Commonwealth Games

When a bronze is not a bronze

2010-10-15T13:30:12Z

So I am finished with my competition. On Tuesday, I competed in the men's 10-metre synchro with Kevin Geyson. We really wanted a medal in this event and we placed third. For our first competition, we did very well. We have lots of room for improvement, which makes things interesting to see how far we can go.

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So I am finished with my competition.

On Tuesday, I competed in the men's 10-metre synchro with Kevin Geyson. We really wanted a medal in this event and we placed third. For our first competition, we did very well. We have lots of room for improvement, which makes things interesting to see how far we can go.

The problem is that they did not give us a medal for placing third. This is because there is only four teams in the event. I think they should give medals to the top three no matter what, but the rule is they only give medals for the top half, so if there were six teams, they would give the bronze. In the Commonwealth, there are only four teams - Australia, England, Canada and Malaysia. Most of the other countries are not as strong in diving, so they usually do not have one or two 10-metre divers. This makes it difficult to get enough teams in that event. It is a rule that is there, but I wish they would change it as winning third is still third.

On Wednesday, I competed on the individual 10-metre event and I was sixth after the prelims. I was happy with it because I really only missed one dive and my tricep and wrist was holding up pretty good. Going into finals, I felt really good, but in the warm-up, I re-pulled my tricep. This hurt a lot and was tough to continue, but we started anyway. I dove pretty well and ended up sixth. I know I could have done better if I was healthy and not having so many problems.

In any case, it was a very good Games.

In this competition, I made a personal best on the three-metre springboard and the 10-metre platform. Once I have my surgery and am 100 per cent, I look to improve on these scores.

With the Games being over, we haven't had one athlete get sick on our team, a little bit of the sniffles or what they call 'Delhi Belly.' The expected sickness rate for our team was 30 per cent. Everyone dove very well and, for a meet in October, this is a weird time to compete at this level.

Mosquitoes were not bad at all and it was a lot of fun. I think it was OK to have so many precautions before we got to India. This is because it is better to be over-prepared than under-prepared. Transportation was very good, buses were on time and easy to use. The people were very, very friendly and very hospitable.

The food was amazing and the village, on the whole, was very good. This place had the potential to be so gorgeous, it was just a little unfinished. If they were to hold another competition someday, I would go. It was not as dangerous as we were told as many people did leave the village to go see the Taj Mahal and everything was just fine.

Now that this is over. I will be getting my surgery on October 21 and then recover. Once I am cleared to go, I'm back to training and getting ready for the upcoming year.

Many thanks to Commonwealth Games Canada for everything. They did a great job in making sure all us athletes had an enjoyable time. Many thanks to CBC for allowing me to do this blog and to all the fans and people who watch and support amateur athletics.

(Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

Apologies and farewell from Delhi

2010-10-15T12:15:40Z

Delhi, India - OK, so I have to make an apology. As my family well knows, I don't always admit when I'm wrong, but I think it's unavoidable in this case.

I started this blog by writing:

"I don't generally associate India with raging athletic prowess. Besides the country's cricket team, a handful of wrestlers and a couple wealthy shooters (with their own private shooting ranges), India rarely makes an impact on the international level."

]]> Delhi, India - OK, so I have to make an apology. As my family well knows, I don't always admit when I'm wrong, but I think it's unavoidable in this case.

I started this blog by writing:

My fault is glaringly obvious. It's written in the top right corner of the CBC Commonwealth Games website in the medal count. India is leaving the games with 101 medals, double that of their take from the 2006 Melbourne Games and yes, two spots above Canada.

India dominated in areas they have been traditionally strong, like shooting and badminton, but there were a good deal of new and surprising victories - like 19-year-old Asish Kumar, who brought home the country's first Games medals in gymnastics, as well as Krishna Poonia, who won the country's first gold in athletics.

India said it invested over 150 million dollars in its athletes over the last couple of years, and it shows. And now, with a number of world-class sporting facilities, I'm sure we will be seeing much more from Team India in the years to come.

On the subject of apologies

Since we are on the subject, I think a few more apologies need to be made. I've been really disappointed in the media coverage of the Games in general.

I won't get into specifics at this point, but there was a lot of misreporting. Let's just say that the press in India is very free, to the point where a lot reported was frankly wrong. Before the Games Abhinav Bindra, the gold medal shooter, explained the Indian media by saying: Indians like everything a little "spicy."

Indeed, Bindra more than once took to his Twitter feed to refute accusations of throwing tantrums and arguing with officials (whom he never even met with).

But this isn't just about personal politics.

The international media dropped into Delhi half way into a big story of a fallen footbridge and a dirty athletes' village. They had to report on the run from day one; they borrowed a great deal from the local press and even managed some misreporting of their own. Everyone loves a good controversy.

In the end, it was almost as if the major media story of the Games was over before the competition itself began. The thrill was about whether India would fail when it should have been about the athletes who were winning.

A couple journalists have been reprimanded for their coarse conduct, but way more should just go back and check their facts.

India put on a great Commonwealth Games

There were problems, absolutely. India suffers the same flaw that I do - everything is done last minute. But when India does something, it also does its best to do it right in the end. From the beautiful opening ceremony to the security that was more thorough than any I've been through in my life (including getting onto airplanes).

"What's this?" the security officer asked as I was filing into the wrestling stadium one day, late as usual. She had taken out every pen in my bag and was opening them in turn.

"A pen, haven't you seen a pen before?" I snarked.

"I'm surprised she didn't ask you to write with it," my friend James laughed at me later.

I was frustrated at the time because I missed the match, but it's no surprise that there weren't any terror incidents at the Games. The Delhi police said it had the security covered and they meant it.

So differences in cleanliness aside, it was a great Commonwealth Games, and a fantastic feat for any developing country.

In India you may get a belly bug, but it's likely to be a far more colourful and fun experience than most destination competitions. Everyone is put in the same boat, and if you come out with a medal, you take it in stride.

