Clarke and Pearson crowned sprint king and queen

NEW DELHI: Jamaica's Lerone Clarke made the most of Usain Bolt's absence to claim the Commonwealth Games 100m gold on Thursday while Australia's Sally Pearson controversially powered to the women's crown.

Clarke, the only man in the final to have broken 10 seconds in the past two years, dipped over the line in 10.12 to capitalise on world record holder Bolt and fellow Jamaican, defending champion Asafa Powell, choosing not to compete.

It was a powerful run in hot and humid conditions but, ultimately, very slow and a long way off Ato Boldon's Commonwealth record of 9.88 and even further behind Bolt's 9.58 world record.

English hope Mark Lewis-Francis followed up his recent European championship silver with another one here, clocking 10.20 at a half-empty Jawaharlal Nehru stadium.

Trinidad and Tobago's Aaron Amstrong grabbed bronze in 10.24, but there was huge disappointment for promising young Jamaican Oshane Bailey who pulled up injured after the semi-finals and didn't race the final.

Lewis-Francis said he should have won, but his block slipped.

Pearson became Australia's first Commonwealth Games 100m champion in 36 years when she crushed the field in 11.28 seconds, although England lodged a protest that could yet see her demoted.

No medal ceremony was held and Australian team officials at the track said England had protested after Pearson was apparently not penalised for a false start.

Instead, England's Laura Turner was held responsible, although after some animated words with judges on the start line she ran the race under appeal, only to finish last.

She held off Nigeria's Osayemi Oludamola (11.32) and Natasha Mayers of St Vincent and The Grenadines (11.37) for the title.

Canada's Sultana Frizell, meanwhile, threw a new Games record of 68.57 metres to win the women's hammer gold while Canada's Dylan Armstrong won the men's shot put with a Games record throw of 21.02.

In other events, Botswana's Amantale Montsho was fastest into the women's 400m final on Friday in 50.80, almost a second ahead of Guyana's Tabitha Pompey.

Earlier, Viola Kibiwot was the quickest into the women's 1,500m final as Kenya looks to reclaim its dominance of distance racing in Delhi after their men failed to win the 5,000m gold.

Kibiwot, fifth at the 2008 Olympics, won her heat ahead of England's Helen Clitheroe and New Zealand's Nikki Hamblin and was five seconds faster than the woman who beat her to the title in Beijing, fellow Kenyan Nancy Langat.

Langat ran in the second, slower heat, and won comfortably in 4:13.62 to keep plenty in reserve.