Jamaica’s Clarke emerges fastest man of Delhi 2010

Jamaica’s Clarke emerges fastest man of Delhi 2010 :

Jamaican Leron Clarke became the fastest man of the XIX Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi clocking the second quickest time of 10.12 seconds on Indian soil.

In the men’s event, Clarke won Gold recording the second fastest time in India after the 10.10 s by Samuel Francis of Qatar in the 2007 World Military Games in Hyderabad.

Clarke led the eight-man field from the beginning after being the third fastest to kick out of the block and he eased through the finishing line with his hands raised.

His 10.12 s effort was a tad less than his season’s best of 10.10s and also below his personal best of 9.99 s.
Englishman Mark Lewis Francis, who won a Silver in the European Championships, was second with a timing of 10.2 s while Trinidad and Tobago’s Aaron Armstrong was third with 10.24 s.

Addressing a press conference after the 100 m dash at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Clarke said he practised hard
for the Games and the slew of star pull outs can’t take away the sheen from his triumph.

“It is the Commonwealth Games, it is a big thing. I will take that way,” he told reporters after clocking 10.12 s”.

“I had practised hard for this event and it’s an awesome feeling that I have won a Commonwealth Games Gold. I had never felt bad,” he said.

Lewis-Francis, who won Silver in the European Championships in July, said he and his coach and former Commonwealth Games Gold medallist Linford Christie, was gearing up for the mega-event and he was happy that he bagged his only second medal in a big competition.

“I was waiting for this event and my coach was telling to go for this. So I am happy that I won my second medal of any big event (after the European Championships). I ran a very good race though I am not taking anything away from Leron’s win,” he added.

Clarke and Lewis-Francis were also felt there were no deficiencies in the facilities at the Games Village and at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, saying they were world class.

Asked the Games Village, Clarke said, “I had not raised anything against the Games Village. I felt great about the Games Village, the food and the training areas. I have no issues.”

Lewis-Francis was effusive in his praise of the facilities, saying that his Silver win today will be something to be remembered in his career.

“This is the best venue I have ever run a race. The track is fast and the stadium is superb and the crowd is fantastic. This is the only second time I have won a medal in a big event, I am going to remember this for a long time,” he said. –