Games suffer a double blow

Commonwealth Games : The Commonwealth Games in Melbourne suffered a double blow this morning after it was confirmed that two…

Commonwealth Games: The Commonwealth Games in Melbourne suffered a double blow this morning after it was confirmed that two Indian weightlifters had failed doping tests and half the Sierra Leone team had disappeared.

Officials announced that Raju Edwin and Tajinder Singh had both tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid Stanozolol while Australian police began searching for the missing athletes after the government issued a warning to competitors seeking asylum.

Australia won gold medals in diving and athletics to extend their massive lead at the top of the standings. Australia had 67 golds midway through the ninth day of competition to hold a comfortable lead over England (24), India (20), Canada (17), South Africa (11) and Scotland (10).

Meanwhile, defending champions England embarrassingly crashed out of the 4x100 metres relay. Marlon Devonish and Mark Lewis-Francis failed to exchange the baton on the final takeover after Lewis-Francis appeared to set off too early.

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It summed up a disastrous Games for the sprinters with Devonish last in the 100m final and no British representative in the 200m final for the first time since 1966.

Lewis-Francis was also disqualified from the heats of the 100m for a false start, Campbell disqualified from the 200m for running outside his lane, and Christian Malcolm and Jason Gardener flew home early through injury.