Sunday, August 17, 2008 - 12:55 PM

Romania's Constantina Tomescu became the oldest winner ever in an Olympic marathon when she won the Beijing race today.

The 38-year-old, who bettered compatriot Lidia Simon's silver medal from the 2000 Games, beat home world champion Catherine Ndereba of Kenya who won her second successive Olympic silver medal while China's Zhou Chunxiu was third.

There was more Olympic misery for Britain's world record holder Paula Radcliffe as she faded to finish 23rd.

Radcliffe finished limping badly on the left leg which she suffered a stress fracture off earlier this year. She is still without an Olympic medal.

Benita Johnson was the best-placed Australian in 21st place. Lisa Jane Weightman finished 33rd while Kate Smyth was 44th.

Tomescu made her move after a large leading group set a plodding early pace and, with nobody choosing to respond, was a minute clear inside the final 10km.

Tomescu, third in the 2005 world championships, stretched that gap further over the closing stages to win in two hours, 26 minutes and 44 seconds.Pre-race favourite Ndereba beat China's Zhou for silver in a down-to-the-wire sprint as around 50,000 patiently-waiting fans cheered the home favourite.World champion Ndereba, silver medallist four years ago, showed little sign of life in the first part of the race.She hit the half-marathon mark in 26th place and briefly faded from the pack only to gather speed again in the closing stages and finish in 2:27.06, a second ahead of Zhou.Kenya, who have dominated the marathon for decades, have never won Olympic gold in the women's event.Radcliffe, Britain's world record holder, was dropped from the chasing pack just past the 30km mark and was clearly not in top form after spending weeks nursing a thigh injury.Radcliffe was forced to stop at one stage but battled on in visible pain to finish 23rd before bursting into tears after crossing the finish line.

Sunday, August 17, 2008 - 1:02 PM

Australia's women's 4x100 metres medley relay has taken gold ahead of the USA in the final women's event at the Water Cube.

The Australian team of Emily Seebohm, Leisel Jones, Jessicah Schipper and Libby Trickett finished in a new world record time of 3 minutes 52.69.

The Aussies saw off a stiff challenge from the American team featuring Natalie Coughlin, Rebecca Soni, Christine Magnuson and Dara Torres which finished in 3.53.30.

The Chinese team finished with the bronze in a time of 3.56.10.

The turning point in the race came courtesy of a poor second 50 from US backstroker Coughlin giving Seebohm the chance to rein in the deficit to just 0.11 seconds.

Jones then delivered a sizzling breaststroke leg against her conqueror in the 100m final Soni, before Schipper handed Trickett a 0.87 second lead heading into the final 100.

The 100m silver-medallist then held off a challenge by 41-year-old Torres to touch first and also claim her second gold for the Games.

The Australian's victory adds to the shock success of the 4x200m freestyle relay team and brings the women's and whole Australia swimming team's gold medal tally to five.

Sunday, August 17, 2008 - 1:09 PM

Grant Hackett has placed second in the 1,500 metres freestyle behind Oussama Mellouli, denying him the chance to become the first male swimmer to win the same event at three consecutive Games.

Despite a fantastic Olympic record swim in his heat, Hackett could not answer the challenge by the outsider from Tunisia who finished in a time of 14.40.84.

The Australian finished in 14.41.53 well short of his heat swim of 14.38.92 on Friday.

Canadian Ryan Cochrane, who led up to the 1000m, finished third in 14:42.69.

Mellouli, 24, has only recently served out an 18-month doping ban after becoming Tunisia's first swimming world champion with a come-from-behind win in the 800m freestyle at last year's world championships in Melbourne.

Mellouli was subsequently stripped of the gold medal after testing positive for amphetamines and completed his ban in May in time to swim at the Olympics.

Hackett's silver means Australia has failed to win a male individual gold medal at the Water Cube.

"I've got nothing left," a breathless Hackett told Channel Seven after the race.

"I've got to be happy with that. It's disappointing to get so close and get second. My heats swim would have won me that but it's OK. I know I finished with everything I had.

"I have got no regrets - but jeez it would have been nice to have won this."

Hackett refused to be drawn on his future after the race.

"I'm getting a bit older now and i'll wait and see how I feel after a nice long break."

Mellouli said he has been waiting for his moment of glory for two years since his doping ban.

"It's the redemption I wanted and I got it," Mellouli said.

"I had expectations for the 400m freestyle, but this is a great surprise.

"I felt good in the first 400m of this race and at the 800m and 900m I started believing that I could win.

"It was all calculated. I slowed down in the penultimate 100m to save my energy and attack in the final 50m.