Apart from Maradona, who insists a bidet and toilet throne fit for a king are installed before he arrives at a World Cup, few athletes can afford to ensure a perfect transition. And frankly, I think Delhi did a pretty good job.

As the closing ceremony came to an end, so ends another blogging chapter for me at the CBC. I've been humbled by the incredible skill and dedication of all the athletes - both competing in the Games here in Delhi, and in traditional games around the countryside. It's been wonderful to receive all the comments here on the site and on twitter. Thank you very much.

If you haven't had enough of these blogs yet (I'm being optimistic since you've reached this far in my post), you can check back here early next week. I'll have a bonus track about kabaddi - the traditional Indian sport that is growing most around the world.

Did you know that the International Kabaddi Federation has 31 members - including Canada?

Well I came across kabaddi in several places during my travels and got my game on. Pictures, videos and blog to come.

As always, you can keep following me on Twitter. Next week I'm off to Japan!

Down and dirty: Mud wrestling in India

2010-10-14T15:56:38Z

My muddy adventure started in Amritsar, in the province of Punjab and one of the hotspots for wrestlers in India.

I soon learned that the game actually has no rules or time limit. It's just one on one, heaving, grunting and grabbing until one wrestler ends up literally in the mud. In the olden days, wrestlers could even fight until death.

]]> DELHI, INDIA - As the brick-like Indian wrestler, Sushil Kumar, walked into the stadium for the 66-kilogram freestyle final, the crowd went wild. Families were waving body-sized flags and holding up colour prints of Kumar's rather gruff-looking headshot. The racket was so loud, the presenter all but gave up on calling out the name of Kumar's opponent.

It didn't matter, frankly. In India's eyes, Kumar is unstoppable. Earlier in the day, he squashed his opponent from Pakistan 10-0, and in a semifinal that was almost criminal, he pinned Famara Jarjou of the Gambia in less than 10 seconds.

Stepping up to South Africa's Heinrich Barnes in the final was no different. As soon as Kumar managed to catch his prey, it was over. With his python grip, Kumar held Barnes down, then, with one arm, methodically started prying apart his pretzel limbs.

Catch. Hold. Pry. Seven to nil, final score.

Wrestling with respect

When Kumar left the mat, before celebrating, before lapping in the glory of gold, he bent over and touched the feet of his coaches, a sign of respect.

Kumar, like many of India's top wrestlers, didn't start his career in the bright lights of a stadium gym. From the age of 14, Kumar lived at a traditional training centre called an akhara. He did nothing more than eat, sleep, and wrestle... in the mud.

Kushti, or Indian mud wrestling is one of the few traditional sports that has actually been maintained over the years (there are over a hundred training centres in Delhi alone, for example), largely because of the achievements of wrestlers like Sushil Kumar. And Kumar has made it no secret that he owes his success to the discipline and respect he learned during over a decade of relatively monastic living.

At akharas, drinking, smoking and even sex are banned. Most wrestlers maintain a strict vegetarian diet of milk, eggs, almonds, butter fat and chapattis.

Fresh off his bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and nearly $400,000 richer, Kumar went straight back to his akhara, covered his body in oil, and dived back into the mud.

"I could have bought a flat with the money I got from [the] winnings, but I would not have been able to discipline myself," he told Outlook India. "My childhood was spent here. I was in the sixth or seventh class when I came here. Nothing has changed for me.

Meddling in the Mud

My muddy adventure started in Amritsar, in the province of Punjab and one of the hotspots for wrestlers in the country.

I was actually there looking for something I'd heard of called the Rural Olympics. I had visions of burly Punjabi men lifting bikes with their teeth and letting tractors run over their backsides.

Of course I had no idea where people train for these types of things and after a full day of being sent from one office to the next (in a way you'll only ever really understand if you've been to India), I found myself under the wing of Mrs. S. Kaur, the district sports officer, who said: "I have just the thing for you."

A few minutes later, I was packed into the backseat of a car with former national-level wrestlers. They were a couple times my size.

To view Anjali's photo essay of mud wresling in Punjab, click here.

We drove around 20 km outside Amritsar through endless brilliant green rice paddies. We passed nothing but water buffalo and cows along the way. By the time we reached our destination, a village called Kohali, the freshly greased wrestlers were already warming up. The mud pit had been blessed and spiced with turmeric and mustard oil (natural antiseptics), and was ready for play.

I'll have to admit now that I chickened out within 10 minutes of watching the husky men go at one another. Even the warmth of the setting sun couldn't romanticize the sport enough for me to step into the pit. I also didn't think it was appropriate to suit up (or should I say - strip down), lather myself with oil, and be thrown about by mud-coated men in loincloths.

Maybe another time.

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My last match for Canada

2010-10-13T07:41:36Z

I won't lie, when I woke up two days ago on the morning of what could be my last match I felt the emotions creeping in.

"Not now. Not yet." I told myself. There was still work to be done; I still had to fight for the win and the chance to reach the medal rounds over world No. 3 and local superstar Saina Nehwal. ]]>
"Not now. Not yet," I told myself. There was still work to be done; I still had to fight for the win and the chance to reach the medal rounds over world No. 3 and local superstar Saina Nehwal.

A few days earlier, Saina and I met at centre court in the team event and I was surprised how well I felt against the '"Indian Sensation." It had been well over a year since we'd played one another and Saina's results since then had gone through the roof. I lost the match in two solid sets, but I held my own against my friend's sharp attack and dangerous net play and was also able to get her to play my style of badminton: long, physical rallies of attrition.

Heading into our quarter-final encounter I felt excited, but there was one big variable I could not predict: would I be able to run?

The reason for this uncertainty was the fact that in the days between the team event and the individual tournament, I (like so many athletes in the relatively confined space that is the athletes' village) caught a pretty bad chest cold. Thankfully, I wasn't pushed too hard in my early singles rounds, so I was hopeful that my body would recover in time for the Saina showdown.

