Individual Medley in these Games.
Source: Commonwealth
Games
Australia & New Zealand dominate hockey (Mar 22)
 In a convincing win, Australia has defeated South Africa 3-0 in the Women's Preliminary Round at the State Netball and Hockey Centre.
Although slow to start, Australia played an attacking game, with its strong backline clearing the ball well and forwards quick to take the play up the field.
Suzane Faulkner opened the scoring 12 minutes into the first half for her second goal of the tournament.
Late in the first half South Africa had more of the play but was unable to convert from two penalty corners and trailed 1-0 at half-time.
Australia came out of the break looking much more convincing.
The New Zealand Women's Hockey team finished the Preliminary Rounds undefeated, after slaughtering England 4-0.
Both sides went into the match undefeated, but England struggled to convert its scoring chances.
New Zealand's first goal came in the 18th minute, when Captain Suzanne Muirhead converted a penalty corner for her first goal of the tournament. New Zealand scored three more goals in the second half, with the first coming in the 42nd minute from Diana Weavers, after she also converted a penalty corner.
Honor Dillon deflected a field goal in the 49th minute, giving New Zealand a 3-0 lead.
The final goal of the match came in the 56th minute, when 16 year-old New Zealand school girl Charlotte Harrison scored a field goal to give her side a 4-0 victory. It was Harrison’s fifth goal of the Games.
New Zealand has now qualified to play in the second Semi Final on day eight, while Scotland has easily accounted for Barbados 8-0 in their final Pool 2 match.
Both sides were scoreless until the 23rd minute when Scotland's Samantha Judge scored a field goal. The score became 2-0 the following minute, when Catriona Semple deflected a goal from a penalty corner.
Vikki Bunce scored her first goal of the tournament in the last minute of the half, giving Scotland a 3-0 halftime lead. Emma Rochlin converted a penalty corner in the 46th minute, before Bunce scored two more goals in two minutes. The first came from a penalty corner conversion in the 58th minute, while the second came from a field goal, to put Scotland up 6-0.
Bunce then scored another two goals, deflecting a field goal into the net in the 65th minute and with just one minute remaining, Bunce scored her fifth goal of the match and tournament, as she converted a penalty corner taking the score to 8-0.
Despite the dominant result, Scotland will not qualify for the Semi-Finals and neither will Barbados, which was unable to register a win during the tournament.
Source: Commonwealth
Games
Australian
trifecta in 29km bike race (Mar 21)
Australia won all three medals in the Commonwealth Games women's 29km
cycle race today. Oenone Wood claimed the gold with veteran Kathy Watt
coming second and Sara Carrigan taking third.
One of the favourites going into the event, New Zealander Sarah Ulmer,
boosted Australia's hopes of a clean sweep of the event by withdrawing
with a back injury minutes from the start of the race.
"I'm very satisfied with the way I rode. I've only had a couple of
weeks preparation for this as before that I was focused on the Road (Race),"
said Wood.
Australia has now won nine cycling gold medals (men and women) for the
Games out of a possible 14.
Schipper
leads 200m butterfly (Mar 21)
 From
the Commonwealth Games web: After the heats in the final morning Swimming
session of the Games, the Australia team is well placed to add to their
medal winning in the pool in the finals tonight.
Australia's Jessicah Schipper has qualified fastest for the Women's 200m
Butterfly final in a time of 2:08.27. Compatriot Felicity Galvez qualified
fourth and Terri Dunning of England swam a personal best time to qualify
second.
Jessica said that she had enjoyed the whole experience and was looking
forward to finishing her campaign with a 'big bang'.
“I just came to swim!” she reiterated.
The fastest qualifying time of all three of the Men's 200m Breaststroke
heats was claimed by Canada's Michael Brown with 2:14.49, the winner of
a bronze medal from the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games, who is fired-up
for the final.
Australian Stephanie Rice (pictured) had the fastest time of 4:47.89 in
the Women's 400m Individual Medley and said that she was hopeful for tonight’s
final after an up and down swim in her heat.