Hackett was attempting to join fellow Australian Dawn Fraser, who triumphed in the women's 100m freestyle at the 1956, 1960 and 1964 Games, and Hungarian Krisztina Egerszegi as the only athletes in history to complete the rare hat-trick in the pool.

Despite the unexpected result, Hackett's silver adds to Australia's eight golds and 23 medals in the 1,500m, the country's most successful event at the Olympics.

Sunday, August 17, 2008 - 1:43 PM

Michael Phelps has created Olympic history after winning his eighth gold medal of the Beijing Games in the United States' 4x100 metres medley relay triumph.

Phelps's eighth victory in the Water Cube eclipses fellow American Mark Spitz's 36-year-old record of seven gold medals at the Munich Games.

Swimming the third butterfly leg of the relay, Phelps helped the Americans recapture their lead over the Australian team, who finished with an admirable silver, to win in a world record time of 3 minutes 29.34 seconds.

Australia's team of Hayden Stoeckel, Brenton Rickard, Andrew Lauterstein and Eamon Sullivan finished in 3:30.04 and Japan took bronze in 3:31.18.

Phelps leaves Beijing as the most successful Olympian of all time with 14 gold medals, topping the previous record of nine held jointly by Spitz, Carl Lewis, Finnish distance runner Paavo Nurmi and Soviet gymnast Larysa Latynina.

His emphatic victory came after a mixed final day for the Australians with team captain Grant Hackett falling short of his bid to become the first male swimmer to win three consecutive gold medals in the same event.

Hackett claimed the silver behind Tunisian bolter Oussama Mellouli who finished in a time slower than the 28-year-old Australian's Games record heat time.

The Australian team's campaign was given a lift in the next race however, with a fantastic victory by the women's 4x100 metres medley relay team.

Fitting finale


The Americans were third when Phelps entered the water for the 100m butterfly leg with Australia second, 0.81 seconds behind leader Japan.

But a typically mesmerising second 50m by Phelps helped restore a winning advantage for freestyle anchor swimmer Jason Lezak, who helped secured Phelps's second gold with a famous victory in the 4x100m relay.

Eamon Sullivan tried valiantly to peg back the difference with a 46.65 but fell just short as the swimming meet ended in historic fashion.

Backstroke champion Aaron Peirsol and breaststroker Brendan Hansen completed the other two legs for the US.

Monday, August 18, 2008 - 1:41 AM

Shelly-Ann Fraser has surged to Jamaica's first Olympic women's 100 metres gold medal and led compatriots Sherone Simpson and Kerron Stewart to the event's first national podium sweep.

A day after Usain Bolt claimed a first men's 100m crown for the Caribbean island, 21-year-old Fraser clocked 10.78 seconds to claim the title ahead of her compatriots, who were both awarded silver after a photo finish failed to separate them.

"I can't believe I actually won. Nobody expected me to win, so there was no pressure," Fraser said.

"I'm so excited, I really am, I can't wait to get home."

Simpson and Stewart were given the same time of 10.98 ahead of former world champion Lauryn Williams, the first of a trio of Americans in the race that had been billed as US v Jamaica.

"It's wonderful, the first three for Jamaica. History," Simpson said. "To be silver medallist, I'm really happy, it was a challenging time coming to these Olympics."

Stewart, who like her fellow silver medallist is 24, was equally delighted.

"It's about time, we've been waiting for this, so many great athletes have come so close and we were able to pull it off tonight," she said.

American Muna Lee, who won the US trial last month, was fifth and said she thought one of her rivals had got away early.

"It'll be alright, it was just one of those days," she said. "I felt like someone had false started."

The start did look a bit ragged and Simpson made the early running in the inside lane before Fraser came charging down lane four.

Simpson could have clinched the silver on her own if she had dipped for the line and Stewart's lean forward made the pair inseparable after a several minutes of examination by officials.

For Fraser, the youngest member of the trio who kept world champion Veronica Campbell-Brown out of the event in Beijing, it was a first major title.

Former world champion Torri Edwards of the United States, the fastest woman in the world this year, finished last with Jeanette Kwakye sixth for Britain.

Defending champion Yuliya Nestsiarenka of Belarus failed to reach the final after finishing fifth in her semi-final earlier on Sunday evening.

Monday, August 18, 2008 - 10:31 AM

It wasn't the way he wanted to go out, but six-time Australian Olympian James Tomkins has laid down his oars after a disappointing loss in Beijing.

Tomkins, who is 43, announced his retirement from competitive rowing after the Australian men's eight came last in the Olympic final.

The loss is a frustrating career end for the three-time gold medallist, seven-time world champion and last competing member of the Barcelona 'Oarsome Foursome'.

"We had a fantastic season and I would not have swapped that for anything, but a disappointing, disappointing run," he said.