The tournament organizers wanted our match to be the last of the night, a welcomed rarity in the world of badminton, and sports in general for that matter. It's usually the men's events that are chosen above the women's to keep the audience in their seats 'til the end. But the winds of change are picking up in India and it's now a woman who has become one of the nation's favorite athletes.

"SAINA! SAINA!" the full stadium of 5,000+ adoring fans chanted in unison as we took to centre court. Of all my years in badminton, I'd never played in a setting quite like this. I was about to be the hated Drago to their Indian Rocky.

I knew I had to come out strong if I was to have a chance to shake Saina's confidence, but at the first-set interval I was down 11-3. Not quite what I had visualized happening. But it wasn't the score that I was frustrated with, it was my body. I was not recovering between rallies and my lungs were simply not keeping pace.

National team coaches Jeff White and Ram Nayyar (who, I must add, have been awesome throughout this entire event) came on court to give me some great strategic advice. But it was no use because I simply could not implement the strategy without my endurance.

To make matters worse, Saina was playing perfectly, proving exactly why she's become among the best handful of players in the world.

As the match took it's painful course, the Canadian badminton team as well as other members of the Canadian team in attendance never stopped shouting and cheering for me.

When it was over, I took a deep breath and knew the next few hours were gonna be tough. I resisted the urge to fight the tears and I let my emotions out.

Disappointed. Relieved. Ashamed. Excited. I felt them all.

There was no logic to the feelings but I let them come and go as they needed while I spoke to the media and took pictures with the team to mark the occasion.

And of course, like a bad joke, I got selected for drug testing just as the last bus drove off from the venue, which meant the entire team had to wait and we didn't get back to the athletes village for dinner until well after 1 a/m.

So what does life have in store for me now?

Well, I must admit I'm very excited for the year ahead. I'll still stay involved with badminton as a private coach and training partner in Vancouver. It would break me to go cold turkey.

But what I'm most excited about is my new role as communications director for a small and amazing Vancouver-based charity called Choose Again. This organization helps youth and adults overcome major life obstacles such as depression, addiction, eating disorders, relationship problems or other issues preventing a person from being truly happy and realizing their full potential.

As a badminton player, Choose Again really helped me in recent years, enabling me to become a better athlete. So when the opportunity to work with the organization arose, I jumped at the chance.

Now it's time to visit the Taj Mahal and party like this is the last tournament of my career.

Oh, wait. It is.

'Friendly' rivalry during India/Pakistan match

2010-10-12T22:05:31Z

In the floodlights of central Delhi's Dhyan Chand National Stadium on Sunday, the air was thick with nationalism (and grasshoppers).

Among the crowd were little old ladies with their faces painted and young boys zipping around with orange, white and green Indian flags.

]]> DELHI, INDIA - In the floodlights of central Delhi's Dhyan Chand National Stadium on Sunday, the air was thick with nationalism (and grasshoppers).

Among the crowd were little old ladies with their faces painted and young boys zipping around with orange, white and green Indian flags.

The national hockey team broke out in an early lead off a penalty corner. And with every goal (and there were many), the fan fervor only seemed to grow.

"India jeete ga," the fans hollered in rounds. "Go India!"

It's interesting because although hockey happens to be India's national sport, and won the country a total of eight Olympic gold medals, the team hasn't placed in the Olympics since the 1980s. Accordingly, public interest has waned in recent years, as all eyes and ears turned to cricket.

But on Sunday night, you wouldn't have known the fans ever left. The stadium was packed with well over 15,000 supporters for a landmark game against India's neighbour, Pakistan.

What drew in the crowds wasn't necessarily because Pakistan was expected to be a major medal challenger. India easily won 7-4. The main attraction was because of the longstanding rivalry between the two nations, which digs deep into the countries' shared history of Partition.

"It's always good to win," the guy squashed beside me on the bus after the game said. "But it's even better when it's Pakistan."

Lines drawn

As I've mentioned in a previous blog, there have been tensions between Muslims and Hindus in India for hundreds of years. But the biggest outward expression of animosity was in 1947, after imaginary lines were drawn, dividing the provinces of Punjab and Bengal (and forming Pakistan and, later, Bangladesh), after a quick retreat of the British colonials.

The lines drawn during Partition were meant to divide Muslim Pakistan from secular India, but it did much more than that - it divided families and communities, and resulted in an exodus of close to 15 million people. Sikhs and Hindus, like my family, moved to India and Muslims moved to Pakistan. Each community hoped for safety in the religious majority. It's estimated that nearly a million people died along the way because of fighting.

Over 60 years have passed since Partition, but the event is still a major scar in Indian society. "Animosity between nations and communities is not uncommon," my great uncle Nand Khosla, explained to me today. He was in college in 1947, when the family left Lahore. "But when the animosity is accompanied by violence -generation after generation - then it becomes a disease, and that's what it is."

Taking it out on the field

Although there isn't the same level of direct fighting today, the lingering sentiments come out in other ways - through sports like hockey and cricket, and most amusingly - through a very elaborate bird fight on the only road link between the two countries.

OK, so it's not an actual bird fight, but rather a bizarre choreographed border ceremony, during which the soldiers of both Pakistan and India wear crested hats. Then the officers - chests puffed - kick, stomp, gesture, holler and goose-step for around 45 minutes before opening and then re-slamming the border gate.

It's become a veritable spectator sport. On the India side alone, it's estimated there are over 8000 visitors a day. That's more fans than are at most sporting events in the country.

And the fans are just as nationalistic, cheering, "long live Pakistan" and "long live India." They are of course aided by a man who dashes around, indicating when to cheer for the homeland and jeer at the neighbour, respectively.

Here is a photo essay of the border ceremony.

Toning it down

As of July this year, it's been reported that the aggressiveness of the ceremony has been toned down. Supposedly officers were complaining that their feet and knees were suffering from the prolonged goose-stepping.

