Gurinder Osan
A sparkling closing ceremony of the 19th Commonwealth Games brought an end to one of the most dramatic and challenged editions of the Games.
As some 7,000 athletes from 71 nations bid farewell to the New Delhi Games, they won't forget the searing sun, the Games always being under heavy guard against terrorism, the late preparations and outbreak of dengue fever that threatened them at the beginning. But, ultimately, the Games - a $6-billion showcase financed by the government to display India as an emerging economic force in the East - concluded without a terrorist incident.
They concluded as expected with Australia in first spot in the medal standing, though the 178 Australian medals on the Commonwealth Games Federation official site is the lowest total won by the Aussies in 20 years, since the 162 won in New Zealand in 1990.
England was second in total medals, host India third with more than 100 - more than doubling its 2006 total of 49 - and the Canadians fourth.
Canada was led into the closing ceremony by cyclist Tara Whitten, the only Canadian athlete to win four medals - a gold in the women's road time trial and three bronze medals in the 3,000m individual pursuit, the 25-km points race, and as a member of the team sprint event.
"Tara's performance at these Games is nothing short of inspiring," said Team Canada Chef de Mission, Martha Deacon. "She showed tremendous versatility in performing at the highest level on both the velodrome track and in the road events and her pursuit of excellence embodies the level of commitment and perseverance that the rest of her Team Canada teammates displayed here in Delhi."
"When I came to the Games, I never expected that this would happen and they would end with me being the flag bearer. There are so many fantastic athletes here with great results. I am so honoured to do this for Canada," said Whitten.
Whitten is the second female cyclist from Edmonton to be named as Canadian flag bearer for the Commonwealth Games. The first was Lori-Ann Muenzer, who was the flag bearer for closing at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England. Muenzer went on to win an Olympic gold medal in match sprint at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens - the only Canadian cyclist ever to win an Olympic gold medal.
The Canadian team also named two "athletes of honour" - wrestling gold medalist Ohenewa Akuffo and gold medal weightlifter Christine Girard - to march on either side of Whitten.
Canada's 75 medals -- 26 gold, 17 silver and 32 bronze -- was less than the 87 medals won in Melbourne in 2006, but was in line with the 75-80 total predicted by mission organizers and also reflected the upsurge by India, which dominated shooting wrestling and weightlifting events.
"We came here with a goal to provide a high quality environment so athletes and coaches could do their job and perform exceptionally well. We did that," said Scott Stevenson, Director of Sport for CGC. He added: "We thought this kind of result would put us in third but we didn't anticipate India would double their Melbourne result. It's truly a testament to the value of hosting Games. Congratulations to India."
The final 16 of 272 gold medals were presented and Kenya's John Kelai, a former winner of Toronto's waterfront marathon, took the men's title in 2 hours 14 minutes 35 seconds. In the women's marathon, it was first title for Kenya when Irene Kosgei broke clear late to pip compatriot Irene Mogake in a time of 2:34.32.
Organizers gave their final briefing and basically awarded themselves a gold medal. Commonwealth Games Federation President Mike Fennell said that despite the filth and late completion of the athletes' village and venues, and ticketing and transport problems, the games were a success because the athletes enjoyed them.
"You can't ascribe success to any one individual," Fennell said. "When it was recognized that there were a few things that were not going right, the Delhi government at various levels and the national government put in a lot of resources to help correct the situation.
"People have seen an extremely positive image of the games right across the world. People have had to deal with issues, there's no denying that, but the end result has been good."
The closing ceremony celebrated martial arts from several provinces of India, showcased the culture of Scotland - which will host the next Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014 - and had a laser and musical show. The Scotland segment featured pipers in tartan kilts, the Clyde Arc Bridge in Glasgow and the Loch Ness Monster.
With a report from The Associated Press