“There's been so many amazing races and it's so great to sit in the
stand and cheer the swimmers on. It's going to be great tonight and I'm
so excited," said Rice. (Pic: Commonwealth Games)
Commonwealth
Games story
Malaysia
rolls Australia (Mar 21)
Malaysia has spoiled the Australian Women's Triples party by overpowering
them in the final of the Women’s Triples Final in the Commonwealth
Games Lawn Bowls Competition.
In a tough battle for gold, the Australian team fought desperately hard
to force a tie in the first set 12-12 only to be outmanoeuvred in the
second set 13-4.
The Malaysian women Azmi Nor Iryani, Azlina Arshad and skipper Ismail
Nor Hashimah, silenced the home crowd with their brilliant play.
In the first set, both teams began slowly. Malaysia led 3-1 after scoring
two on the third end before Australia picked up four and a five to lead
10-3 after 5 ends.
Australia allowed Malaysia back into the match when the visitors scored
two sets of two and a five to lead 12-10 with one end to play.
The Australian team had an opportunity to win on the last end, but failed
to add to the two shots that it held, leading to a 12-all draw.
The second set began the same way with both teams feeling their way through
the ends. Malaysia led 3-2 after four ends but then scored a two on the
fifth end and a four on the sixth to lead 9-2 and that was just about
that.
Ismail Nor Hashimah said after the match that they were so grateful to
their host city of Richmond.
“We have been away from Malaysia for two months and their hospitality
was outstanding,” she said.
“We will go back to Richmond to show them our medals. We conquered
Melbourne to achieve our goal.” __The pain and anguish of losing
gold was clear on the faces of Australia's Ceriann Davies, Noi Tucker
and Roma Dunn.
Davies expressed her disappointment after the match saying that silver
was not good enough for her.
“Other countries might well be satisfied with gold, but for me, that
is not the case, I have to come back and win gold,” said Davies.
Source: Commonwealth
Games
Kiwi
leads tennis upset (Mar 21)
 New
Zealand’s Shelley Kitchen has provided a major upset, beating Malaysia's
Nicol David to win bronze in the Women's Singles bronze medal match. David
started strong, scoring the game's first three points and defeating Kitchen,
9-5, in the opening game.
Fifteenth seed Kitchen rebounded in the second game and came back after
falling behind 6-4, to score five straight points and steal the game 9-6.
The New Zealand player kept her momentum going in the third game, defeating
David 9-5, and closed the match in convincing fashion 9-2.
"This was a tough game for me,” commented Kitchen after her
win.
“From the very start I knew it was going to be tough but I slowly
found my rhythm towards the end of the second game."
David was full of praise for the performance of her opponent. __“She
always gives it her best, she played a great game," said David. "Yesterday
really took it out of me and to come back and play my best was difficult."
In the Women's singles consolation plate final, Nirasha Gurgue of Sri
Lanka defeated Papua New Guinea’s Eli Webb in three straight games,
9-3, 9-5, 9-2.__Australia's Rachael Grinham will face her younger sister
Natalie in the Gold Medal Match.
The two girls from Toowoomba are ranked three and four in the world respectively
and have played each other four times on the Women's World Tour since
2004, with Rachael defeating Natalie every time.
Natalie will be full of confidence however, having recently beaten Malaysia’s
David.
Source: Commonwealth
Games
Saville
leads Oz walk-over (Mar 20)
 From
the Comonwealth Games: A determined Jane Saville had led the women's 20km
walking race from the early stages and won in a time that bettered her
gold-winning performance in Manchester by four minutes. Her final time
was 1:32.46, which becomes the new Games record.
Jane Saville won the 10km Walk in Kuala Lumpur and the 20km Walk in Manchester,
but is often remembered for being disqualified from the Walk at the Sydney
Olympics when she led with only 200m remaining.
Jane's sister, Natalie Saville, took out the silver medal with a time
of 1:33.33, also beating the Games record set by sister Jane in Manchester.
They join Cycling sisters Anna and Kerry Meares as the second pair of
Australian sisters to take out gold and silver in the same event at these
Games.
