Track starts amid strike

NEW DELHI (AP):

After averting the embarrassment of having to delay the start of competition yesterday because of a damaged track, organisers of the Commonwealth Games were dealing with a transit-driver boycott.

Competition started on time for the track and field events yesterday to the surprise of some commentators. Olympic triple jump champion Jonathan Edwards, who saw the condition of the track and the infield on the eve of the events, had described it as "beyond anything that I imagined".

A last-minute rush to fix and clean sections of the track and repair turf in the infield - caused by vehicle and human traffic during Sunday's spectacular opening ceremony - got the stadium in good enough shape for the international track federation to approve it for competition hours before athletes were set to race.

England's Mark Lewis-Francis won the first heat in a men's 100-metre field. World champion Usain Bolt did not compete, joining several high-profile athletes who withdrew before the event.

First gold medal

Uganda's Moses Ndiema Kipsiro won the first gold medal of the track programme, holding off Kenya's Olympic silver medallist Eliud Kipchogem to finish in 13 minutes, 31.25 seconds.

Indian shooters collected two of the other three gold medals at the range yesterday and the host country finished day three of competition with 11 gold medals and 24 medals overall.

Australia lead the way with 21 gold medals and 46 overall after 53 events. Their cyclists collected the first three gold at the velodrome yesterday.

James Goddard won the 200 backstroke, helping England boost their tally to six gold and 26 medals overall.

Press Trust of India reported that 800 bus drivers had stopped turning up for Commonwealth Games duties because of long working hours and heavy security, but organisers were bringing in more than 900 local drivers to replace them. Most are local school bus drivers who are not busy because school and college students are on vacation.

The driver boycott was not among the problems Commonwealth Games Federation president, Mike Fennell, and local organising committee chairman, Suresh Kalmadi, addressed at a news conference yesterday, where Fennell assured that "all systems are go" for the track and field competition.

Negative attention

Fennell admitted that all the negative attention hurt.

"I think that a lot of the adverse publicity leading up to the games has turned off some people, there is no question about that," Fennell said. "You can't hide that. We need to rebuild it so the games can be successful."

World-record holder Gagan Narang has been on target at the shooting range to help shift some of the spotlight to sports. After helping India claim their first gold of the games on Tuesday, he shot a perfect 600 in qualifying for the 10-metre air rifle and set a games record 103.6 points in the final round to win his second New Delhi gold - at the expense of compatriot and Beijing Olympic champion, Abhinav Bindra.

Jason Dunford, a US-based swimmer, won Kenya's first gold of the Games in the 50-meter butterfly, holding off returning veteran Geoff Huegill of Australia and former world record holder, Roland Schoeman, of South Africa.