There are other minor changes too: "We will only change the 'fist gesture' - no thumb will be shown and aggressive looks will be replaced with a handshake and a smile," Nadim Raza, a spokesman for the Pakistan Rangers told the BBC.

Personally, I was utterly amused by it all, and would like to believe that most of the performance is just that - a performance. The officers that partake in the ceremony likely interact on a day-to-day basis, for administrative reasons.

But some people believe that these types of activities, that foster intense nationalism, only breed intolerance.

Between us, the type of cheering and jeering at the border and at the hockey game wasn't all that different. So can any of these activities - sports or ceremonies - really help break the tension?

Let me know your thoughts.

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Missed it by that much

2010-10-11T18:34:25Z

Fourth place is kind of bitter sweet in alot of ways. As an athlete, it sucks a lot because you were just out of the medals. But it's also good because you were that close.

]]> Two days down, two more to go.

On Sunday, I competed in the one-metre event and I went into the finals in 10th position as the morning was not so good for me. It is very cold in this pool and it really affected me during that competion. In the finals, I was 10th again, but I was much better than in the morning. The event was very difficult with some really good divers in the event. This is not an event I was training a lot on as I have been focusing on three metre and 10 metre, but I felt as though I did a pretty good job with it. Alexandre Despatie of Laval, Que., was first with Mathew Mitchem and Scott Robertson of Australia second and third.

Although I did not do so well in the one metre, I knew I had many events left and wanted to use this day for learning and to change my approach for the second day, which was three metre.

Again it was early morning prelims, but I brought extra clothes and made sure I was moving around a lot to stay warm and ready. This helped alot as I finished prelims in fifth place with a score of 415 points - a very good score for prelims. I went back to the village to relax and get some food so I could be ready for the finals in the evening.

Before the three-metre finals, I wanted to go into the practice and not hold back. My dives went very well and I knew I was ready. I finished the finals in fourth place with a score of 437. It was a very tough meet and very close between divers. It all came down to the last dive. I received enough marks to move into the fourth position ahead of England's Nick Robinson-Baker. Unfortunately, I was edged out by Australia's Grant Nel for the bronze. Despatie and Reuben Ross of Regina were first and second. It would have been really cool for Canada to sweep all three medals.

Fourth place is kind of bitter sweet in a lot of ways. As an athlete, it sucks because you were just out of the medals, but it's also good because you were that close. In any case, it was a bit disappointing because I was so close. Also, if fourth wasn't bad already, I was one of the lucky athletes chosen for drug testing. First place to fourth place were tested.

I was very happy with my result today on the three metre and think I did a great job coming into the finals being more sharp and powerful. I hope to go into my next couple days feeling like that.

Now that the second day is finished, I feel very happy, but controlled. I need to keep emotions and distractions to a minimum as my job is not finished yet. I have the 10-metre synchro on Tuesday with Kevin Geyson, and the 10-metre on Wednesday.

Happy with the bronze, but what if...

2010-10-11T12:44:55Z

That's it. It's over.

I'm writing now from the airport in Delhi, on my way home already. This is the first moment in six hours that I've had a chance to reflect since my race and actually look at my bronze medal from the men's 1500-metre wheelchair race. ]]> Normal 0 That's it. It's over.

I'm writing now from the airport in Delhi, on my way home already. This is the first moment in six hours that I've had a chance to reflect since my race and actually look at my medal.

So how do I feel? Somewhat satisfied. The medal is bronze, and some people say finishing third is better than being second ("the first loser"). But, to be honest, I really think I could have (and should have) gotten that silver medal. I missed it by 0.24 seconds.

I'm starting to run the "what if?" scenarios through my head, but I'm forcing myself to stop. There were a million ways that 1500-metre race could have gone. Those scenarios could have been for the better, or they could have been for the worse.

I'm happy to have won a medal, that's for sure! Of course, I would have liked to place first or second, and of course I would be an angry guy if I didn't make podium. This is the state I'm in now, and my emotions towards the race will continue to go a little bit up, and a little bit down. Generally, I am very happy with my accomplishment.

Still, it's hard not to wonder "what if?" Especially in a race like the 1500, which is very tactical. What if I kept going strong from the start, as I had planned? Would I have tired out my opponents and won, or tired myself out and not medalled at all? What if I didn't start strong on purpose, and just saved everything for that final sprint? What if I attacked again earlier on in the race? Too many options, and too many variables out of my control.

While I'm happy with my first-ever major games medal, it's the competitive athlete in me that will not be satisfied until I win a gold at a major games. It's coming, though. I'm still young, coming up strong, and constantly improving. At the same time, I'm not going to wait for it. I have to work for it.

Looking forward

This is a very high motivational period for me, right after competition. Regardless of the outcome, I'm on a high from the competition and I can't wait to compete again. At this point, I'm looking back at the race and analyzing it a bit, playing out different scenarios, then completely letting go.

I can also look at what I had to overcome to achieve a spot on the podium. Rather than use the sickness I battled one week ago as an excuse, I chose to look at it as something to overcome in order to accomplish this feat. I have to remember I was in bed for four days just a week before the Commonwealth race. Sometimes "excuses" serve as rational reasons to justify a performance and re-build confidence, other times there is no rationalization because it is so close at the finish.

Those are the times where you have to think, "you win some and you lose some."

As I mentioned before, if that race was rerun again, tonight, it would have gone completely differently. For sure. That's just the way the sport is. Nevertheless, Kurt Fearnley of Australia deserved the gold. He's powerful and extremely light, making for a very high top-end speed, even on a slow track surface like the one in Delhi. But I also believe that there are scenarios where I could have taken the gold. Some may have been more risky, and it is hard to say if they would have been successful.

Now it's time to look ahead. This is why I love this sport. I love the stadiums, the crowds, the best-in-the-world competition, the chance to represent my country, the medals, the speed, the sense of accomplishment. This experience at the Commonwealth Games does nothing but drive me harder in training for the next event, and then the next big event, and ultimately the London Olympics in 2012.

