First published in The Age on July 29, 1986

Flintoff and Martin double up for Gold and glory

EDINBURGH, 28 July. — Debbie Flintoff and Gael Martin today each won their second gold medals in the space of two days at the Meadowbank Stadium.

Debbie Flintoff-King with one of her gold medals at the Edinburgh Games. Credit:Kenneth Stevens

Flintoff, running in the rain, powered to a 20-metre victory in the 400 metre hurdles, and became the first woman to win that event and the 400 flat in the Commonwealth Games.

The Melbourne athlete, who may yet win a third Gold in the 400 metres relay on Saturday, stopped on her victory lap to embrace her coach and fiancé, Phil King.

Martin, who moved from Melbourne to the Australian Institute of Sport, announced her retirement after her own strong win in the shot put, and settled a score with a very bitter rival.

Martin, 29, could barely contain herself after she set a Commonwealth Games shot put record to beat England’s Judith Oakes with her second-last put. Yesterday Martin won the discus.

“That was not a contest, that was war,” said Martin who jumped in the air and blew a kiss to the capacity crowd at the stadium when the result was announced.

“Going out with two Golds has always been my dream,” she said. The shot put was the event she dearly wanted to win, having lost the title she won in 1978 to Oakes at the Brisbane Games, and she did it in decisive fashion after being behind on the first four puts.

Oakes, who has been unrelenting in her verbal attacks on the Australian, had the appearance of an angry bull between attempts. They did not shake hands during the medal ceremony.

Oakes recently wrote that she hated losing to Martin and did not believe the Australian should be allowed to compete because she had been found guilty of taking anabolic steroids in 1981. Martin has always denied the charge.

Martin’s best throw of 19 metres bettered the previous games record by 1.08 metres. Oakes’s best put was 18.75 metres.

Victorian teacher Shaun Panayi won the springboard diving Gold medal with his last dive after trailing throughout the competition.

Panayi took the Gold with his last dive after trailing John Nash, of Canada, throughout the competition. He needed a top dive to go into the lead and produced his best of the day.

Craig Rogerson beat Stephen Foley out of the Bronze medal.

In shooting, Phillip Adams and Rod Hack of Australia won the centre fire pistol Gold medal.

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