Dope cheat stuns India, Sri Lanka celebrate

Delhi's Commonwealth Games suffered the hammer blow of a homegrown drugs cheat on Wednesday while Sri Lanka's first boxing gold in 72 years was compared to winning the cricket World Cup.

Rani Yadav, who placed sixth in the women's 20km walk, tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone.

She became the third anti-doping violation of the Games after 110m hurdler Samuel Okon and women's 100m gold medallist Osayemi Oludamola, both Nigerians, tested positive for stimulants.

Organising committee secretary general Lalit Bhanot said it was unfortunate that an athlete from the host nation had cheated.

"It is unfortunate. We try our level best to obey the regulations," he said.

"We and the government are very serious about this. We did a lot of out-of-competition tests and in-competition tests, but still someone tests positive and it is a difficult situation."

The doping setback cooled celebrations from Tuesday which had seen the women's 4x400m relay team become India's first ever women's track champions in the history of the Games.

On the penultimate day of Delhi 2010, 27 gold medals were being decided with 10 in boxing.

Manju Wanniarachchi won Sri Lanka's first boxing gold since 1938 as British fighters dominated the first session of the finals.

The 30-year-old lingerie factory worker from Kandy beat Wales' Sean McGoldrick in the bantamweight division.

His was the only non-British win in the first five of 10 fights, which saw Northern Ireland take two golds - their first since 1994 - and England and Scotland get a gold medal each.

Wanniarachchi was awarded the fight for being the most aggressive boxer after he and 18-year-old McGoldrick were 7-7 on points after the third round.

His manager Dian Gomes told AFP: "It's a great victory for us after 72 years. It means so much for boxing in Sri Lanka. This is one of the greatest victories of all time. It's as good as winning the cricket World Cup."

Northern Ireland's stirring anthem "Danny Boy" was played twice on the podium after European champion Paddy Barnes won the light-flyweight crown and Paddy Gallagher was victorious in the welterweight division.

Australia won their second successive women's hockey gold with a nerve-wracking 4-2 win over New Zealand on penalties.

Jessica Nicole scored the winner while Krystal Forgesson missed her attempt in the shoot-out after the scores were tied 2-2 at the end of the regulation period and extra-time.

Scotland's David Millar took the time trial cycling gold, winning by nearly a minute in the searing Delhi heat and in an event where once again spectators were largely absent.

Millar, hot off a bronze medal in the men's 168km road race, set a blistering pace to outgun his rivals in the first half of the 40km ride before pulling further ahead as the mercury hit 44C (111F) at the Noida Expressway.

"It was a very physical course, like being on a treadmill," he said. "It hurt.

Meanwhile, Singapore, Scotland, England and Malaysia all won gold medals on the final day of the shooting competition.

It was a subdued day though for hosts India who were unable to add to their gold medal haul in the final four small bore events.

The biggest disappointment came when ace rifle-shooter Gagan Narang, aiming for his fifth title, failed to qualify for the finals of the 50m rifle prone event.

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