Well done, Delhi

It's too bad there was so much negative focus on the Games. It took away a lot from the competition, everything the athletes and the people of India worked hard for. They really did not receive any credit for overcoming the setback created by the monsoon season. Two weeks ago, they were still pumping out water from the parking garage in my accommodation, which was actually better than the one I had in Beijing. There were a few things that were done very well, and of course things that could have been improved on. But that's the way things always are.

Hopefully the media can see that the majority of the athletes are disappointed that the focus of many of the stories surrounding the Commonwealth Games was on Delhi's problems rather than on the competition.

I enjoyed the Delhi Games more as my time there went on. After a while, it starts to feel a little like home, and you settle in, meet new people, and talk training and sports. Games like these are just such a great experience. I would have loved to stay and enjoy India more, but I have to get home to start training for the New York Marathon. And, to be honest, once competition is over I more often than not feel strange. I'm still in "game mode," so it's actually good when I have another race on the horizon. I'm eager to train. And eager to win more.

Thank you, Canada, for tuning in and for all of your support. This really is a team sport, and it is such an honour to represent a wonderful country with wonderful people. See you soon, and hopefully with more medals - of a different colour!

Comparing Games

2010-10-11T04:32:24Z

The individual badminton tournament is now well underway and Canadians are doing great so far.

As my roomie Grace Gao tried to get her mind off the competition for a short while, she asked me how the Commonwealth Games compare to the Olympics.

Over the course of our conversation I came up with five differences that I've noticed, based on my experiences at the Athens and Beijing Olympics, and the Melbourne and Delhi Commonwealth Games.

]]> The individual badminton tournament is now well underway and Canadians are doing great so far.

As my roomie Grace Gao tried to get her mind off the competition for a short while, she asked me how the Commonwealth Games compare to the Olympics.

Over the course of our conversation I came up with five differences that I've noticed, based on my experiences at the Athens and Beijing Olympics, and the Melbourne and Delhi Commonwealth Games...

1. Different Sports

The Commonwealth Games includes several sports that aren't featured at the Olympic Games, and vice-versa.

This gives many different athletes the unique opportunity to experience a multi-sport Games atmosphere. Some of the sports included in the Commonwealth Games that aren't in the Olympics are: squash, netball and lawn bowling.

2. Para and able-bodied athletes together

The Olympic Games are always followed by the Paralympics, but the athletes from able-bodied and para events rarely get to compete in the same multi-sport event -- except when it comes to the Commonwealth Games.

This is a really cool aspect to these Games, because it allows the able-bodied athletes to learn a lot about para athletes and how they train and compete. For example, at dinner tonight I was fascinated by the stories from the Nigerian women's wheelchair table tennis team. Who knew wheelchair table tennis was so popular in Nigeria?

3. Different countries

There are a lot of countries represented at the Commonwealth Games which don't send athletes to the Olympics.

Some of these nations -- like Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey and Falkland Islands -- compete under Great Britain's flag for the Olympics, and it's much more competitive and difficult to qualify.

Others, like the African country of Lesotho (one of the poorest countries on the planet), struggle to qualify athletes for the Olympic Games. So for them, the Commonwealth Games is the major pinnacle of their sporting careers.

4. Smaller cafeteria

Being the foodie that I am, I can't compare these two events without mentioning the cafeterias.

Though the food in both is good, I have to admit the Olympic cafeteria is superior, mainly because of the broader selection that's available because of the fact that there are more countries with varying food habits.

5. Fewer mega-stars

Another difference between the Olympics and the Commonwealth Games is that there are fewer mega-stars here. Though it's always exciting to see Kobe, Rafa Nadal or LeBron walking around the village, it's also cool to see athletes from lesser-known sports getting some recognition.

I don't know if this is related, but there are also far less incidents of doping at the Commonwealth Games compared to the Olympics. In fact, I don't believe there have been any doping violations so far here in Delhi, a record that the London 2012 organizers could only dream of having two years from now.

For full scores and results from the Commonwealth Games Badminton Tournament visit www.bwfbadminton.org/page.aspx?id=15994

Race day brings nerves and excitement

2010-10-10T04:23:06Z

I actually woke up at 6:40 a.m, but I can't sleep in so I figured that this would be a good time to blog.

]]> It's 7:02 a.m., New Delhi time.

I actually woke up at 6:40 a.m, but I can't sleep in so I figured that this would be a good time to blog. I was going to write Saturday night but fell asleep pretty hard. I hope I can take a little nap sometime later Sunday morning.

As for race day, I'm excited and nervous. Today's my first round. I run today at 5:30 p.m. The goal is simple: make it to the final.

I'd like to do it in good fashion too, but I can't be too picky with my time. It doesn't matter if I don't make the final. We only have two rounds, the preliminaries and the final. That's one or two rounds shorter than other sprint events, probably because other sprinters are smart, and not crazy enough to run the sprint hurdles.

I'll let you in on a few things about the hurdles. The basic premise is obviously the same as all other sprint events: run fast.

However, there are 10 menacing obstacles in the way and anything can happen. I usually want to throw caution to the wind and just rip it up from the start to finish. However, 100-metre hurdlers (for the women), and 110 hurdlers (for the men) have to sometimes contain that raw aggression, especially in the first race.

I don't mean to say that I'm going to take it easy - I'm not.

I just mean that hurdlers have focused aggressiveness. If aggression isn't encased in concentration, the hurdles will somehow come to life, jump up and bite. Sometimes it's nibble and the path of the hurdler is disrupted. Other times the hurdle is mean.

It's as though the hurdle grabs on to your leg in a funky MMA (mixed martial arts) leg submission and doesn't let go until parts of your body that should never touch the ground are on the ground (last time I checked, it's not a good thing to have your face on the track at any time during any event).

That's why I love the hurdles. Anything can happen.

