Cornel Fredericks 2014 Commonwealth Games

Team South Africa added two more gold and three bronze medals to their tally on Day 8 of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games on Thursday, with athletics, bowls and wrestling providing the highlights.

This brings the total number of medals to 36, exceeding the haul at the 2010 Delhi Games by three.

Hurdler Cornel Fredericks went out hard from the blocks to lead on the bend ahead of world champion Jehue Gordon of Trinidad and Tobago.

“As I ran round the final bend I remembered my former coach from UK, Bruce Longden, telling me to ‘stay tall and run fast’ and that came into my mind.

“I just stayed tall and gave my everything,” said Fredericks, who had decided that this was his day and that he would capitalise on the Commonwealth Games season that is traditionally an easier one for the American continental athletes.

“Yesterday I told myself I needed a good lane draw so I ensured I won the semi,” added the 24-year-old, who ran his personal best of 48.42 in the Paris Diamond League.

“This season I have raced well against top athletes and I trained hard in the off-season. Today it paid off in the major championships.”

Fredericks clocked a 48.50, only 0.08 seconds off his best, to take the gold with Gordon scoring a season best of 48.75, and Bahama’s Jeffrey Gibson third in a new national record time of 48.78.

Article taken from the www.iol.co.za website.