Weightlifter stripped of gold medal

Commonwealth Games weightlifting champion Amalaha’s backup doping sample confirms a banned substance.

Amalaha had tested positive for diuretics and masking agents [AP]

The 16-year-old Nigerian weightlifter Chika Amalaha has been stripped of her gold medal after a positive doping test.

Amalaha tested positive for diuretics and masking agents after winning the 53kg division last Friday, becoming the youngest female to win a weightlifting title at a Commonwealth Games.

The CGF said Friday the backup “B” sample also came back positive. The federation said Amalaha “has been disqualified from her event at the games” and has returned her medal.

The gold now goes to Dika Toua of Papua New Guinea.

Earlier, England added to its burgeoning gold-medal lead at the Commonwealth Games when divers Jack Laugher and Chris Mears won the synchronised three-metre springboard.

Medals table (Top-5)
  GSBTotal
England 454140126
2Australia 3637 41 114 
3Canada2713 26 66
4Scotland1413 16 43 
5India  13 20 15 48 

Laugher and Mears won England’s 45th gold with nearly three days of competition remaining. It was Laugher’s second gold of the games – he won the individual one-metre springboard on Wednesday.

Australia, which led the medal standings for most of the first week after dominating in the swimming pool, had 36 golds. It has won the gold-medal race at every Commonwealth Games since 1990.

No Ebola

Meanwhile, Games officials said a Sierra Leone cyclist passed tests for the Ebola virus and competed.

“There is no Ebola in the athletes’ village,” a games statement said. “We can confirm an athlete was tested for a number of things when he fell ill last week, including Ebola. The tests were negative and the athlete competed in his event on Thursday.” 

Rudisha beaten

Botswana’s Nijel Amos produced a stunning late surge to land the 800m gold medal and shock Olympic champion David Rudisha on Thursday.

Amos, who took silver behind Rudisha at London 2012, looked to be boxed in as the Kenyan led on the final straight but found a burst of pace in the last 50 metres to win in one minute 45.18 seconds.

Rudisha, who broke the world record on his way to Olympic gold, took silver with South African Andre Olivier snatching bronze on a wet night in Glasgow.