Games: Thorpe earns special place in history

8.30am

MANCHESTER - Swimmer Ian Thorpe finished off the sporting action at the Commonwealth Games on Sunday by winning a sixth gold medal and earning a special place in the 72-year history of the event.

The 19-year-old Australian became the first man to win an aggregate 10 Commonwealth titles when he anchored Australia to victory in the men's 4x100 metres medley relay in the last race of the 11-day Games.

The only other competitor to achieve the feat was Australian female swimmer Susie O'Neill who won 10 titles between 1990 and 1998. Thorpe won four titles at the 1998 Kuala Lumpur Games.

Only two other competitors have won six golds at one Games -- O'Neill in 1998 and Canadian swimmer Graham Smith in 1978.

Thorpe has been the outstanding performer of the Games which were due to close on Sunday at a ceremony starting at 2000 GMT.

He won gold in the 100, 200 and 400 metres freestyle -- the first swimmer to win all three -- and the 4x100 and 4x200 freestyle relays and 4x100 medley relay. He also broke his own world record in Tuesday's 400.

But he failed to beat O'Neill's record of 10 when he came second in the 100 backstroke on Saturday. The teenager was due to carry Australia's flag at the ceremony.

Australia, the most successful country in the history of the Games, grabbed six of the last seven titles on offer at the pool to finish with 27 of the 42 swimming golds.

Petria Thomas confirmed her place as the outstanding female swimmer of the Games when she won two gold medals to take her total for the week to five.

The 26-year-old won the 200 butterfly individual race to complete a 50-100-200 butterfly treble then featured in the Australian women's victory in the medley relay.

Grant Hackett picked up his third gold when he retained his 1,500 freestyle title with a leisurely swim. Jim Piper won the men's 200 breaststroke and Jennifer Reilly took the women's 400 individual medley to complete the superb Australian display.

England were second in the total with 10 after failing to add to their tally on the final night. The only medal which was not won by Australia on Sunday was the men's 50 freestyle, which went to South African Roland Schoeman.

The final day also saw defending champions New Zealand retain their rugby union sevens titles and outstanding performances from Malaysia in the badminton as well as a dramatic netball final.

New Zealand beat Fiji 33-15 in the sevens final in front of a capacity 38,000 crowd at the City of Manchester Stadium who saw Fiji's Saisi Fuli sent off midway through the second half for a late tackle on Brad Fleming.

Malaysia ended the badminton tournament with a golden treble.

In the men's singles, Muhammed Hafiz Hashim beat team mate Tseung Seng Lee in a tense five-set thriller 7-3 7-1 3-7 7-8 7-4. Chong Ming Chan and Choon Eng Chew edged out compatriots Kim Wai Chang and Tan Fook Choong 7-5 4-7 2-7 7-5 7-3 to win the men's doubles.

Li Peng Ang and Pek Siah Lim then completed the hat-trick, beating New Zealand's Nicole Gordon and Sara Runesten-Petersen 7-8 7-4 2-7 7-5 7-0 in the women's doubles.

Singapore's Li Li broke the mould to beat local favourite Tracey Hallam 7-5 5-7 8-7 7-0 in the women's singles.

Australia retained their netball title with an extraordinary, sudden-death win over arch-rivals New Zealand.

Both teams battled back from seven-goal deficits to end regulation time locked at 46-46 then 55-55 at the end of extra-time, forcing the match into sudden-death where the first team to go two goals in front is declared the winner.

Catherine Cox put Australia 56-55 in front with the first goal in sudden-death. Then Sharelle McMahon, who scored the winner 20 seconds from fulltime when the teams met in the 1999 world championship final, netted the goal that secured the gold.

"What a great feeling to win a gold medal like that," McMahon said. "That game felt like it went on for ever.

- REUTERS

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