SA sprint stars ruled out
Sept. 29: South Africa landed a double blow to the Commonwealth Games, with 800m world champion Caster Semenya and men’s 800m world champion Mbulaeni Mulaudzi becoming the latest high-profile athletes to opt. While Semenya withdrew citing a back injury, Mulaudzi was ruled out with back and hamstring problems.
However, there was some good news as South African long jumper Khotso Mokoena said he would compete after receiving an all-clear for a leg muscle problem that had restricted the Olympic silver medallist’s training over the past two months.
Hours after her mentor Michael Seme stated that she would be fit in time for the October 3 to 14 event, Athletics South Africa withdrew Semenya’s name saying that the star runner would be risking a major injury if she travelled to Delhi.
“Caster has been experiencing back pain for some period of time and continued to have pain after competing in a cross-country event at the weekend,” South Africa’s Commonwealth Games chief Tubby Reddy said.
“Our doctor has since examined her and ... (the) scan confirmed that she most certainly has a back problem. We are satisfied that this is a bona fide injury and as such Athletics South Africa feel that we are not in a position to compromise her health by risking her competing at New Delhi,” he added.
Operation clean-up a success: delhi CM
With the Games now just three days from being declared open, Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit said on Wednesday the cleaning of the Games Village, which came under severe criticism after being described as “filthy” and “uninhabitable” by players and officials, was complete. Dikshit visited the village on the day and expressed happiness at the timely completion of the clean-up job.
“The work at the Games Village is complete. All the lifts in the village are functional and the flats are ready,” Dikshit said.
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