Blog maintenance
- 20 Mar 06, 02:00 PM
Hello folks,
We are carrying out some maintenance work on the blog so it will closed for comments until later on today (Monday).
Apologies,
Claire, Assistant Ed.
Latest entry
Recent entries
A real eye opener
- 20 Mar 06, 11:33 AM
I'm just packing up at the Rod Laver Arena after my first experience of live gymnastics... and I feel shattered. The night opened with the men's floor routine and, while I appreciate it was skilled it didn't exactly get the blood pumping. I feared this might be the case for the remainder of the evening but that couldn't have been further from the truth.
Next up was the vault, which resulted in me gnawing off the remainders of my fingernails through fear that competitors were going to wipe out in horrific fashion - as I'd seen in the past on TV - and it'd be no exaggeration to say my heart skipped a beat as each athlete went from vault to mat. Thankfully there was only one tumble... and it didn't look all that painful.
The uneven bars produced that same sick-in-the-stomach sensation, while the men's pommel horse and rings I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. Gymnastics is as much about acting as it is about producing the skills, I found out later. Scotland's Steve Frew, who barely showed a grimace during his routine, told me: "The rings hurts, hurts a lot. It takes a hell of a toll on your body. The trick is to make it look easy!" Rather him than me.
Ready to go at "the G"
- 20 Mar 06, 08:03 AM
It is all about the athletics at Melbourne's famous cricket ground the MCG on this balmy Monday evening. The 80,000 capacity stadium is packed - but not quite full - and the atmosphere is building slowly. It will come as no surprise that the biggest cheers ring out when an Australian athlete is introduced. The world's fastest man Asafa Powell and local favourite Craig Mottram will have all eyes on them in the 100m and 5,000m at the climax of the events here. But in the morning session it was South African sisters Lebogang and Dinah Phakula who were the biggest talking point. The siblings ran the 1500m heats barefoot. Dinah prefers to run without trainers but Lebogang is keen to pull on a pair of trainers but cannot find a sponsor to provide the $200 she needs for the right footwear.
All geared up for gymnastics
- 20 Mar 06, 07:32 AM
I've just arrived at the Rod Laver Arena, usually home of the Australian Open tennis, for my first foray into gymnastics. Among Britain's leading contenders for gold on Monday is Scot Steve Frew. He goes into the rings competition as defending champion and I just spotted him moments ago in the corridor sipping an energy drink and looking super relaxed.
Ross Brewer is the first Brit in action - in the men's floor. According to his biog, his parents are both ballroom dancers, specialising in Latin American routines. Ryan Bradley goes in the same event, having overcome chronic fatigue syndrome in the lengthy build-up to these Games to compete.
The Welsh contingent is led by Jessica Gazzi in the vault - she claims she took up the sport because of the sparkly leotards - and Lynette Lisle, who lists shopping, shopping and shopping as her interests.
Golden touch
- 20 Mar 06, 05:40 AM
Mark Cavendish is keeping cool despite being the first Isle of Man Commonwealth gold medallist in 20 years.
The 20-year-old world madison champion claimed gold in the scratch race but says he went into the race as something of a sure thing. "I knew for the last two years that I was coming here with a good chance.
Some men make their own luck - that's how I see it. The whole island has been behind me but I thrive on that pressure."
Cavendish now goes in the road race on Sunday.
Moose hunting, karate and cats
- 20 Mar 06, 05:21 AM
Anyone who's in Melbourne has got to fit the weightlifting into their itinerary if possible. Like every other event, the Aussies get the biggest cheer - even bizarrely when the judges are announced. But aside from the drama of athletes putting themselves through sheer purgatory, the key attraction is the official announcer. This man has the sort of anorak information up his sleeve that would put John Motson to shame... and the crowd love him.
I went to watch Canada's Jeane Lassen win gold in the women's 69kg. Quirkily, the gathered crowd were informed Jeane's a keen moose hunter and dog slusher. Then there was home favourite Amanda Phillips, who enjoys cats, gardening and McDonald's (most notably dipping her chips into chocolate sauce!).
He didn't overlook the only British athlete in the competition, Wales' Natasha Perdue, who finished fifth. According to the big man on the mic, Natasha is the former British karate champion and comes from a family of weightlifters. Her dad Terry won silver at the 1970 Commonwealth Games and a bronze four years later. Her brother, meanwhile, is competing in Melbourne.