It's volatile poetry. Powerful, explosive, fickle at times, but fluid and graceful. To me, these elements make brilliant dynamic art.

Anyways, enough with my weird love affair. Again, the goal is simple; make it to the final.

This is my first competition since the Canadian championships. That was at the end of July. I haven't had many competitions this year, either.

Not competing much this year + last competition was in July = Angela is nervous/anxious. Angela is also excited to put it out there (and should stop speaking in third person).

I want to run a good time. If you weren't aware, the women's hurdles is a pretty good event in Canada (props to Perdita and Priscilla). I'm working my way back to that stage, to that level and India is the spot.

Good weather and good competition

I'm ranked second based on personal bests and third based on season's bests. Sally Person is the favourite. She's been running very well. The target is on her back. I'm going to lock in.

So readers, I'm going to do my best out there over the next two days. Thanks in advance for your support. Restock your refreshments and continue to enjoy the show!

Until we meet again.

Pole dancing, Indian style

2010-10-09T17:25:44Z

I was in Mumbai's Shivaji Park for a game of kho kho (Indian tag) when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a strange multi-limbed goddess beckoning me forward.

"That's mallakhamb," a passerby told me, noticing my hypnotic fixation on the horizon. I had never heard the word. "Indian traditional pole gymnastics," he explained. ]]>
It wasn't planned, not at all. I was in Mumbai's Shivaji Park for a game of kho kho (Indian tag) when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a strange multi-limbed goddess beckoning me forward.

"That's mallakhamb," a passerby told me, noticing my hypnotic fixation on the horizon. I had never heard the word. "Indian traditional pole gymnastics," he explained.

As I made my way forward, I made out that the "multi" limbs were those of several young men and women contorting their bodies into an extravagant pyramid.

When they dispersed back to normal practice, it was just as magical. The young men took turns flipping their bodies around a large vertical wooden pole and the young ladies wrapped a cotton rope around their bodies with graceful ease.

With this much strength and flexibility in a local tradition, I couldn't help wonder why India barely made a mark in the contemporary gymnastics competitions in the Commonwealth Games this week. Nineteen-year-old Ashish Kumar was the only medalist - he actually won India's first gymnastics medals in the Games' history.

The ancient form of gymnastics, Mallakhamb is believed to date back thousands of years to the time of the Hindu epic the Ramayana. Hanuman, the Hindu forest-dwelling god of strength, is said to have started training centres across the region.

Although the tradition has lost steam in India during recent years, it's becoming an export staple. The sport has been incorporated into a variety of different things - from circuses in New Mexico to yoga workshops in Europe and East Asia.

"Malla" actually means wrestler, and "khamb" translates as pole. The tradition was started as a kind of complementary exercise for male wrestlers. Now the sport stands more or less on its own - and is practiced by both men and women, young and old - from the supple squirts I saw, to an 81-year old former-garment worker who came across the sport in this park and signed up.

"My family tends to be apprehensive about the activities I indulge in, but is there an age limit when you want to learn something new?" the man was quoted as saying.

(To view Anjali's photo gallery of her experience with the ancient sport of Mallakhamb, click here.)

See by doing

After several minutes of watching the young gymnasts in the park, Uday Deshpande, the centre's guru, asked me if I'd like to just "see" the ancient tradition or "see by doing."

"I don't know if I can do that," I said, pointing to the young, limber woman in front of me. She was smiling as she wrapped her leg around the back of her head, all the while dangling from a rope.

"That's my responsibility, not yours," he responded optimistically.

And so, worried I'd rip my shorts (and body) in two, I stepped forward and, as directed, wedged the thick cotton rope between my toes and climbed it in three big strides.

Pain. Pain. Pain. That's what it feels like to climb a cotton rope using the muscles in your toes, if you were wondering.

Deshpande whipped the rope around my body and, with great effort, flipped my legs over my head. I was the inverted snail I never quite imagined or wanted to be.

"Good, see, you are relaxing, no pain, no, nothing at all," said Deshpande.

Not quite. My body spun in circles. On demand, I curled backwards into a donut, hanging from the noose around my waist. Deshpande folded my hands in a neat namaste.

"Looking straight and smile," said Deshpande, " Classic...lovely smile."

I didn't feel so classic. I left a couple hours later, with a new appreciation for gymnasts, a slew of new yogic poses in my back pocket... and a slight limp.

Like what you're reading? Follow Anjali on her Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/anjalinayar

I'm finally here!

2010-10-08T19:17:58Z

So I arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday night and have been here for a couple of days now. ]]> So I arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday night and have been here for a couple of days now. Even though we didn't have very far to go (we were in Qatar), it was a long day of travelling because of the layovers and trip into the village. Things went very smooth getting into the village and I got a good night sleep.

On Thursday, we only had one practice at night because it takes a bit for your checked bags to get into the village due to security reasons. We got our bags in the morning and went to the fitness area to stretch a bit and do some cardio work so we get our bodies moving around. I'm so glad I did because that night I had a 10-metre practice.

New injury trouble

Usually when you go on competitions or travel anywhere you don't start the first practice on 10-metre because it takes a day or so to get your awareness and sense of the pool. This is because one mistake on 10-metre could cause some pain. In any case I had to do it because we have very little time until the competitions.

My list actually went very well and I felt comfortable at this pool. I did my synchro list with Kevin (Geyson) and it was very good as well. We are getting better everyday, but we still have a couple things to work on. The trouble is that when you're doing synchro, it takes time and many practices together to really get in "sync." We are trying to do this in a matter of weeks, so no matter how this meet goes I think our future is going to be really good and something that will progress.

On one of my dives I pulled my tricep, so I have been getting treatments many times a day to keep it at calm. It's very hard to dive with it and that, combined with my wrist, is very frustrating. But in any case, I'm going to go out there and dive the best I can with no regrets and no worries.

Village is pretty nice

So now that I'm here in the village and see it for myself, it makes me wonder what everyone was talking about. I think the worst part is that you heard so many things and some weren't even true. The village is pretty good. The food is amazing and security is too.

