Athletes banned, protesters arrested at Games
final and was due to compete on Saturday. Thodi finished 13th in the 20-kilometre race walk last Sunday.
Up to five protesters were arrested and one man was in the hospital following a confrontation with police at an open shopping mall at Broadbeach, which is hosting numerous cultural activities relating to the games.
Police said four men were arrested in the mall precinct and another man was arrested for a breach of bail.
A group of indigenous activists had earlier been attempting to disrupt a live broadcast of the Seven Network’s Sunrise program. In March, the program aired a segment on the welfare of indigenous children that has angered aboriginal leaders who described it as racist. Activists have staged protests during the games to highlight the issues of Aboriginal people, who are the most disadvantaged ethnic group in Australia by most measures from health, to employment and rates of imprisonment.
In other news today from around the games:
HUGHES REDEMPTION
The morning after he was disqualified from the 200-metre final after crossing in first place, Zharnel Hughes helped England qualify fastest for the final of the 4x100 relay.
Hughes had been given the provisional win in a photo finish with Jareem Richards and did a victory lap after the 200 but was later disqualified when officials reviewed a tangle between the runners near the finish. Hughes was ruled to have impeded Richards when their arms collided.
“It’s heart-breaking but I have to refocus. I have to live with it,” he said. “It was a bit of a nightmare, but it wasn’t intentional. I’m OK. We have great team spirit and the guys have been very supportive and I wanted to do my best for them. It was important that we got into the final.”
The England team qualified fastest for Saturday’s final in 38.15 seconds, with Yohan Blake anchoring the Jamaica relay to second in 38.44. Canada was disqualified.
South Africa won the first heat with Akani Simbine overtaking Australia over the last 50 metres. Trinidad and Tobago didn’t get the baton around after a mix up at the second change.
GOLD FOR DALEY
Tom Daley and Daniel Goodfellow won gold for England in the men’s 10-metre platform synchro with 405.81 points. Another England pair, Matthew Dixon and Noah Williams, took silver with 399.99 points.
Earlier this week, Daley, a former world champion in the platform and bronze medallist at the 2012 Olympics, withdrew from the individual platform event because of a recurring hip injury.
FOUR GOLDS
Rhythmic gymnast Diamanto Evripidou of Cyprus won two more gold medals to give her four for the games. The 18-yearold Evripidou had already won gold medals in the team event and individual all-around, and added the hoops and ball to her collection. She was prevented from winning a record six golds when Canada’s Sophie Crane won the clubs and Kwan Dict Weng of Malaysia took gold in the ribbons.
Evripidou has broken both her legs in separate training or competition incidents over the past two years.
“It means everything,” she said of her all-around gold. “All those years that I worked through all the injuries and everything. It really means a lot.”