NEW DELHI: Tight security featuring gun-toting police on top of steel barricades kept most of the spectators away during a Commonwealth Games women's cycling road race won by Rochelle Gilmore of Australia Sunday. It was a perfect day for the race - moderate temperatures, sunny skies and a scenic course through some of the most picturesque parts of downtown New Delhi, including the famous India Gate and Presidential Palace. Even a dog and a monkey sighted on the course didn't bother the competitors. Gilmore won in a sprint finish in 2 hours, 49 minutes and 30 seconds. Elizabeth Armistead of England was second and another Australian, Chloe Hosking, took bronze. Another Australian, Allan Davis, won the men's road race of 168km later Sunday in a sprint finish over Hayden Roulston of New Zealand in a time of 3:40.48. David Millar of Scotland took bronze. Pre-race favorite and Tour de France sprinter Mark Cavendish finished seventh. But the morning race, staged over eight laps of a 13.7-kilometer course, was almost devoid of fans. Television footage showed mostly soldiers and other security officials standing behind the fenced and barrier-laden course. The lack of crowds didn't bother Gilmore. “Perhaps it was for the best in terms of security,” she said. “We knew a lot of spectators would be watching us on TV.” Gilmore's victory comes after Australian cyclists won 12 of 14 gold medals on the track. It was a Kiplagat kind of evening at the nearly full Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, where 800-meter runner Boaz Kiplagat Lalang led the way to win gold in 1 minute, 46.60 seconds. Richard Kiplagat was next in 1:46.95 and Abraham Kiplagat took bronze in 1:47.37. David Greene of Wales surprised defending champion Louis van Zyl in the men's 400 hurdles, beating the South African to the finish line in 48.52 seconds. Van Zyl was second in 48.63 and Rhys Williams of Wales took bronze in 49.19. In the women's 400 hurdles, Muizat Ajoke Odumosu of Nigeria won in 55.28, followed by Eilidh Child of Scotland in 55.62 and Nickiesha Wilson of Jamaica in 56.06. Nicole Forrester of Canada won the women's high jump, clearing 1.91 meters. The men's discus gold medal went to Benn Harradine of Australia, who threw 65.45 meters. Azhar Hussain of Pakistan won the Commonwealth Games freestyle wrestling 55kg gold, beating Ebikewenimo Welson of Nigeria in the final. Anil Kumar of India took the bronze. Diving began its four-day run and Canada took both golds Sunday. Meanwhile, organizing committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi said a volunteer on the organizing committee had been reported to police over the alleged sale of counterfeit tickets. Local media also reported that two people were arrested for scalping Games tickets and that some Games credentials were also sold illegally. Commonwealth Games Federation President Mike Fennell said 850 of the planned 1,500 doping tests at the Games had been conducted, and that 600 tests that have been returned were all negative. Somdev Devvarman of India became the first Commonwealth Games men's singles champion Sunday cruising to a 6-4, 6-2 win over Greg Jones of Australia. There was a positive tone Sunday from Bhubaneswar Kalita, India's chef de mission. Despite a host of problems at the Commonwealth Games - late construction of venues, transportation and security concerns and clogged roads - Kalita said he remained optimistic that India would one day hold an Olympics. “Yes, our good performance and hosting games like this will definitely step forward (the bid) to host the Olympics in India,” Kalita said. – Agencies Medals Table Nation G S B Total Australia 61 36 37 134 India 29 22 22 73 England 26 45 30 101 Canada 22 12 25 59 South Africa 9 11 9 29 Nigeria 8 7 11 26 Malaysia 6 7 7 20 Kenya 6 4 4 14 Singapore 5 5 6 16 Samoa 3 0 1 4 New Zealand 2 16 5 23 Scotland 2 8 6 16 Jamaica 2 3 1 6 Pakistan 2 1 0 3 Wales 1 5 6 12 Bahamas 1 1 1 3 Botswana 1 0 1 2 Cyprus 1 0 1 2 Nauru 1 0 0 1 Uganda 1 0 0 1 Trinidad 0 2 2 4 Cameroon 0 1 2 3 N. Ireland 0 1 1 2 Sri Lanka 0 1 1 2 PNG 0 1 0 1 Seychelles 0 1 0 1 St. Vincent 0 1 0 1 Ghana 0 0 2 2 Isle of Man 0 0 2 2 Namibia 0 0 2 2 Bangladesh 0 0 1 1 Guyana 0 0 1 1 St. Lucia 0 0 1 1 __
