Australia smashed through the 100-medal barrier at the Commonwealth Games on Saturday as the troubled showpiece teetered on the brink of a potentially dam-
aging race row.
Australian husband and wife Jared and Claire Tallent both medalled in the 20km walk with Jared powering to the men's gold while his wife took silver in the women's race, behind England's Jo Jackson.
"We try to help each other out. She helps me, I help her. It's great," said Jared.
Jackson's gold, as well as Nicky Hunt's victory in women's archery, allowed England to temporarily move into second place in the medals table, leapfrogging India.
But the hosts then hit back when ace shooter Gagan Narang won his fourth gold of the Games in the 50m Rifle 3 Positions individual event.
Narang joins gymnast Lauren Mitchell and swimmer Alicia Coutts, both Australian, as a four-gold medal winner in Delhi.
Australia's men's and women's hockey teams secured their passage into the semifinals while, in the boxing ring, Haroon Khan, the brother of England's world champion Amir Khan, also made the last four in the flyweights.
Away from the action, more problems simmered for the troubled organisers
when South African swimmer Roland Schoeman described a largely Indian crowd of acting like "monkeys".
Schoeman, a former world record holder, was furious that the noise generated at the start of his 50m freestyle semifinal meant he entered the water too early.
"It's unacceptable to be at a professional event and have people going on like monkeys. Someone like that doesn't deserve to be here,” fumed the South African who went on to take the silver medal in Saturday's final.
"It's an absolute disgrace. There's a guy in the stands just shouting, shouting, shouting. Somebody like that needs to be ejected.”
Talit Bhanot, the secretary general of the organising committee, condemned the remarks on Saturday as "unfortunate" while Mike Fennell, the president of the Commonwealth Games Federation, said any racist outbursts wouldnot be tolerated.
Schoeman immediately launched a damage-limitation exercise, using his Twitter account to make clear that his anger was directed at just one person.
" For the first time in my life I had someone scream out as we were going to start the 50m freestyle," he wrote on the micro-bloggingsite.
"The behaviour by that individual was unacceptable and my comments are directed solely at him."
Meanwhile, nine-time Commonwealth champion Leisel Jones was on the verge of another place in the record books if Australia's women win
gold in the 4x100m medley relay.
The 25-year-old on Thursday became the first woman to defend two Commonwealth titles in three consecutive Games after winning the 100m breaststroke to add to her200m title.
Victory in the final women's event of the competition would give her 10 gold medals — equalling the most number of golds by an individual in the Games and putting her alongside Australia swimming legends Susie O'Neill and lanThorpe.
On the track, Canada's Jared Connaughton was the only man under 21 seconds in the 200m first round, with Lesotho's Mosito Lehata second quickest.
Meanwhile Rhys Williams, the son of former Wales and British Lions rugby winger JJ Williams, was fastest into the 400m hurdles semifinals.
They ran their races just before a stray dog evaded security to dart across the finish line and onto the field, causing another headache for beleagured organisers.
In the women's 400m hurdles, Ajoke Osumosu of Nigeria set the standard with a 55.86 run to qualify for the final ahead of Scotland's Eilidh Child.
Seven more gold medals will be decided Saturday evening with one of the biggest names making the trip to Delhi in action in the women's shot put.
New Zealand's Valerie Adams is the reigning Olympic, world and defending Commonwealth champion and looks unbeatable with a personal best of 1.5m further than anyone else in the field.