In her first Commonwealth Games appearance, Australia’s Cheryl Webb
won the bronze medal with a time of 1:36.03.
The South African competitors, who were well positioned throughout the
race, finished behind the Australian pack, with Nicolene Cronje taking
fourth place and Suzanne Erasmus fifth.
India’s Deepmala L Devi finished sixth, with the English pair of
Johanna Jackson and Niobe Menendez finishing seventh and eighth.
Carel Bosamon, part of the support team for the South African walkers,
was interviewed at the scene. “I think Suzanne Erasmus came last
in her last competition. She’s now fifth, that’s great,”
he said.
When asked about Australia’s dominance of the race, Carel said “These
are their home games, they’ve got to this position on merit and
maybe we can learn something from them."
South African runner Charne Rademeyer was also at the Walk, supporting
her team mates. Charne finished 15th in yesterday’s Women’s
Marathon. “The people of Melbourne have been brilliant. The Athletes
Village is terrific and the atmosphere at the MCG is unlike anything I
have ever experienced”, Charne said. Sri Lanka’s Geetha Gallage
who started the race hard and went to an initial lead in the first lap,
withdrew from the event after 12km, apparently suffering from exhaustion.
Games site
Krueger
hammers record (Mar 20)
 From
the Commonwealth Games web: Australia’s Brooke Krueger has set a
Commonwealth Games record to win the gold medal in the Women’s Hammer
Throw final.
The 25-year-old threw the hammer 67.9 metres to break the record of 66.83m
set by England’s Lorraine Shaw at the Manchester Games in 2002.
Shaw could only manage a throw of 66m to take the bronze medal.
Canada’s Jennifer Joyce won silver with a throw of 67.29m.
An Adelaide primary school teacher, Krueger has an interesting pastime
that involves throwing frozen fish.
For the past three years, she has won the Port Lincoln tuna tossing competition,
which decides who can throw an eight or nine kilogram frozen tuna the
furthest.
Her average throw is 21m.
Games
site
McCann
takes marathon (Mar 19)
Australian Kerryn McCann has courageously won her second consecutive Commonwealth
Gold medal, winning the Women's Marathon in a time of 2:30.53.
Greeted by a packed house and a standing ovation at the Melbourne Cricket
Ground (MCG), McCann celebrated her victory with a lap around the MCG
with her son.
McCann led throughout the race, only being headed once at the 10 kilometre
mark.
"If the people weren't out there I wouldn't have gotten a gold medal
today," an exhausted McCann told Channel Nine.
"I came up to the stadium thinking, 'Silver's pretty darn good. I'd
be happy with silver'," said McCann.
"I came through the tunnel and heard the crowd roar. That wasn't
me running that last 300 metres."
Kenyan Hellen Cherono Koskei, ran a gallant second place, running off
McCann's shoulder for most of the race, but was left behind in the final
200 metres.
Cherono Koskei is 17 years younger than McCann, but showed tremendous
poise to stick with her throughout the race.
"It's fantastic; I feel very proud," said Cherono Koskei to
awaiting media at the MCG.
"I just wanted to race a bit better, but it was fantastic."
Plus…
In a close finish in the Women’s Javelin, Sunette Viljoen of South
Africa has won gold, with her best throw of 60.72 metres coming in the
second round.
Defending champion Laverne Eve of the Bahamas had to settle for the silver
medal, with her final throw of 60.54 metres landing just 18cm short of
the Viljoen's mark.
The Bronze medal position was filled by Jamaican Olivia McKoy with a throw
of 57.04 metres which came at her first attempt._
The Australian contingent of Kathryn Mitchell, Rosemary Hooper and Kimberly
Mickle threw well with the enthusiastic support of a parochial crowd,
but couldn't match the South African.
Games site
Weightlifting records soar on day 2 (Mar 18)
From the Commonwealth Games site: Australia’s Danni Miatke smashed the existing Games record set in Manchester to claim the gold medal in the final of the Women’s 50m Butterfly with a time of 26.43 seconds.
The Games record of the Women’s 100m Freestyle was broken twice – first by Australia’s Alice Mills in heat four, only to be broken again by Jodie Henry in the following heat.