"It's hard to leave it. I'd love to have another crack. But I don't think it's feasible.

"It is easy to say but there are more important things in life."

An emotional Tomkins wiped away tears as he recounted the details of the race, which was won by Canada almost 10 seconds ahead of Australia.

"We had a really good start and I had a look across. I thought, you beauty here we go, we can have a real crack at this," he said.

"Then I don't know what happened, it was just disappointing in the middle of the race.

"We weren't rowing," Tomkins added.

"We could not row because we were getting washed off by the Poms alongside us, so it was basically paddling to the line.

"I actually had a quick look to the screen to see the finish."

Women last


The Australian women's eight also finished last in their final.

Sarah Tait is only team member remaining from the Athens eight that gained notority when Sally Robbins stopped rowing.

She says the 2008 eight was not looking for redemption.

"Obviously we wanted to do better, but you always want to go into a regatta wanting to get a medal. I don't think that came into it," she said.

Sunday was a disappointing day all-round for the Australians at the rowing, in stark contrast to the two gold medals and one silver won on Saturday.

Head rowing coach Noel Donaldson says there will be a post mortem.

"The rowing events are over," he said.

"Australia's next big medal opportunity is likely to be the sailing.

"But some teams are so far head on points they only have to get in the water on the final to win gold."

Monday, August 18, 2008 - 3:39 PM

Emma Snowsill ended Australia's Olympic triathlon drought when she claimed gold with a dominant win in the women's race in Beijing today.

The pint-sized Snowsill, who missed the Australian team for 2004, burned off fierce rival Vanessa Fernandes of Portugal in the final section to close in 1 hour 58 minutes 27 seconds, a lead of 1:06. Australia's Emma Moffatt took bronze in 1:59:55.84.

Snowsill, 27, had such a commanding lead that she took time to celebrate with fans down the final straight, beaming and waving the Australian flag as she crossed the line.

"I didn't feel awesome," she confided. "It was extremely hard, it was hot. I think it was a great course for a triathlon. It was a really tough course.

"I feel very proud and honoured to be an Australian with a gold medal around my neck at the Olympic Games.

"I believe we came so close in Sydney and Athens that this makes up for those very close defeats.

"I don't feel any regret about not going to Athens, you move on and you deal with it. But to come from a nation that's so strong in terms of triathlon, it's a fantastic feeling to finally bring home a gold medal."

The triple world champion had broken away from a 19-strong lead group at the start of the run leg and was never challenged on the way to the finish.

Australia's Erin Densham was 22nd.

The victory is redemption for the 1.61m 'Snowy' who was overlooked for Athens 2004 but has since collected Commonwealth gold and her second and third world titles with nine World Cup series wins along the way.

And the win ended Australia's run of heartbreak since triathlon became an Olympic event at the Sydney Games.

In 2000 Australia's Michellie Jones was the world number one and favourite to win gold, but finished in second place behind Swiss triathlete Brigitte McMahon.

Four years later Australia's Loretta Harrop was the favourite in Athens, but tired in the final stretch to lose the gold medal to Australian-born Austrian Kate Allen by seven seconds.

How it happened


Sarah Haskins hit the front early in the Ming Tomb Reservoir swim but the athletes were tightly bunched at the first change with American team-mate Laura Bennett narrowly landing first in 19:49.

Bennett maintained her lead through the transition onto the bikes with Japan's Juri Ide and Snowsill in close contention along with Moffatt and Fernandes.

An eight-bike pile-up at the end of lap five dashed the hopes of Canada's Laura Groves and Russian Irina Abysova as riders careered over the barrier and into each other at the hairpin stadium turn.

Moffatt led the standings after the bike race at 1:24:38.76 but Snowsill was off like a shot as she opened up a 15-second lead on Fernandes by the end of the first 2.5km lap and doubled her advantage by the halfway stage.

Snowsill took a wrong turn going into the stadium at the end of lap three but could afford to make mistakes with her lead already stretched to nearly a minute.

The gruelling 'splash/mash/dash' - 1.5km swim, 40km cycle and 10km run - was held at the scenic Ming Tomb Reservoir near Beijing in sunny conditions with temperatures at about 25 C (77 F).

Monday, August 18, 2008 - 4:00 PM

Sailors Nathan Wilmot and Malcolm Page have won Australia's 10th gold medal of the Beijing Games with victory in the men's 470 class today.

Wilmot and Page went into the race with the gold virtually guaranteed, needing only to complete the course as they entered sitting in first place on 42 points, 22 ahead of nearest rival the Netherlands.

The pair held such an advantage after their 10-race opening series that they only had to make a genuine attempt to start the medal race to be assured of gold under racing rules.

