Commonwealth Games briefs

GOLD STREAK

Australia won its third successive men's hockey gold medal with a 3-0 win over Pakistan in a fiery, ill-tempered final yesterday. Penalty corner conversions in each half to Liam de Young and Luke Doerner, and a piece of open play magic from Jamie Dwyer, secured the Kookaburras a well-deserved victory after they dominated the match. Pakistan was reduced to 10 men for the final 25 minutes after Tarik Aziz was sent off for a behind-the-play incident which left Australian midfielder Rob Hammond with blood pouring from his face. It was among several heated incidents in a game that boiled over several times. Earlier yesterday, Malaysia beat England 2-0 in the bronze medal play-off.

SIX-MEDAL HAUL

Canada's Alexandra Orlando has completed her clean sweep of the six rhythmic gymnastics gold medals. She matches the performances of Australian swimmers Ian Thorpe in Manchester and Susie O'Neill in Kuala Lumpur, who each won six gold medals in the pool. Orlando won every gold medal on offer in the rhythmic gymnastics competition in Melbourne, including all four individual golds in the rope, ball, clubs and ribbon, as well as the all-round event. She was also part of the gold medal-winning Canadian team.

JANA BOOKS NZ

Australian track star Jana Pittman, is hitting New Zealand shores next week but there won't be a pair of running spikes in sight. Pittman, who won Games gold medals in the 400m hurdles and 4x400m relay, is getting married on Friday and plans to honeymoon in New Zealand. She and fiancee Chris Rawlinson, an English hurdler, will tie the knot in Melbourne. Her former training partner, New Zealand heptathlete Rebecca Wardell, will be in the wedding party. Then it's off to New Zealand, where the pair plan to hire a campervan and go tramping to keep their fitness levels up.

HUNT FOR 14

Fourteen missing Sierra Leone athletes became fugitives last night after Melbourne 2006 officials withdrew their Games accreditation. The 14, who have fled from the athletes' village in inner suburban Parkville in several groups during the past week, will also have their visas revoked, a Melbourne 2006 spokesman said. Sierra Leone is one of the world's poorest nations and has been ravaged by decades of civil war.

UNIMPRESSED

Sprint great Michael Johnson says the Commonwealth Games are not a world class track event. "Too many people try to put these championships on a par with the world championships or the Olympics but they are not - never have been, never will be," Johnson, the world 200m and 400m record holder, wrote in an online column for the BBC. "The Games serve their own purpose and that is to give athletes who would not have a chance to qualify for the worlds or the Olympics the experience of competing in a major event," he said. Jamaica's Asafa Powell is the only current world record holder in track and field competing at the Games. Johnson, an American who retired after the Sydney Olympics in 2000, said the timing of these Games had favoured the host nation, which won 16 of 53 athletics gold medals.