South Africa’s Natalie Du Toit broke her own world record in winning gold in the Women’s 50m Elite Athletes with a Disability (EAD) Freestyle.
At the Weightlifting, the Commonwealth Games record in the Women’s 58kg class was broken a total of five times. Taking out the silver medal, Papua New Guinea’s Dika Loa Toua set a new Games record with a lift of 103kg in the Clean and Jerk. This was then broken twice by Canada’s Maryse Turcotte who finished the day with a lift of 108kgs. Maryse Turcotte set a new Games record with a total score of 188kg's – earning her the gold medal.
Record crowds flocked to the various Festival Melbourne 2006 live sites. Last night at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl the crowd showed their support of the performance of South Africa diva Miriam Makeba with thunderous applause and a standing ovation.
More records are predicted to fall today, on Day Three of competition.
In the pool Australia’s Jodie Henry and Alice Mills will be swimming off in the final of the Women’s 100m Freestyle and Leisl Jones will be aiming for gold in the Women’s 200m Breaststroke.
A total of nine gold medals are up for grabs today in the pool.
Australia’s cycling Meares sisters will be back in action as competition continues at the velodrome.
Medals will also be awarded in the both the Men’s and Women’s Individual Gymnastics, and medals up for grabs in the shooting and weightlifting.
Games story
Swimmers dominate day 1 Games (Mar 17)
The first day of competition, watched by approximately 110,000 sports mad fans, saw new Commonwealth Games records set in both Swimming and Cycling.
A total of 10 gold medals were awarded, with Australia early leaders on the medal tally.
Australia won a total of 12 medals in four sports – three gold, five silver and four bronze. Stephanie Rice smashed the Games record in Swimming with gold in the Women’s 200m Individual Medley and on the Cycling track Anna Meares claimed the Games record from her sister Kerry.
Anna is now the holder of both the Commonwealth and world records. Also at the Cycling, Ben Kersten claimed gold in the Men’s Individual Pursuit.
Games story
Edwards backs Fosters deal (Mar 16)
 Cricket Australia’s decision to renew its $25 million sponsorship deal with the Fosters brewing group has caused some controversy -- with some critics saying a more open process might have reaped greater rewards – but the deal has a supporter in the women’s team.
From Cricket Australia: Australian batswoman Sarah Edwards has said the new Foster's sponsorship to encompass all levels of cricket, will be a boost for women's cricket in this country.
Speaking at the announcement of the brewing giant's restructuring of its association with Cricket Australia, the 24-year-old indicated that there are a number of factors that will lead to greater participation of young girls in playing cricket.
"Sponsorship such as Foster's is certainly going to improve the rate of girls going into the sport," said Edwards.
"Participation rates have taken off since things like the Milo 'Have A Go' program – and there are new initiatives for the under 14 girl's program which are important."
"I guess it is really important to start young, like in primary schools, and then get girls down at local clubs to see the sport continue to grow."
The time is now, as interest in the game has never been at a higher level. According to Cricket Australia chief, James Sutherland, participation in Australian cricket has risen an unprecedented 11.3 percent since the 2004-05 season to 532,000 participants.
Edwards is hoping a good number of those new participants will be young girls. Along with the Australian men's team's well-documented Ashes campaign, she sees the success of the women's team, the Southern Stars as a key factor.
"The Southern Stars have been extremely successful having won the World Cup last year and having just had a clean sweep of the series against India," said Edwards.
"Their success is definitely going to encourage young girls to take up the sport and when they can see the opportunities to travel and to play sport that is also going to have a positive effect."
As too, will the increase in media coverage for the women's team.
"There has definitely been a big improvement in the coverage we are getting into the media."
'More people are aware that a women's comp does exists that women's Australian team does exist and that it is very successful."
"And once the young girls realise the opportunities that come with representing the country are great – it will have a big effect."
Edwards, who made her debut on the Ashes tour last year, said it was a truly great to be a part of an Australian Cricket team on tour.
"It was an amazing experience to just be part of the group," commented Edwards.
