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d, "and to do that in Philly takes guts." A
GLASGOW -- Sultana Frizell spent her pre-Games training camp in Portugal working out in her bathing suit, throwing someone elses hammers. Buffalo Sabres Shirts . Her bag had been lost in transit. It wasnt the perfect preparation Frizell had planned, but she shrugged it off Monday night by capturing hammer throw gold at the Commonwealth Games -- breaking the Games record three times in the process. "I didnt have my hammers or my throwing gear. Or underwear. For about six days," Frizell said with a smirk. "That was fun. I threw in my bathing suit." The 29-year-old from Perth, Ont., threw 71.69 metres to claim gold, but left Hampden Park disappointed that she didnt come closer to the Canadian record of 75.73 she threw earlier this season. "Im very happy to win gold again and move the Commonwealth record a little bit further," she said. "It wasnt as far as I would have liked it ... I was feeling in good form and I thought I was going to do a little more today, but it wasnt in the tank today. "But you know what, it was a great day." Tim Nedow of Brockville, Ont., added a bronze in the mens shot put later in the night, and Damian Warner of London, Ont., ended Day 1 of the decathlon with an 84-point lead. Swimmer Audrey Lacroix of Pont-Rouge, Que., also won gold for Canada on Monday, finishing first in the womens 200-metre butterfly. Brittany MacLean of Toronto made the podium at the pool as well, winning bronze in the womens 800-metre freestyle and breaking her own Canadian record in the process. Edmonton weightlifter Marie-Josee Ares-Pilon captured bronze in the 69-kilogram womens class and Pascal Plamondon of Ascot Corner, Que., won bronze in the mens 85-kilo category. "I was nervous, but not more than any other competition," said Ares-Pilon. "Every time I perform I become a little nervous but that is healthy and normal. I try to stay in the moment because that is what is important." Canada was tied for sixth in the overall medal standings with 24 total medals (nine gold, three silver, 12 bronze). Australia is in top spot with 87 (30-25-32). Frizell came in as the defending champion, having won the event four years ago in New Delhi, India. She opened the night with a throw of 70.55 to break the Games record of 68.92 shed set in qualifying a day earlier. She bettered that again on her fifth of six throws. The fans that squeezed into Hampden Park -- Scotlands famous national soccer stadium -- to watch the first day of track and field roared when she stepped into the circle for her final throw. "I thought, Id better not screw it up ... pffft, ... and I did," said Frizell, who ended the night with a 70.60 toss. The five-foot-10 thrower was actually a figure skater growing up, competing in ice dance until she was 16 -- a sport thats a polar opposite to hammer throwing. "We look pretty twirling," she joked, about hammer throwing. "I just grew too much for figure skating, for jumping and stuff. Every year I would grow." She also played volleyball and basketball in high school and then, forced to pick between track and soccer during the spring high school season, she went with track. "And I was going to throw. Because I didnt want to run," Frizell said. Frizell reeled off one joke after another with the media in the mixed zone after her event, but the thrower is a fierce competitor when she steps into the ring. "Its game time," she explained. "You just walk out there like I walked out there today, and its game time. "You come off, its relax time, youre done, you left it all out there on the track and youre done." Nedow, meanwhile, threw 20.59 to capture the shot put bronze in a field missing injured Canadian-record holder Dylan Armstrong. ODayne Richards of Jamaican threw a Games-record 21.61 for gold, while Tom Walsh of New Zealand was second with 21.19. "It was a great competition, two guys breaking the Commonwealth Games record, that just shows how stacked the field is," Nedow said. The 23-year-old trains with Frizell and Armstrong as part of the throws program coached by Anatoliy Bondarchuk and Derek Evely in Kamloops, B.C. "Were all fun on the side but when it comes to training, were serious," Nedow said. "That helps a lot ... its almost a competition every day." Warner, meanwhile, is on pace to win the mens decathlon as the leader after Day 1. The 24-year-old from London, Ont., ran 10.29 in the 100 metres to begin the day, breaking the Games record held by British legend Daley Thompson. "Yeah the 100 was good," Warner said. "When I was about halfway down (the track), I thought, Please say 10.29. Just because I wanted to dip under that 10.30. I got it and Im pretty happy with that." He finished the day just two points off where he was after Day 1 at last summers world championships where he won bronze. But he gave up about 100 points in the high jump, he said -- 100 points that would have put him within striking distance of Michael Smiths Canadian record of 8,626 he set in 1996. "Pleased with everything except for high jump," Warner said. "I would have liked to get around the 2.05 range. But I guess I have to settle with 1.96 and make up the points in other places." Warner planned to head straight to the athletes village for dinner, a massage and then sleep before Day 2 began at 10 oclock Tuesday morning. A rowdy crowd turned out to watch both the morning qualifying events and the evening finals at Hampden Park. The storied stadium has been