VICTORIA, British Columbia Aug. 25 -- The South African national anthem was heard at the Commonwealth Games for the first time since 1958 Thursday, when both its lawn bowls teams won gold in the fours events. In fact both anthems were heard, with the women standing proud to the new African National Congress version and minutes later the men hearing the traditional Die Stem. With the swimming completed and the track giving way to the road walks Thursday, the 'minor' sports stepped into the limelight. With South Africa picking up four bronze medals and a silver earlier in the week, the country's bowlers had a great chance to make history as both the men and women qualified for the fours finals. It looked as if the men would take the honor as they led Australia 17-8 only to be pegged back to 17-17. Meanwhile, on the adjacent green at the Juan de Fuca Centre, the women were turning the screw on Papua New Guinea. They eventually prevailed 24-17 turning Hester Bekker, Colleen Grondein, Anna Pretorius and Lorna Trigwell into an unlikely quartet of sporting heroes. 'When the flag went up it was a magical moment,' said Grondein, the skipper. 'It was fantastic -- We just shrieked.' In a far cry from the game's all-white image, the green-shirted Aussies and yellow-clad South African men exchanged high fives and whooping backslaps as their game became a tense, marathon battle. The Africans eventually won it 21-18, and skipper Neil Lofthouse admitted the victory ceremony was a moving occasion.
'I just can't say how happy we are. For all the things that are happening at home -- for unity in sport -- I think this is the start of something very big,' he said. 'It was wonderful up there (on the podium). Very emotional,' he said. New Zealand and Northern Ireland's men both took bronze medals with New Zealand and Scotland getting bronze in the women's competition. The boxing semifinals were all held Wednesday, with 24 fighters advancing to Saturday's finals. Canadian featherweight Casey Patton was one of the most impressive in the ring. He went toe to toe with young Australian James Swan and took the bout 21-8. In the 57 kg (126 lb) final he will meet Welshman Jason Cook who edged Tanzania's Matumla Hassan 19-18. Accusations of bias against African boxers look to be unfounded as 18 will be going home with medals of one color or another. But the sport was still embroiled in controversy with accusations flying of secret relaying of points scores between rounds. Australia completed a record-breaking cycle as Bradley McGee and Kathy Watt took gold in the individual pursuits. Another Aussie, Stuart O'Grady, then won the men's 10 mile scratch race in a thrilling finish. Both pursuit riders set new Games bests in winning the 4000 and 3000 meter events. McGee covered the 12 laps in 4 minutes, 31.371 seconds. Watt, the Olympic road race champion, took the Commonwealth road race earlier in the week. She won Thursday in 3:48.522 -- was nearly a second inside the record she set Wednesday. O'Grady came through with just meters to go to take the 10 mile -- a race peculiar to the Commonwealths. Michael Murphy of Australia added the 10 meter platform dive gold to the springboard title he won yesterday. Canada's Annie Pelletier also collected her second, nailing her final effort Thursday to clinch the three-meter springboard gold after winning the one-meter yesterday. There was an Australian double in the walks. Kerry Saxby-Junna won the women's 10 km event in a Games record of 44.25 minutes. Teammate Anne Manning took silver ahead of Canada's Janice McCaffrey. In the men's 30 km event Nicholas A'Hern took gold in 2 hours, 07.53 minutes ahead of Tim Berrett of Canada and New Zealander Scott Nelson. On the shooting range Fani Theofanous took gold for Cyprus in the women's air rifle. India's Mansher Singh won the men's open trap and Michael Jay of Wales took the rapid-fire pistol. Australia's former Bulgarian world champion Kiril Kounev swept all three golds in the 83 kg (183 lb) weightlifting competition. Defending champion David Morgan of Wales won the 76 kg (168 lb) snatch gold with a Commonwealth record lift of 147.5 kg (325 lbs). Morgan, with five previous Commonwealth golds to his name, also took the overall title despite finishing second behind Australia's Damian Brown in the clean and jerk. Canada won the rhythmic gymnastics team event ahead of Australia and England. Friday's medal action features 11 track and field finals more cycling, shooting, bowls, weightlifting and gymnastics.
Australia's Cathy Freeman added the women's 200-meter title to the 400-meter gold she won Tuesday -- the first time the double has been achieved at a Commonwealth Games. She fought back from behind out of the turn to catch Nigeria's Mary Onyali 20 meters from the line. Freeman, censured by Australian team boss Arthur Tunstall for parading the Aborigine flag in Tuesday's lap of honor, took the red, gold and black standard around the track again after her national-record 22.25 run. Gunnell, England's 400-meter hurdles world record-holder, successfully defended her title with victory in 54.51 seconds. However, she admitted her preparation for the race had been affected by the drug controversy surrounding the English team. 'Of course it's been difficult. We were hearing all sorts of different things but I had to just try to concentrate on my race,' said Gunnell, the English team captain. Samuel Matete became the first Zambian track and field gold medalist at a Commonwealth Games, running a record 48.67 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles. Jamaica won its first gold at the track this Games when Inez Turner took the women's 800-meter gold from Charmaine Crooks of Canada and Gladys Wamuyu of Kenya. Patrick Konchellah, brother of Kenya's former world 800-meter champion Billy, won the gold in that event with a time of 1:45.18. South Africa won its second silver of the track meet as Hezekeil Sepeng ran a brave second. In the men's high jump, Olympic bronze medal winner Tim Forsyth of Australia beat England's Steve Smith after a great battle. Australia's Louise McPaul of won the javelin, Nigeria's Obinna Eregbu took the men's long jump and Werner Reiterer of Australia won the men's discus. Other gold medals went to Australia's Kasumi Takahshi in the rhythmic gymnastics individual event, Australia in the men's pairs bowls, Scotland in the women's pairs, and Michel Dion in the men's small bore rifle. In badminton, Simon Archer and Julie Bradbury overcame England rivals Nick Ponting and Joanne Wright, 15-10, 15-12, to move into Saturday's mixed doubles final. Bradbury then teamed up with veteran Gillian Clark in the women's doubles and this time came through against Malaysia's Tan Wai Lee and Lee Wai Leng. Malaysia's Rashid Sidek beat England's Anders Neilsen, 15-13 15-11, in the first men's singles semifinal. He will play either compatriot Ewe Hock Ong or New Zealand's Nicholas Hall. Hong Kong's high hopes of a badminton medal disappeared on a miserable Thursday night which saw defeats in the quarterfinals of all three doubles competitions and the men's singles. Harvey Goodman of Australia won all three golds in the 91kg class weightlifting event.
