Really relay good in Delhi

Swimming Australia
Published: Oct 7, 2010 08:20:34 AM Updated: Nov 13, 2012 11:52:01 AM

by AAP.

 

Awe inspiring wins by the men's and women's 800m freestyle relay teams made it six gold medals for the Australian swim team on the third day of the Commonwealth Games at the S.P. Mukherjee Aquatics Complex, in Delhi.  

Australia's 22-year-old Alicia Coutts set the tone for the night when she won her second gold of the Games, when she again upstaged Emily Seebohm - who she beat in the 200m individual medley two nights ago - in the 100 metres freestyle.

Coutts (54.09 seconds) surged home from third at the turn to pip Seebohm (54.3) and England's fading Fran Halsall (54.57).

Australia finished 1-2-3 in the women's 200m breaststroke, when Leisel Jones (2min 25.38sec) touched the wall first from teammates Tessa Wallace (2:25.60) and Sarah Katsoulis (2:25.92).

Seebohm earned some consolation for her earlier losses when she won the 100m backstroke in the Games record time of 59.79sec for her fourth medal but her first gold.

She edged out England's Gemma Spofforth (1:00.02) and Canada's Julie Wilkinson (1:00.74).

Australia's other two finalists, Sophie Edington and Belinda Hocking, dead-heated for fourth in 1:00.81.

The women's 800m freestyle relay team (7:53.71) of Bronte Barratt, Blair Evans, Kylie Palmer and Meagen Nay claimed the Commonwealth record in their easy win.

The Australian men secured another gold medal, with the 800m freestyle relay team (Thomas Fraser-Holmes, Nicholas Ffrost, Ryan Napoleon and Kenrick Monk) winning ahead of Scotland and South Africa in 7:10.29.

Geoff Huegill (23.37secs) just failed to complete his fairytale comeback when he was edged out of gold in the men's 50m butterfly.

The gold medal went to Kenya's Jason Dunford (23.35secs) - his country's first ever in the pool - with South African star Roland Schoeman (23.75) taking bronze.

Coutts' victory fulfilled a dream of her father, who died from non-Hodgkins lymphoma 16 years ago. He tipped her to make the Olympics and she has done that and more.

"I honestly didn't think I was going to win going in to that race,'' Coutts said.

"It was great to win a second gold medal. I am very excited.''

She has been a passionate swimmer since the age of five, when she used to try to climb the fence at the family home in Brisbane to ask to swim in her neighbours pool.

Seebohm continued to swim solidly if slightly beneath expectations.

She is being powered by cereal rather that many athlete's preferred mid-meeting option - pasta - because her coach and squad mates came down with severe food poisoning just after having spaghetti Bolognaise at the athletes' village.

Jones said it was a difficult race in the 20m breaststroke.

"Very tough," she said.

"I havent done a lot of training for the 200 ... I've focussed on the 100.

"An Aussie 1-2-3 is the best. You couldnt ask for anymore."

Huegill said a silver medal on his return was dream come true.

"Just being back here in this international arena, I couldnt be any happier," he said.

Huegill wouldn't comment on whether he would carry on to compete in the 2012 London Olympics, instead saying he was focused on the 100m tomorrow night and would hopefully get another medal in that.

Earlier, Ashley Delaney claimed bronze in the 200m backstroke despite battling the after-effects of Delhi Belly.

England's James Goddard held out a brave challenge from Delaney to claim the final in a Games record time  and the fourth fastest of the year.

The 2002 Games champion clocked 1:55.58 to oust fast-finishing Kiwi Gareth Kean (1:57.37) and Delaney (1:58.18).

Delaney was Australia's sole representative in the 200m backstroke final after national champion Hayden Stoeckel failed to make a splash in the heats.

Christian Sprenger (silver) and Brenton Rickard (bronze) finished behind South African Cameron van der Burgh in the  100m breaststroke.

But Australia's Matt Cowdrey broke the world record in the 50m para freestyle in a time of 25.33.

In this article: Tessa Wallace, Hayden Stoeckel, Christian Sprenger, Emily Seebohm, Brenton Rickard, Kylie Palmer, Meagen Nay, Ryan Napoleon, Kenrick Monk, Sarah Katsoulis, Leisel Jones, Geoffrey Huegill, Belinda Hocking, Thomas Fraser-Holmes, Nicholas Ffrost, Blair Evans, Sophie Edington, Ashley Delaney, Matthew Cowdrey, Alicia Coutts, Bronte Barratt,