NEW DELHI // British swimmers dominated the second finals session at the Dr SP Mukherjee Aquatics Complex as they claimed three of the five gold medals available.
Fran Halsall, who won five medals at the European Championships in Budapest, was an unexpected winner of the 50m butterfly. The 20-year-old overhauled all three Australian women to touch in 26.24secs, just ahead of world champion Marieke Guehrer.
The world 100m freestyle silver medallist said: "It definitely wasn't expected, even my coach got a bit excited about that and he doesn't get excited by much." Liam Tancock claimed gold in the 50m backstroke in the very next race. The Englishman set a new Games record of 24.62. Australia broke the English stranglehold in the next race with Leiston Pickett beating eight-time Olympic medallist Leisel Jones to the 50m breaststroke.
Scotland got their first medal of the Games when Robbie Renwick came from fifth to hold off Australia's Kenrick Monk to take the 200m freestyle title. Anna Meares led an Australian clean sweep of golds on the first day of cycling. She clinched the 500m time trial, while compatriots Jack Borbridge (4,000m individual pursuit) and Scott Sunderland (1,000m time trial) also took gold. India climbed up the medal table with two golds in the shooting and three in the wrestling.
Meanwhile, Hassene Fkiri, the Australian wrestler, has been stripped of his silver medal after making a rude gesture at a judge during his 96kg Greco-Roman division defeat to India's Anil Kumar.
* Agencies