When travelling to and from the venues, we have our own lane and own military escorts. I know India was behind with the process a couple weeks ago, but I would say that the rooms are pretty good. It's comfortable for sure with a little fix-ups to do later. I'm sure some athletes who arrived earlier may have a different opinion, but for me, I'm pretty happy.

Canada is doing very well with medals so far, but I know we can pick it up. Congrats to all our medal winners so far, and best of luck for the rest of us athletes still to compete.

Soft Delhi track raises challenges

2010-10-07T18:19:32Z

Despite some recent obstacles, I feel ready for my 1500-metre race in Delhi.

The only wild card is the track surface. I think everyone was expecting it to be fast, but it's actually one of the softest and slowest tracks I have ever been on. ]]> disastrous Berlin Marathon, dehydration from traveling, and a bug going around Guelph, Ont., where I live.

It was the first time I had been sick in a while. No big deal, though, right? It's only a flu. Well, as an athlete who's only one week away from competition, it's not the best time to be missing training sessions.

I also don't experience the flu in the same way the average person does. As a result of the cancer I had as an infant, my nervous system overreacts and I get shooting pains in my legs, sides, and back. The areas that were affected by the neuroblastoma feel like they are being electrocuted every 15 seconds, or like someone is pounding me with a steel-toed boot. Pain killers do nothing, and it lasts about 48 hours. I lose lots of sleep and afterwards I feel battered and bruised. Not the best way to recover from a marathon and prepare for the Commonwealth Games!

The biggest struggle is overcoming this mentally. I was sick - there's nothing I can do about that physically, so that's the easy part. The tough part is getting over the fact that I've missed out on some training sessions, and have been drained physically before such an important event. The solution is that I must figure out what I need to do, and what I need to think, in order to be confident and ready psychologically. I know that I've just come off two strong performances in Newcastle, and I know I can bounce back. I'll be ready to perform.

There was more to deal with, though. I had just finished my first training session on Sunday when I received a message from the staff that I needed to come in early. A preliminary event was added for Friday, instead of a straight final on Sunday. More spots had been given to competitors from Kenya, as well as Nigeria and India, I believe. So I hit the gym with my strength trainer Wayne Burke and talked with my coach Amanda Fader. We got a few good training sessions in before I left.

In the end, the situation was for the better. I got into Delhi a little early, with more time to acclimatize and get used to the time zone.

Soft track poses challenges

Once I got to Delhi, I felt great. The pollution is a little tough on the sinuses and lungs, but otherwise my body feels pretty good. I am feeling strong, and I am ready for the competition.

There will be some strong competitors here, though I believe I have a very good shot at the podium. In fact, I will be very disappointed if I don't make it. I have beaten everyone here on multiple occasions this year (though I have been beaten as well).

The only wild card is the track surface. I think everyone was expecting a fast surface, but it is in fact one of the softest and slowest tracks I have ever been on.

Runners don't really notice the track surface as much as wheelchair competitors do. For example, in the 1500-metre event I'll be racing in, I don't t expect to post a faster time than 3:25. To put that in context, my personal best and Canadian record this year is 2:55.

The surface makes that much of a difference.

The wheels sink into the softer track more, increasing the rolling resistance. This will prove advantageous for the lighter athletes with a strong power-to-weight ratio. I'm not one of them.

That being said, while I am heavier, I do have a very high power-to-weight ratio. This is going to be race about strength and stamina for me. If I had known the track surface would be so slow, I would have prepared a little differently.

Nevertheless, I will be ready.

Do or die in Delhi

2010-10-07T17:21:23Z

It was do or die in Delhi for our Canadian badminton team on Thursday and, unfortunately, the home team proved too strong for us. England's depth proves too much

It was do or die in Delhi for our Canadian badminton team on Thursday and, unfortunately, the home team proved too strong for us. The night before we battled it out with England for the top spot in our pool and we were defeated 4-1. We played well but couldn't match the experience and depth of the English squad. I was pleased with my match - I won 21-13, 21-19 in singles over my good friend and English No. 1, Elizabeth Cann.

Our mixed doubles team of Grace Gao and Toby Ng played a great match, pushing the English pair of Robertson and Wallwork to three sets, which will be a boost for their confidence considering Robertson is a former world champion and Olympic silver medallist.

On the court beside ours, India was making light work of Scotland and the Indian crowd was going absolutely nuts. It was a sneak preview of what we had coming.

India ends our medal hopes in team event

This morning, it was our turn to play the hometown heroes and, unfortunately for us, they didn't disappoint. First up was the mixed doubles, and Gao and Ng couldn't build on the momentum they had gained against England and lost in straight sets.

Second to court was Dave Snider against Chetan Anand of India. Dave put up a good fight but Chetan's experience and confidence made the difference on the tight points at the end of each set.

In the third match of the tie, I was up against my friend and local superstar, Saina Nehwal. Saina has shot up the rankings in the last year and is currently ranked third in the world. Despite her high rank, I wasn't intimidated as we've trained together quite a bit and my style of play matches well with her game. Having said that, I knew I had to be at my very best to have a chance to win.

When our match was announced, the crowd jumped to their feet and cheered so loud I was worried the building might collapse (a reasonable concern all things considered). But I was excited to play the role of the evil foreigner.

As the match began, I played well and felt confident with the way the first set was heading. Unfortunately, I forced a few errors by trying for too much near the end of the set. The second game went similar to the first and I was reading Saina's shots better than I expected. It was all even at the break, but a concentration lapse between 10 and 15 cost me the set and the match ended 21-16, 21-14.

Despite the loss, I gained some confidence from this match and hope to improve on my performance if and when Saina and I meet in the quarter-finals of the individual draw, as expected.

For full scores and results from the Commonwealth Games badminton tournament, click here.

