SWIMMING: Ian Thorpe headlined an all-star Australian cast in Manchester yesterday, winning the men's 200m freestyle to keep his bid for an unprecedented seven Commonwealth Games gold medals on course while again leaving teammate Grant Hackett in his wake.
The 19-year-old had already set a world record in winning the 400m freestyle on Tuesday before picking up another gold in the 4x100m free relay.
And he thrilled the crowd at the Manchester Aquatics Centre with splits that were under world record pace through 150m, but in the end he finished in one minute 44.71 seconds. It was outside his own world record of 1:44.06, but comfortably in front of the 1:46.13 of Hackett - the world's dominant 1,500m freestyler - who was second. Canadian Rick Say was third in 1:49.40.
However, it was the action on the track that set the games alight. Victories in the two men's relays by the thicknesses of the vest worn by Darren Campbell and Daniel Caines, a majestic triple-jump win for Ashia Hansen, a third Commonwealth Games gold medal for Steve Backley in the javelin and triumphs for Kelly Holmes and Mike East in the 1,500 metres events brought English athletics to the boil on the final night.
Nothing could have provided a more fitting climax than the run to gold in the 4x100m by Campbell, a local boy. A couple of days ago, after taking the bronze medal in the 200m, he had spoken of a recent flirtation with the idea of suicide, the result of a depression caused by injuries and a temporary split from his partner and son.
He was dissuaded, apparently by his mother, and his feelings last night would surely be impossible for him to describe. But as he took the baton previously carried by Jason Gardener, Marlon Devonish and Allyn Condon and held off Asafa Powell of Jamaica in a tumultuous finish in which both teams were given the time of 38.62, it may have been an even better night for him than the one on which he took the silver medal in the Olympic Games in Sydney two years ago.
The gold-tressed Hansen repeated her victory of the last games in Kuala Lumpur, breaking her own games record with a jump of 14.49m for starters, and then breaking it again to leave it at 14.86m, a mere 4cm ahead of a leap by Francoise Mbango of Cameroon.
The 33-year-old Backley destroyed the competition with a throw of 86.21m, adding to his golds in Auckland and Victoria and his silver in Kuala Lumpur.
Mike East's narrow win over William Chirchir of Kenya was England's first in the event for 12 years. But none of the night's stories brought more satisfaction than Holmes's long-awaited victory, to which she was borne on a wave of tremendous noise.
When Holmes looked over her shoulder as she came off the final bend, old ghosts were lurking. Many times she had seen her hopes dashed in the final metres. This time, however, there was no one there. Fifty yards from the line she took another look, to make sure. And then her smile opened up, a smile so wide that it seemed to envelop the entire stadium.