Crosstown traffic
- 20 Mar 06, 04:04 AM
I nearly got run over in the middle of Melbourne by, of all things, a bus emblazoned with the slogan, "Celebrating the spirit of the Games" on Monday. I don't think I would have been celebrating anything had I been less alert. The bus had ploughed on despite the green man making his appearance - although to be fair he can take his precious time turning up. The transport system in Melbourne is pretty efficient but honestly Dean Macey could have completed an entire decathlon in the time it takes to cross from one curb to the other.
Pendleton hides her medals away
- 20 Mar 06, 12:55 AM
Vicky Pendleton is all packed and ready to fly home with her track cycling gold and silver. She leaves later on Monday to prepare for the defence of her sprint world title. Ali Mitchell at Five Live caught up with her before catching her flight to London to ask how life had been in the wake of her Games win and how she felt about adding two more medals to her trophy cabinet. Pendleton revealed she kept all her medals in a jiffy bag in the side of her wardrobe. However, she revealed she would hang her medals round her neck at check-in for her flight in a bid for an upgrade!
Double vision
- 19 Mar 06, 11:48 PM
Australian flag bearer for the opening bash, Jane Saville led home an Australian one-two-three in the 20km walk - with sister Natalie taking silver. But you will need to keep your eyes peeled for another pair of siblings in the men's 20km walk later on Monday. Dominic and Daniel King compete for England - but the pair are identical twins. Their careers aren't identical though as Dominic took part in the Manchester Games four years ago where unfortunately he was disqualified.
Macey gives the thumbs up
- 19 Mar 06, 11:28 PM
Dean Macey gave the thumbs up to the BBC as he came off the track following the 100m - the first event of the men's decathlon in Melbourne. The 28-year-old told me the other day he is regularly sick before the start of the event because of nerves. But after clocking the fifth-fastest time of 11.17 seconds - nearly half-a-second off his personal best - he said "that was quicker than I needed".
Staggering effort
- 19 Mar 06, 10:39 PM
Kerryn McCann may have stolen the limelight for Australia with gold in the women's marathon in the absence of England's Paula Radcliffe. But another Australian was just as talked about the following morning - Kate Smyth. For those who didn't see the race, she was the one that staggered home, looking drunk and having to be helped to her feet after crossing the line. She told reporters afterwards she "thought the finish line was moving" as she reached the conclusion of the 26.2-mile event. And she was so dehydrated it took her one-and-a-half hours to be able to give a urine sample for a random dope test.
Some weighty issues
- 19 Mar 06, 12:18 PM
Australian broadcaster Channel 9's coverage of the Games in Melbourne has provoked mixed reactions. But the weightlifting commentator has certainly caught my attention. On Saturday he screamed "she's nearly on her bum, she's lifted it but she was nearly on her bum" in one session. And when Wales' Michaela Breeze won her 63kg gold he almost erupted as she kissed the bar in celebration. As she came off centre stage to much applause, he shouted "it's less of a breeze, more of a cyclone!"
Marathon man
- 19 Mar 06, 06:28 AM
There was a big cheer as athlete number 2,000 finished 14th and last in the men's marathon at the MCG, or "the G" as it is affectionately known in Melbourne. Errol Duncan, a 45-year-old runner from St Helena had never run a marathon before, according to BBC commentator Steve Cram. In the end, he clocked a time of three hours 11 minutes almost exactly an hour behind the race winner. For the record, he would have had the bettering of just one of the women's field - Jamaican Arieta Martin, who clocked a time of 3:34.36
Synchro goes Bollywood
- 19 Mar 06, 03:18 AM
India's Avani Kardam Dave brought a touch of Bollywood glamour to the synchronised swimming final in Melbourne. The 15-year-old, who is India's first and only synchro swimmer, chose to perform her free routine to the Hindi song Badi Mushkil. Avani only took up synchro four months ago and practices in an outdoor pool at home in Mumbai. But because there is no underwater speaker her Canadian coach Leslie Sproule keeps rhythm by beating a spoon against the pool's metal railings. Meanwhile, South African swimmer Shannon Crowder opted to go Hollywood as she synchronised her swimming to the soundtrack to The Mask of Zorro.
Asafa Powell's food for thought
- 19 Mar 06, 02:08 AM
Asafa Powell may have cruised through the morning 100m heats like he was out for a Sunday morning jog but things don't always come so easy for the favourite for gold in Monday's blue-riband event. According to the Jamaican team's driver, Powell has a penchant for fried chicken, chinese food and vodka shots. It's not known whether he's been dabbling in any of the three while in Melbourne.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites
