India shoot up to second spot behind Australia (Games Roundup)

NEW DELHI -Formidable Australia maintained their top position on the leaderboard even as hosts India showed their sporting might on day two of the 19th Commonwealth Games here Tuesday.

The Ausssies made a clean sweep of cycling gold medals, and fished out one more from the pool, while India’s guns reverberated at the Karni Singh range and it held sway at the wrestling arena.

A hoax call, warning of bomb in the Games Village, left the security personnel in a tizzy, but did not deter India and Australia from marching ahead.

A teenager was later detained for making the call to the Police Control Room, but the residential complex, which houses some 7,000 athletes, went through a thorough check.

After two days of competition, Australia have a haul of 22 medals (9 gold, 9 silver and 4 bronze), while India shot up to the second position claiming 11 medals (5 gold, 4 silver and 2 bronze).

England were in the third slot with two gold, four silver and an equal number of bronze. Malaysia and South Africa were fourth and fifth respectively.

Led by three-time world champion and Athens Olympic gold medallist Anna Maree Meares, Australia began their cycling campaign on a high, winning all the three gold medals on offer and setting Games records in each of the events.

In the men’s 1 km time trial, Scott Sunderland clocked 1 minute:01.411 seconds for the gold, and set a Games record.

In the day’s last final, Jack Bobridge won gold in the 4000 metres men’s individual pursuit, erasing another Games record in the process.

“It has been a very successful day for Australia. To pick up three medals in the opening day is a big morale booster for the entire team,” said Meares.

India’s gold rush on the second day of the Games began with Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra and world number 3 Gagan Narang hitting the bull’s eye in the 10m air rifle pairs event. Women shooters Rahi Sarnobat and Anisa Sayyed set a Games record on way to a gold in the 25m pistol pairs event.

The inspired show by the shooters was capped by the wrestlers who made a clean sweep of the Greco-Roman category with Anil Kumar, Sanjay Kumar and and Ravinder Singh bagging gold in the 96kg, 74 kg and 60kg respectively.

In swimming, where four gold medals were decided, England’s Liam John Tancock crated a new Games record in 50m Backstroke Men Finals clocking 24.62 seconds.