"The girls are great, just their professionalism - to be training with the best players in the world and know you are a part of it, was great."
Cricket Australia
Cricket academy for UK (Mar 15)
 The British county of Durham is set to launch the nation’s first cricket academy for women, under the guidance of former international bowler Clare Taylor.
The long-serving member of the national team retired last northern summer, after a win in the Ashes series. (Pic: Women’s Cricket on the Web)
BBC story
Player profile
Lenton & Jones welcome drug tests (Mar 13)
 Australia’s swim champions Libby Lenton and Leisel Jones have challenged drug agencies to test them “ as much as they like” during the Commonwealth Games.
Their declarations come after reports that the Games will be subject to heaviest drug tests ever; with anti-doping officials conducting more than 200 snap tests over the next two weeks.
Lenton and Jones, both record holders in their events, said they would to oblige testers and enhance the Australian swim team’s already “clean image”.
Lenton, particularly, is expected to come under scrutiny from drugs authorities because of her massive participation at the Games, competing in seven events.
“It's going to be a lot (of testing). Ideally, I'll be swimming well enough to get a lot of drug tests and that's kind of a compliment in that respect," said Lenton.
Lenton and Jones are two stars of perhaps the strongest female swimming team in Australia’s history. The team has drawn comparison to the drug-fuelled teams that came out of East Germany in the 1970s and 80s and out of China in the 1990s.
Far from taking these comparisons as an insult, Jones says it’s a compliment. "It's funny that we are performing like them and we are clean as a whistle. It's a nice comparison," she said.
Meanwhile, Australian officials are trying to shelter the women’s team from some of the pressure of expectation in the countdown to Thursday’s Commonwealth Games competition in the pool.
Australia’s golden girls are tipped to win at least fifteen of nineteen events and have been thrust even more into the spotlight with the withdrawals of Ian Thorpe and Grant Hackett.
"I want to point out that we are not competing here as a women's team," team captain Giaan Rooney said.
"We are all fighting under the one banner of Australia and all of us, the men, women and multi-disability swimmers, have to swim as a team.
"It's irrelevant all this talk. All three components of the team have to come together."
Head coach Alan Thompson refused to speculate on how many gold medals the women would reap at the Games.
"I don't predict medals. If you are focusing on what's happened in the past, you might only be watching the presentation ceremony at the end," Thompson said. "You are on a hiding to nothing.
"It doesn't matter where you are ranked, it all depends on the day in the pool.
"But we believe we could be the dominant team at the Games.”
By Jessica Craven
Commonwealth Games
Jones bio page (pictured)
Lenton bio page
Plus…
 Veteran race walker Jane Saville is set to be the face of Australia’s Commonwealth Games efforts after being crowned Team Flag Bearer for the highly-anticipated Opening Ceremony.
The Manchester gold medallist was a popular choice for the honour, after her heartbreaking disqualification in the 20km Walk at the Sydney Olympics.
It's seen as recognition of Saville's outstanding track and field record, the pinnacle of which was being crowned number one female race walker in 2004. (Story & pic: Commonwealth Games)
FIFA concerned for women’s soccer (Mar 10)
After visiting Swaziland to assess the progress of women’s soccer, representatives from the International Football Association (FIFA) have announced their concern for the future of the sport in the small African country.
FIFA development officer, Ashford Mamelodi, said he was especially concerned that the local women’s association was not receiving the necessary support from the National Football Association (FA).
CEO, Frederick Mngomezulu, defended the FA saying that its lack of support from FIFA is what caused the problems regarding the sport’s progress.
“Women’s football, especially in the southern region, is not fully supported by the mother body (FIFA),” he said, “which contributes to the slow development of the sport.”
Mngomezulu explained that Mamelodi’s visit was meant to monitor the usage of a FIFA grant given to the Women’s Football Association to assist in improving the sport. He said that if the final report was positive it would place the country in a good position to get more funding from the FIFA grant in the future.
