GOLD COAST, Australia, April 14, 2018 - (News agnencies) - Australian cyclist Chloe Hosking hung on during a wild sprint finish with four other competitors to win the gold medal Saturday in the women's road race at the Commonwealth Games. Hosking held off several challenges over the past 200 meters from eventual silver medal winner Georgia Williams of New Zealand and Wales rider Danielle Rowe, who took bronze. Those podium finishers, along with fourth-place Sharlotte Lucas of New Zealand and fifth-place Sarah Roy of Australia, were all given the same time of 3 hours, 2 minutes, 18 seconds for the 112.2-kilometer race on a loop course on the Currumbin beachfront. "It was just pure relief, it's so special to have won on home soil," Hosking said. "Lots of people say road cycling at the Commonwealth Games is not a big deal, but you know what? I'm Commonwealth champion." She received plenty of tactical help during the race from her five fellow Australians."I wish all of the girls could have 'Commonwealth Games winner' on their CV," Hosking said. "I really couldn't have won without them." In women's boxing, Mary Kom of India made a successful return to the ring by beating Kristina O'Hara of Northern Ireland in a unanimous decision in the gold medal match in the 45 to 48 kilogram division. Kom is a former five-time world amateur champion who won a bronze medal in the 51-kilogram division at the London Olympics in 2012.The 35-year-old mother of three is now a politician in the Upper House of the Indian parliament. In men's basketball semifinals, Australia, paced by Jesse Wagstaff's 17 points, had no trouble advancing to Sunday's gold medal final, beating Scotland 103-46. They will play the winner of the later semifinal between New Zealand and Canada. Australia, led by Dallas WNBA center Liz Cambage, plays England in the women's gold medal basketball final on Saturday night. New Zealand will play Canada for the bronze medal. Australia will try to win its sixth consecutive gold medal in men's field hockey when it plays New Zealand, also on Saturday evening. The games, which began April 4, end Sunday with the men's and women's marathon, rugby sevens finals and the closing ceremony. Kom wins gold medal in boxing Mary Kom is back on the international stage in boxing. The mother of three and now politician in India made a successful return to the ring at a major multi-sports event on Saturday. She beat Kristina O'Hara of Northern Ireland in a 5-0 unanimous decision in the gold medal match in the 45-48 kilogram division at the Commonwealth Games. Kom, 35, is a former five-time world amateur champion who won a bronze medal in the 51-kilogram division at the London Olympics in 2012, but failed to qualify for the Rio de Janeiro Games in 2016. She competed in the Asian championships last November in the first stage of a comeback and won gold."Even my sports minister came to cheer me on, my country will be very proud," said Kom, who is a member of Upper House in India's Parliament. She said she may give the Olympics another attempt — "if I am fit enough, I will go for Tokyo 2020.""My dreams are not fulfilled yet because (no) Olympic gold medal," she said. "So if my body allows, I will go." O'Hara said she was "quite proud" of her performance."But at the end of the day she (Kom) is a well-known boxer, a credit to her country, so the greatest of respect to her," O'Hara said. Chopra reaps javelin gold for India Neeraj Chopra became India's first javelin champion at the Commonwealth Games and joined the country's small band of athletics gold medallists with a mighty throw of 86.47m on Saturday. A farmer's son from a village outside of Delhi, the 20-year-old said staying relaxed was the key after he won by nearly four metres from Australia's Hamish Peacock on the Gold Coast. With his surprise win, Chopra becomes only the third Indian man to win athletics gold at the Commonwealths, after Milkha "Flying Sikh" Singh in 1958 and Vikas Gowda in 2014. "I don't remember which throw it was. I tried to get my personal best but I got my season best," said the junior world champion, after falling just one centimetre short of his best throw yet. "In my desperation for a personal best, I tried so hard that I tumbled over in my last two attempts," added Chopra, who is trained by former world record-holder Uwe Hohn. "I've tried to enjoy myself here and not focus on any negatives. You definitely get distracted by that." Chopra, who used to dabble in cricket as a child, was one of several Indian successes on the final day of full competition, following Mary Kom's boxing win and Sanjeev Rajput's victory in the 50m rifle three positions. His path to gold was made a little easier after former world champion and Olympic silver medallist Julius Yego of Kenya failed to qualify for final round. "I've been totally relaxed here, I've enjoyed myself," said Chopra, flashing the smile that had a sun-soaked Gold Coast crowd eating out of his hand. "Most of the time people put too much pressure on themselves before the competition, thinking about food and sleeping and what not. "One shouldn't be too serious in life, it's good to be disciplined but you should not overdo food restrictions," he added, waxing lyrical on a host of subjects. "I tried to be natural because I was completely confident in how I've prepared myself. As competition continued on Saturday, India had 21 gold medals to lie third on the overall table, behind hosts Australia and England. Meanwhile, Australia's Skye Nicolson dedicated her victory to the tragic late brother she never met as England topped the final medals table in Commonwealth Games boxing on Saturday. In front of her watching parents and a willing home crowd on Australia's Gold Coast, the 22-year-old Nicolson benefited from a debatable split-points decision in her featherweight final against the unfortunate Michaela Walsh of Northern Ireland. Boxing is in the blood of her family but Nicolson never met either of her brothers Jamie and Gavin after they were killed in a car crash in 1994 while on their way to training. Nicolson was born a year later and feels particularly close to Jamie, who was an Olympic and then professional fighter with a big future before his life was cut short. Her parents say that she looks and boxes like Jamie, who won Commonwealth bronze in 1990. "I had a little chat with them (the deceased brothers) before I went in (the ring) and they were definitely in there with me," Nicolson, the face of Australian boxing at these Games, said. "I won that medal for both of us and I'm so stoked," she added, referring to Jamie, who was the same age Nicolson is now when he died. He also fought at the same weight and, like his sister, was an awkward southpaws. Jeff Horn, Australia's WBO welterweight world champion, was in the crowd to see the hosts seal three golds at Oxenford Studios, where Hollywood blockbusters including the latest in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie series were shot. Australia's medal tally included bronze for Taylah Robertson, even though she lost her only bout, having been given a bye into the semi-finals of the seven-woman flyweight class. The beaten Walsh, who had appeared to have the better of the bout with Nicolson, begrudgingly accepted silver, covering her face at one point during the medal ceremony, tears in her eyes and her face red and puffy. It was a nearly day for the Walsh family: brother Aidan also finished with silver after losing to the classy Pat McCormack of England in the welterweight class. "I really thought she won the fight but we have to accept the result and move on," said Aidan Walsh. Kom gold at last England came into the Games with high expectations and they took home a leading six golds, followed by Australia and India with three each. England's light-flyweight Galal Yafai, whose brother Khalid is a world champion at super-flyweight, said he had trumped Khalid and his other professional boxing brother, Gamal, in winning a Commonwealth title. Super heavyweight Frazer Clarke claimed number six for England as he won the last bout against Satish Kumar of India in a bruising encounter. But India have also enjoyed a successful Games in the ring, with women's great Mary Kom finally winning gold to add to her trophy cabinet of five amateur world championship crowns and Olympic bronze. It was one of three boxing titles for India, whose Games started inauspiciously when they were reprimanded for breaching the 'no needle policy' for injecting a sick fighter -- who has not been named -- with vitamins.
