campbell takes quick route to glory

opening athletics session of the XVth Commonwealth Games.

Campbell, though only fifth in his heat, reached today's final as a

fastest loser thanks to his time of 13.92 seconds.

Colin Jackson, the world record holder and newly-crowned European

champion, was fastest qualifier with 13.51. Tony Jarrett, the European

bronze medal winner from Helsinki, won Campbell's heat in 13.52.

''I'd like to think I could go faster in the final, just to prove

getting under 14.00 was not a fluke,'' said Campbell.

The previous Scottish best, 14.10, was recorded at the Scottish

championships this year by decathlete Jamie Quarry, who begins his

campaign today. Campbell, who had strained a groin muscle in the heats

of the Scottish championships, had a previous best of 14.11, so this

represented a huge improvement for the 6ft 5in. hurdler.

The only other Scot to have broken 14.00 is David Wilson, who recorded

13.9 in Warsaw 20 years ago last month. But as that was a hand-held

watch, it does not count as a record.

The first title of the athletics programme, the hammer, went to

Australia, with Sean Carlin reaching 73.48 metres. England's Paul Head

and Peter Vivian took silver and bronze with 70.18 and 69.80

respectively.

Stephen Whyte, the Luton-based Anglo, threw 63.36m for ninth, and

Russell Devine, the Inverness man now based in Australia, finished

eleventh with 61.90m.

Mel Neef reached her second 400m final in three weeks, cruising

through her heat and taking third in her semi-final with 52.75, but

Brian Whittle went out of the men's one-lap event. ''That's the first

time I have ever run two 400 rounds in one day,'' said Neef. ''I found

it very hard -- the depth of quality is far greater than at the

Europeans.''

But Neef was stunned to be faced with a flight of 12 steps to get off

the track, as opposed to the normal flat walk off. ''They are urging you

up these steps even before you have time to get your legs back,'' said

the Scottish indoor champion and record holder. ''I have never seen an

arrangement like it.''

Whittle, a gold medal relay hero in Helsinki, was troubled by a

flare-up of a knee problem, and could place only fifth, with 47.00

against his season's best of 45.46. His relay collegaues, Du'aine Ladejo

and David McKenzie, both reached today's semis.

Elliot Bunney advanced to the semi-finals of the 100m, clocking 10.34,

but Jamie Henderson, after finishing in 10.45 to reach the second round,

went out, fifth in 10.49.

Linford Christie imposed his presence by equalling the Games record

with 10.02 in the second round, but he was only .02 ahead of Namibian

Frankie Fredericks.

Edinburgh's Emma Lindsay made the very best of starts to her

heptathlon campaign with a 100m hurdles time of 14.96, well inside her

previous best of 15.15. She reached 9.61 in the shot, high jumped 1.74m,

and clocked 24.61 for the 200m. She lies tenth after the opening day

with 3177 points, behind gold medal favourite Jane Fleming (Australia,

3794).

David Strang, the European indoor 1500m champion, though entered for

both the 800m and 1500, has opted out of the shorter event, which begins

today.

Tom McKean and Gary Brown go in the two-lap event, and their prospects

are enhanced by the fact that more than 40 of the world's top-ranked

Kenyans are not here, ruled out by their federation for missing the

trials and staying on the lucrative grand prix circuit.

GAMES DETAILS.

SWIMMING

Women's 4 x 100m free-style relay -- 1, England 3min 46.23sec (S

Rolph, A Bennett, C Huddart, K Pickering); 2, Australia 3-46.73 (S

O'Neill, S Ryan, E Overton, K Van Wirdum); 3, Canada 3-47.25 (M Limpert,

S Shakespeare, J Amey, G Maughan).

Women's 400m free-style -- 1, H Lewis (Aus) 4-12.56; 2, S Gartrell

(Aus) 4-13.06; 3, S Hardcastle (Eng) 4-13.29.

Men's 100m free-style 1, D Clarke (St Lucia) 50.21sec; 2, C Fydler

(Aust) 50-51; 3, A Baildon (Aus) 50-71.

Women's 100m back-stroke -- 1, N Stevenson (Aust) 1-02.68; 2, E

Overton (Aust) 1-02.90; 3, K Osher (Eng) 1-03.27.

Men's 200m back-stroke -- 1, A Ruckwood (Eng) 2-00.79; 2, K Draxinger

(Can) 2-02.19; 3, S Miller (Aus) 2-02.43.

SYNCHRONISED SWIMMING

Solo final: 1, L Alexander (Can) 189.4835; 2, K Shacklock (Eng)

183.9717; 3, C Ferraris (Aus) 172.6626; 4, A Zukerman (NZ) 170.1886; 5,

S Burgeon (Scot) 156.6515; 6, R Peslova (SA) 149.9219.

GYMNASTICS

Men's individual all-around -- 1, N Thomas (Eng) 55.950 pts; 2, B

Dowrick (Aus) 55.525; 3, P Hogan (Aus) 54.950; 11 (equal), S Frew (Sco)

51.650.