By Katrina Putker
FIFA Women's site
Beachley makes hall of fame (Mar 9)
 Australia’s golden girl of surfing, Layne Beachley, was inducted into the Australian surfing hall of fame last night at the surfing Australia complex at Casuarina Beach. Over 250 guests attended the annual event where 34-year-old Beachley was honoured for her lasting achievements in surfing including her six back-to-back association of surfing professionals pro world championships.2005 hall of fame inductee, Mark Occhilupo, presented the major award for the evening, talking of his respect for and pride in Beachley as he did so.Beachley spoke of her love for surfing, her efforts to strive to the top in the sport, and the need for self belief and determination. A number of other awards were made to recognise outstanding contributions to surfing and surfing Australia including: female performance surfer of the year - Chelsea Georgeson, Duke Kahanamoku Service Award to Surfing Australia - Phil Courtney, and Simon Anderson Premiere Club Award – the Torquay Boardriders Club. (Pic by Surfing Australia)
By Katrina Putker
Surfing Australia story
IAAF indoor champs fire up (Mar 9)
The IAAF World Indoor Athletics Championship fires up tomorrow, in Moscow. Running from March 10 to 12, it offers 7 events for women at the Olimpiyskiy Sport Palace Complex. Click here for our preview.
Radcliffe withdraws (Mar 8)
 From the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne: World marathon champion Paula Radcliffe of England has announced her withdrawal due to a foot injury which has restricted her training since January, forcing her to be unable to prepare properly.
"Paula hit a rock when out training and developed a bruised foot and it is taking a long time to settle down," her husband and manager Gary Lough said.
"In particular it has been causing problems on the track, constantly flaring up and she cannot do proper flat-out training sessions."
Radcliffe is the winner of the 5000 metres gold at the Manchester Games and was a strong favourite to win the 10,000m this time around. She missed both the 1994 and 1998 Games and her dreams of an Olympic marathon gold medal in Greece in 2004 were shattered when she was forced to abandon the race.
She has been training for the Games as well as the London Marathon at the high-altitude venue of Albuquerque in New Mexico. Although the injury forces her to withdraw for Melbourne, the marathon world record-holder will be well prepared to defend her London title in April.
Ann Hogbin, England's Chef de Mission at the Commonwealth Games, told the BBC: "Naturally we're very disappointed for Paula, particularly as it means she won't have the opportunity to defend the 5,000m title she won in Manchester four years ago".
All eyes for the longer distance events will be now be on Australian Benita Johnson, who finished third in the 2003 World Half-Marathon Championships and is only the third woman in two decades to break the African stranglehold on the world cross-country titles, winning gold in the long-course race in Brussels. Johnson told the ABC, "It's a significant blow. I think it's just as big a blow as not having Thorpie in the swimming.”
Her way, of course, is barred by the Kenyans who had eight of the 10 fastest women in the world in the 10,000m last year, although only three of them can contest the race in Melbourne.
The women's 10,000m final will be held at the iconic MCG in the evening session of Tuesday, March 21, while the 5000m will be contested Friday evening, March 24.
Commonwealth Games
Paula Radcliffe’s web (pictured)
ABC Comm Games site
Not-quite underdogs dominate the surf (Mar 7)
From the Roxy Pro web: Numbers one and two in the world, Chelsea Georgeson and Sofia Mulanovich respectively, were ousted from the Roxy Pro by underdogs today... if you can consider Steph Gilmore, the reigning event champ (pictured), and Silvana Lima, the Brazilian rookie who scored a perfect 10 on her first ever WCT wave, underdogs!
Former Roxy Pro winners Megan Abubo and Layne Beachley also advanced and will go head to head in the quarterfinals.
Sam Cornish used last minute heroics to outscore Keala Kennelly in heat three when she caught the wave she needed with 15 seconds on the clock.
Rochelle Ballard, Trudy Todd and Mel Redman-Carr round out the main event winner's circle with only half-a-day's worth of surfing needed to decide the 2006 Roxy Pro champ.
The Samsung Expression Session held after the completion of round three rewarded Jacqueline Silva of Brazil $1500 for the best wave and Keala Kennelly of Hawaii the same wad of cash for best manuever.