transformed for track and field by raising the surface almost two metres and extending the track over the existing lower eight rows of seats. Hampden Park seats 44,000 now, but it will be returned to a 52,000-seat soccer stadium following the Games. The venue has seen some huge crowds over the years. One of the biggest was back in 1937 when nearly 150,000 people squeezed in to watch a Scotland-England soccer game. Fake Sabres Jerseys . Among the six changes: Drivers are now eligible if they have competed for 30 or more years in NASCAR or turned 55 in the calendar year before nominating day. Previously, drivers were not eligible until they had been retired for three years, so drivers can continue to compete and still reach the hall. Custom Buffalo Sabres Jerseys . Parmelee hit a game-ending shot in the ninth inning and the Minnesota Twins overcame David Ortizs big night to beat the Boston Red Sox 8-6 on Tuesday. PHILADELPHIA -- The 76ers have a catchy anthem they play at every home game, a decades-old tune with a chorus the fans belt out: "1-2-3-4-5-Sixers." Now, they can count all the way to 19. The Sixers losing streak goes on, and a dubious franchise-tying skid is just a defeat away. Paul George scored 25 points and David West had 18 to help the Indiana Pacers beat Philadelphia 101-94 on Friday night, sending the 76ers to their 19th straight loss. With a loss to Memphis on Saturday, the Sixers can tie the franchise record for consecutive defeats in a single season. The Sixers lost 20 straight games from Jan. 9, 1973-Feb. 11, 1973 in a 9-73 season. The NBA record for consecutive losses in a season is 26 set by the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers. "We need every break we can get if we are going to beat a team," first-year coach Brett Brown said. The Sixers last won on Jan. 29 on Evan Turners buzzer-beater at Boston. Turner was traded to the Pacers at the Feb. 20 deadline and is now a key reserve on a team expected to make a deep run in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Pacers boast Turner, Lavoy Allen and Andrew Bynum, all former Sixers who were expected to turn the franchise into contenders last season. When that plan backfired, the Sixers decided to rebuild, cleaning house of most of their rotation players and set their aim on the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 draft. Thaddeus Young led the Sixers with 25 points on 10 of 31 shooting and had 10 assists. Unlike the 76ers, the Pacers have tons of talent and the top spot in the East. They raced to a 17-point lead in the first half, then held off a spirited run by the Sixers that saw the lead sliced to five midway through the fourth. The Sixers came up empty on five straight possessions before Young hit two free throws to make it 87-84. Young, the longest-tenured Sixers player, made it 93-90 on a jumper that put them on the brink of ending their losing skid. George, though, hit a tough, driving layup and George Hill buried a baseline 3-pointer for an eight-point cushion, and the Pacers averted the upset. "This game could have easily been a blowout-type of game," George said. "Youve got to give them credit, they kept battling." The PPacers are happy to have the ex-Sixers trio aboard, strengthening a bench that needed some offensive punch. Stitched Sabres Jerseys. Bynum sat out Friday night to rest his achy knees, the same ailment that cost him all of last season with the Sixers. Hundreds of fans turned out to the National Constitution Center for Bynums public press conference after he was acquired from the Los Angeles Lakers in an August 2012 trade. He was supposed to be the missing piece for a franchise coming off a run to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Bynum was a bust, the first string pulled in the unraveling of a franchise. Bynum had eight points and 10 rebounds in a win Tuesday against Boston -- his first game in nearly 2 1/2 months. "I finally got on the court with him," Turner said. "It was like the 80th-something attempt since I met him. Im glad hes halfway healthy. Had he played (in Philly), we probably would have still been rocking." Bynum wants to be a factor in the post-season, so hell rest against teams like the Sixers. "I need to get game minutes, obviously," said Bynum, Indianas 7-foot centre. "But I dont want to miss four or five consecutive days. The whole point is to stay around and play as many games as possible." Allen scored a season-high 13 points on 6-of-6 shooting and Turner had two points. Hill had 14 points and Lance Stephenson had 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Pacers. Indiana was 39 of 67 from the floor compared to Philadelphias 35 of 90. "I think were playing some pretty good basketball," George said. Turner, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2010 draft, earned a video tribute and a smattering of applause when he checked into the game. Turner was never a difference maker for the Sixers, and his failure to make a significant impact could serve as a scary reminder that team president/general manager Sam Hinkies plan to rebuild through the draft could hit some significant potholes. "Youve got to have a plan," Turner said, "and to do that in Philly takes guts." And a whole lot of losses. Notes: The 76ers signed G Darius Johnson-Odom to a 10-day contract. They also waived G Lorenzo Brown. ... Bynum hopes to play Saturday when the Pacers are at Detroit. ' ' '
- Created: Dec 24 '19
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