Chalmers smokes 'em to capture gold

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Angela Chalmers of Victoria was a hugely popular gold medalist on the second day of the XV Commonwealth Games track and field competition.

The half-Sioux originally from Brandon, Manitoba, smashed the Canadian record in the women's 3,000-metres by five seconds to successfully defend the title she took four years ago to Auckland, New Zealand.

Chalmers, 30, who was the flag bearer for the Canadian team during the opening ceremonies of these 1994 games, captured the enthusiasm of the partisan crowd of 15,000 in winning the 3,000-metre event by a huge margin of 13 seconds.

It was also the second victory of the day for an Indigenous athlete, as Catherine Freeman of Australia, captured the women's 400-metres and proceeded to wave her national flag as well as her own Aborigine flag to the crowd. Freeman won the race in 50.38 seconds.

Freeman made no victory lap, as in the case of several winners.

"I was too bagged," confessed he first Australian Aborigine track event athlete to win a Commonwealth Games gold.

But she echoed the sentiments expressed by Chalmers on several occasions that it's important to be a role model for other Indigenous peoples.

"An Australian once won a gold medal in the high jump, so I wanted to be the first (Aborigine) to win a track event," said Freeman, adding that she hopes her victory helps other Aboriginals develop more needed self-confidence.

"I don't think it's lack of opportunity, but a fear of having a real go with the rest of Australia," said Freeman.

There was little lack of confidence for Chalmers, despite trailing two Kenyans over the first two laps.

The teenage Kenyans, one bare-foot, led for nearly three laps of the 7 1/2-lap race before Chalmers caught them and broke away to run a time of eight minutes 32.17 seconds.

That smashed the nine-year-old Canadian record by five seconds that was held by 1984 Olympic bronze medallist Lynn Williams. Coincidentally, Chalmers is also an Olympic bronze medallist - from the 1,500 metres two years ago.

Chalmers doesn't even know where her Olympic medal is right now, perhaps somewhere in her apartment.

But the Victoria medallist, who has rebounded from a broken marriage and a rash of injuries and illness, said persistence has to be part of an athletess psyche.

"I don't think I've met one runner who hasn't had a major series of illnesses or injuries," said Chalmers. "I think they key is being really stubborn and hitting your head against the wall and (getting) tremendous support from others.

Chalmers gold medal will likely go to her mother, Betty, a Sioux who lives in Manitoba.

But any other medals she wings will never go up on a wall.

"I don't have the words to explain it," said Chalmers, who believes there's already too much emphasis on winning in sports.

"Sure, it's important and special to win, but what's more important is that I can show the medal to kids."