Round Three Heats:
Heat 1: Megan Abubo (HAW) defeated Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS)
Heat 2: Layne Beachley (AUS) defeated Heather Clark (ZAF)
Heat 3: Samantha Cornish (AUS) defeated Keala Kennelly (HAW)
Heat 4: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) defeated Chelsea Georgeson (AUS)
Heat 5: Silvana Lima (BRA) defeated Sofia Mulanovich (PER)
Heat 6: Rochelle Ballard (HAW) defeated Claire Bevilacqua (AUS)
Heat 7: Trudy Todd (AUS) defeated Rebecca Woods (AUS)
Heat 8: Melanie Redman-Carr (AUS) defeated Julia Christian (USA)
ASP World Tour
Marathon runner leads UK games team (Mar 7)
From the Commonwealth Games: Experienced Marathon runner Paula Radcliffe will lead the English Athletics team, as she competes in the 5000m and 10,000m events at the Games.
Radcliffe triumphed at the 2005 world championships in Helsinki and took gold at the Manchester Games in the 5000m event. Her preference is to run the longer distance.
"I'll definitely run in the 10,000 but the 5000 is a luxury option,” she told BBC radio.
Games home
Games medals revealed (Mar 6)
 From the Commonwealth Games: With just nine days until the start of the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games, organisers today unveiled the prized medals to be awarded during the 11 days of competition.
The gold, silver and bronze medals were launched at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre by the President of the Commonwealth Games Federation Mike Fennell, Premier of Victoria Steve Bracks, the Australian Government’s Minister for the Arts and Sport, Senator Rod Kemp, Melbourne 2006 Chief Executive Officer, John Harnden, and Games ambassador Andrew Gaze.
Premier Bracks said the medal design for the Games united the heritage with the spirit of the Melbourne 2006 event and recognised the significance of sporting achievement.
“The medals are a tribute to a significant number of small and large local and national companies joining together to create a medal all Victorians will be proud of,” Mr Bracks said.
The gold for the medals has been sourced from the Ballarat region, located north-west of Melbourne, emphasising the importance the goldfields have played in Victoria’s gold-mining history, in particular Sovereign Hill.
The heraldic and iconic emblem of the Commonwealth Games Federation is embossed on the front side of the medal. On the back, the design uses elements of the Games identity and features the halo lines to create a dynamic composition.
Senator Kemp acknowledged the professionalism of the Royal Australian Mint which produced the medals.
“The Royal Australian Mint have crafted these uniquely Australian medals with the greatest of care and are outstanding examples of their exceptionally high standards,” Senator Kemp said.
“The successful collaboration between the Royal Australian Mint – which sourced the bronze – the City of Ballarat – which provided the gold – and BHP Billiton – which provided the silver – is obvious in the stunning results being unveiled today.”
To complete the picture, the lanyard which will hang around the necks of the podium winners, will be in the shape of two gum leaves. The designers, Flynn Silver, simply picked up two gum leaves while walking into the workshop one morning. They played with the concept to ensure there was another piece of Australia involved in the medal design.
Roxy Pro starts with a bang (Mar 2)
 Yesterday, the first day of the Roxy Pro, saw the 2006 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Women’s World Tour kick off with a bang, or more specifically, a crash here at Snapper Rocks on the Gold Coast of Australia.
Event favorites Chelsea Georgeson (AUS) and Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), who are the reigning ASP world champion and Roxy Pro champion respectively, accidentally collided at the end of their highly anticipated heat three clash.
"There wasn’t much time left and I had been falling off on all the other waves so I was just waiting for that one good one," said Georgeson who swapped spots on the leader board with Gilmore several times throughout the 30-minute heat, but ultimately came out on top.
"I knew Steph got the first one of the set but the second one was good too so I took off. I was so into what I was doing and was concentrating really hard, so when I did a floater and came down, I wasn’t looking where I was going and Steph was right there. I was like ’Oh my God’ and jumped off my board to try and miss her!"
Georgeson did miss Gilmore but not her board, which she ran over before wiping out. Fortunately, neither of the local lasses were hurt and, finishing first and second in the round one heat, will meet again in round three.
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