PRICE ADDS A BRONZE
By Ian Gordon, PA Sport
England's Sarah Price saw her hopes of a backstroke treble dashed at the
Commonwealth Games in Manchester.
The 23-year-old from Enfield finished third in the 50metres event in a
personal best of 29.08seconds having won the 200m earlier tonight to follow-up
her triumph in the 100m.
Australia's Dyana Calub shattered the Games record she set on Friday to take
gold in 28.98 secs.
But it has still been a memorable games for Price who has broken a clutch of
records this week to confirm her emergence as a world force in the backstroke
events.
The bronze took England's tally in the pool to 24 including 10 gold which is
double the tally from the last Games in Kuala Lumpur four years ago.
Calub proved too strong on this occasion as the New South Wales swimmer
completed her comeback after needing reconstruction surgery on a knee last
year.
Canada's Jennifer Carroll made a lightning start and just fended off Price to
take silver in 29.05secs.
England's swimmers bagged more medals in the 200m individual medley as Adrian
Turner took the silver and James Goddard the bronze behind Australia's Justin
Norris.
Turner, who won bronze in Friday's 400m medley, continued his remarkable
comeback from a life-threatening illness by smashing his personal best to grab
his second medal in 2:02.10.
The 25-year-old was struck down by illness on a Christmas break to Scotland in
1999 and doctors feared he might die at one stage.
Goddard had led as the swimmers turned for the final time but was overhauled
in the final metres though his time of 2:02.45 was also a career best and
brought him a medal in his first major Games.
Norris followed up his victory in the 400m free by triumphing in 2:01.32 with
a powerful finish on the freestyle leg.
But the silver and bronze took England's medal tally for the night to 10
matching the tally last Thursday which was hailed as the greatest performance by
the team at the Games.
The women's 4x100m freestyle team picked up England's 11th medal of the night -
three gold, four silver and four bronze - as Australian avenged their defeat in
the 200m freestyle relay.
The quartet of Melanie Marshall, Rosaling Brett, Karen Legg and Karen
Pickering finished in 3mins 41.47secs with the Australian's triumphing in a
Games record of 3mins 40.41secs.
Canada were third in 3mins 45.33secs while Scotland, including 50m gold
medallist Alison Sheppard, took fourth (3:46.08) and Wales fifth (3:52.00).
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