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4 full days and still OK

2010-10-06T20:23:12Z

The Canadian track and field team (a.k.a. Athletics team) has been in Delhi for four full days now and you know what ... so far so good. Except for maybe the cold showers. ]]> Hello from India. The Canadian track and field team (a.k.a. Athletics team) has been in Delhi for four full days now and you know what ... so far so good.

The travel to Delhi was brutal. My legs felt and looked like tree trunks on arrival (forgot compression socks ... nerdy, but a necessity). I'm still struggling with my sleep cycle but doing the best I can to not nap.

Good, not great

I'm sure you all want my exclusive description and opinion on the athletes' village (no? Well I'm going to give it anyways). The village is actually not that bad at all. The food is pretty good. They have an amazing set-up in the village for training. With a comfortable five-minute walk from our residence we have access to and Olympic-sized pool, full 400-metre track, a weight room, a power lifting room and a wrestling room. I've been hanging out at the wrestling room waiting to see if anyone wants to battle me. Not a good idea since the only wrestling knowledge I have comes from old school WWF (Hulk Hogan, Bret "Hitman" Hart type of stuff).

The only thing that I may make a comment on is the actual living quarters themselves. The general consensus here is "it could have been really nice." I can't tell you how many athletes I've heard make that very statement. The thing is, there isn't anything that makes the residences uninhabitable. There is just a series of issues that are inconveniences. Leaky pipes, malfunctioning water heaters and air conditioners and the like are the only issues that I've noticed.

Cold showers, top-notch security

My roommate and I have been taking cold showers, which isn't too bad since it is so hot and humid here. Well, let me be honest. My roommate Kelsie Hendry (awesome pole vaulter) has been the shower tester. If she tells me it's cold, I'll find myself a warm shower in someone else's room. Yes, I am a baby. So, really, if time was spent effectively, the residences would have been extremely nice. But you can tell that things were last minute.

What else is interesting here? Well, security is EVERYWHERE. It makes me feel safe and a little nervous at the same time. Only because they have dogs sniffing for things and men with metal detectors. I'm sure it's only a precaution, but it's weird because you don't see things like that everyday. I feel that the Delhi Commonwealth Games organizers have spared no expense in terms of security. And if that means that Kelsie has to take a few cold showers ... well, then by golly, she will take some cold showers (joking everyone!).

Oh, and I'm sure everyone will be happy to know that I have yet to see a snake. YES! (But I'm not out of the woods yet). I have seen some funky oversized insects (they creeped me out a little, but I was intrigued at the same time). And most importantly, probably one of the most exciting things ever - I saw a "guardian" monkey. He or she was about 10-feet tall (sitting down) with a tail even longer than that. OK, not that big, but seriously the monkey was as big as a five-year-old child and its tail was probably two or so metres long.

He or she had some major fangs, too. The poor thing was surrounded by a large group of nosy Canadians (the track team) taking pictures. Some were getting too close. And I believe the monkey's handler wasn't too keen with all that attention either. I think the monkey had enough of our paparazzi extravaganza and lunged at someone. Hey, I don't blame the monkey. I would too.

OK ... too much. I'll have another instalment before I race.

Until then ...

An emotional farewell

2010-10-06T11:17:41Z

Yesterday, I had the honour of watching Canada's best female squash player wear the red and white for the very last time. Alana Miller of Winnipeg bowed out of the women's singles squash event after a tough defeat to England's top player. Yesterday, I had the honour of watching Canada's best female squash player wear the red and white for the very last time. Alana Miller of Winnipeg bowed out of the women's singles squash event after a tough defeat to England's top player.

Alana and I go way back.

We were doubles partners and rivals on the Junior Canadian badminton circuit and despite the rivalry became good friends. She was and is the sort of person you just can't dislike (and believe me, I tried).

Thankfully for my badminton career, Alana chose to focus on squash after juniors. The decision turned out to be a great one, as Alana has gone on to win several national and international titles for Canada throughout her career.

As I watched Alana run around the squash court one last time, the looming end of my own career - now less than a week away, came rushing to mind. I pushed the thought away as quickly as I could, knowing it will not help me play my best here.

The referee announced the end of the match and Alana waved politely to the cheering crowd before stepping out for a private moment to reflect on this emotional milestone, one that every athlete must face.

But this will definitely not be the last time Alana Miller and I cross paths; far from it in fact. After next summer we'll be sisters-in-law, once Alana marries my brother-in-law (former Canadian badminton champ and Commonwealth Games team member) William Milroy.

I look forward to several family barbeques where we can re-live our glory days with the back yard badminton set.

Reality check for team Canada: "Stay Vigilant"

With many sporting events well underway and as the last of the Canadian athletes get settled here in Delhi, we've had some sobering reminders of the health risks involved with this event.

"The team is getting a little too slack when it comes to our health", Team Canada Mission Staff and former Commonwealth Games Gold Medalist Alexandra Orlando told me this morning as we worked out.

The first few days went off without a hitch, so people seemed to think there weren't risks, and now we're seeing a wave of athletes getting sick with things like Delhi belly and respiratory issues.

I could completely relate to what Alexandra was saying, as I'd even noticed myself getting more and more experimental with food in the caf and a little less strict with the hand sanitizer.

I will follow the advice of the Canadian medical staff as they wrote it on the posters inside the elevators of the team Canada buildings: "Canadian Athletes, Stay Vigilant with your health!".

England: We're ready for you

We've had three relatively easy team ties so far. The first was against Uganda, and this was a special one for me as I'd become good friends with the players on the Ugandan team after living and training there for 10 weeks last year (I was in Uganda working with the Canadian-based charity Right To Play). In the women's singles match I played against one of the girls that I had coached during my stay in Uganda, and I felt the tears rush up when she gave me a big hug and whispered "thank-you" at the end of our match.

So far we have won in straight games over Uganda, Mauritius and the Falkland Islands, and our big battle will take place tonight when we go head to head with England. They are the favorites to win, but this young team and I are hungry for the upset.

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