Women's individual all-around -- 1, S Umeh (Can) 38.400 pts; 2, R

Stoyel (Aus) 38.037; 3, Z Lusack (Eng) 37.725; 19, S Lyons (Sco) 33.750.

SHOOTING

Women's pairs smallbore rifle, 3-position -- 1, S Bowes/C Ashcroft

(Can) 1143 pts; 2, K Morton/L Volpin (Eng) 1132; 3, R Unikrishnan/K

Gangulee (Ind) 1110; 6, S McIntosh/P Littlechild (Sco) 1095.

Men's pairs running target -- 1, M Bedlington/M Bedlington (Can) 1088;

2, B Wilson/P Zutenis (Aus) 1088; 3, A Clarke/P Carmine (NZ) 1079.

Men's pairs centre-fire pistol -- 1, J Rana/A Pandit (Ind) 1168; 2, K

Vickers/P Adams (Aus) 1149; 3, S Wills/J Rochon (Can) 1148; 9, J

Cairns/H Hunter (Sco) 1115.

Open pairs fullbore rifle -- 1, A Bowden/G Grenfell (Aus) 593 pts; 2,

G Barnett/A Ringer (Eng) 588; 3, D Calvert/M Millar (NIre) 584; 4, J

Hamilton-Baillie/L Peden (Sco) 582.

CYCLING

Women's road race (58.5km) -- 1, K Watt (Aus) 2hr 48min 04sec; 2, L

Jackson (Can) at 30sec; 3, A Sydor (Can) 2-13; 17, S Phillips (Sco)

9-49.

Men's road race (181.96km) -- 1, M Rendell (NZ) 4-46-07; 2, B Fowler

(NZ) at 2min 02sec; 3, W Engelbrecht (SA) 2-03; 28, A Young (Sco) 15-57.

BADMINTON

Team -- England 4, Malaysia 2.

WRESTLING

Flyweight -- Gold: S Tam (Can) bt A Hutchinson (Eng) superority 10-0;

bronze: K Shankar (Ind) bt D Connelly (Sco) decision 3-0.

Welter -- Gold: D Hohl (Can) bt R Ozoline (Aus) fall 9-2; bronze: C

McNeil (Sco) bt B Labuschagne (SA) decision 4-2.

Light-heavy -- Gold: S Bianco (Can) bt V Victor (Nig) decision 4-3;

bronze: G English (Sco) bt J Mossford (Eng) decision 7-0.

BOXING

Preliminary bouts: Bantamweight (54kg) -- O Chongo (Zam) bt R McPhee

(Scot) 17-10. Welter (67kg): N Sinclair (N Ire) bt A Wolecki (Sco) rsf

2nd. Light-middle (71kg): J Townsley (Sco) bt E Barnes (Cayman I) rsf

2nd.

BOWLING

Men's singles (round-robin). Pool A -- England 25, Namibia 21; New

Zealand 25, Papua New Guinea 9; Australia 25, Northern Ireland 20;

Brunei 25, Norfolk Island 22; Zimbabwe 25, Cook Islands 11; Northern

Ireland 25, New Zealand 21; Cook Islands 25, Botswana 15. Pool B --

Zambia 25, Guernsey 17; Hong Kong 25, South Africa 15; Singapore 25,

Canada 24; Wales 25, Western Samoa 7; Scotland 25, Kenya 9; Scotland 25,

Hong Kong 4; Singapore 25, Wales 18.

Pairs (round-robin). Pool A -- Hong Kong 28, Scotland 22; Australia

22, South Africa 15; Canada 16, England 16; Jersey 23, Guernsey 17;

Papua New Guinea 25, Cook Islands 19; South Africa 23, Wales 22; Hong

Kong 25, Swaziland 20; Northern Ireland 29, Norfolk Island 11; South

Africa 24, Zambia 10; Wales 25, Cook Island 10. Pool B -- Scotland 29,

Botswana 12; Australia 25, Canada 15; New Zealand 22, Jersey 15; England

22, Western Samoa 17.

Women's singles (round-robin). Pool A -- Northern Ireland 25, Kenya

11; England 25, Zambia 12; Botswana 25, Western Samoa 18; Cook Islands

25, Scotland 21. Pool B -- Guernsey 25, Norfolk Island 17; Australia 25,

Wales 23; Papua New Guinea 25, Canada 24; South Africa 25, Hong Kong 16;

Jersey 25, Swaziland 22.

Fours (round-robin). Pool B -- Guernsey 25, Papua New Guinea 23; Wales

35, Norfolk Island 13; New Zealand 19, Canada 13; Namibia 23, Australia

18; Guernsey 19, Norfolk Island 16; Papua New Guinea 23, New Zealand 14;

Wales 26, Namibia 16; Canada 29, Australia 17.