They won the title in style, though, taking out the medal race.

Britain's Nick Rogers and Joe Glanfield won silver and France's Nicolas Charbonnier and Olivier Bausset took bronze.

Wilmot, 28, and Page, 36, announced earlier this year they would retire from 470 dinghy sailing after the Beijing Games.

Fellow Australians Elise Rechichi and Tessa Parkinson are poised to take gold when the women's event concludes later today.

Monday, August 18, 2008 - 6:51 PM

Australia's Olympic triathlon champion Emma Snowsill says she poured her "heart and soul" into the sport after being struck by tragedy early in her career.

Snowsill was just 19 when her boyfriend and fellow triathlete Luke Harrop was killed in a hit-and-run accident while bike training on Queensland's Gold Coast.

Several years later, and wearing Australia's first triathlon gold medal in Beijing, Snowsill said the loss had made her realise how lucky she was just to be alive and competing.

"Lessons learned through life are there not necessarily for good or bad reasons, you just have to take them as they are and move on," she reflected.

"I think triathlon is a passion. I've really put my heart and soul into it and every ounce of energy, so I'm very lucky to be able to do that and to be here."

More shocks were to come for Snowsill, who missed Australia's 2004 Olympic team despite winning the first of three world titles a year earlier.

Last year she was staggered to be diagnosed with asthma, raising concerns about her ability to compete in Beijing's notorious smog.

"Everybody has a personal story. I think everybody deals with it in different ways," she said.

"Definitely I can only look forward to tomorrow. You can't change the past, you can only take control of the moment now and the foreseeable future."

The 27-year-old Commonwealth champion ran a blistering road race in clear but hot conditions to seal the title by more than a minute from Vanessa Fernandes of Portugal.

Snowsill's father Garry praised his daughter's hard work, and said she had to make big sacrifices to win gold.

"It's her life, she trains six hours a day, six days a week minimum," he said.

"And you can get a pretty good idea by just looking at her web site, because it shows some of her training programs. She sacrifices a lot."

Monday, August 18, 2008 - 7:45 PM

Women's pair Tessa Parkinson and Elise Rechichi have delivered Australia its second sailing gold medal of the day with victory in the 470 class at Qingdao.

Parkinson and Rechichi, the youngest members of Australia's sailing team, made it an Australian sweep of the 470 class after men's pair Nathan Wilmot and Malcolm Page won their medal race earlier in the day.

The Australian girls took a huge lead into the medal race over their nearest rivals, Dutch pair Marcelien de Koning and Lobke Berkhout.

De Koning and Berkhout won silver and Brazil's Fernanda Oliveira and Isabel Swan claimed bronze.

The only way Parkinson and Rechichi could have lost their grip on gold was if they finished last in the final race and the Dutch pair claimed victory.

But the Brazilian pair won the final race to guarantee Australia gold after they coasted home to finish ninth.

The Australian pair got their medal race tactics right by herding the Dutch out wide on the course in the early skirmishes, relegating their rivals to last at the first mark.

The Dutch were forced to play catch-up and although they steadily worked their way past some stragglers, their chance of gold had gone.

Rechichi said they planned to hook up with Wilmot and Page and party.

"When we crossed the finish line we were screaming and crying and shouting. We're so stunned we cannot stop laughing," she said.

"We're very excited. we're going to the find the boys (Wilmot and Page) and our families and we'll go party."

Parkinson and Rechichi's gold handed Australia its third gold medal on day 10, together with the men's 470 gold and Emma Snowsill's triathlon gold medal.

The women's win took Australia's gold medal tally to 11 so far in Beijing.

Men's gold


Wilmot and Page went into the race with the gold virtually guaranteed, needing only to complete the course as they entered sitting in first place on 42 points, 22 ahead of nearest rival the Netherlands.

The pair held such an advantage after their 10-race opening series that they only had to make a genuine attempt to start the medal race to be assured of gold under racing rules.

They won the title in style, though, taking out the medal race.

Britain's Nick Rogers and Joe Glanfield won silver and France's Nicolas Charbonnier and Olivier Bausset took bronze.

Wilmot, 28, and Page, 36, announced earlier this year they would retire from 470 dinghy sailing after the Beijing Games.

Page did leave the door open for a 2012 campaign, but said his first priority was to head for the dining hall.

"We're going to have a nice buffet with lots of food. We plan on getting fat and as far as another Olympics go, we'll have to wait and see," Page told reporters.

Consistency throughout the regatta had put the triple world champions in a commanding position. They failed to win one of the 10 preliminary races but had seven top-five placings.

"Today we were pretty relaxed and we were joking around," Wilmot said. "We saw all the boats behind us and we thought 'we might as well win our only Olympic medal race'".