This Article is From Oct 09, 2010

Australia's Coutts gets five golds after relay win

Australia's Coutts gets five golds after relay win
New Delhi: Alicia Coutts on Saturday picked up her fifth gold medal of the Games and breaststroke star Leisel Jones won the 10th of her Commonwealth career after Australia's women romped to relay victory.

The foursome won the 4x100m medley relay in 3:56.99 -- nearly four seconds ahead of England -- with Canada in bronze. The result was a repeat of the final four years ago in Melbourne and was Australia's sixth straight title.

Appropriately, surprise package Coutts brought the team home in the freestyle leg to top a week which has seen her win the 100m freestyle, 100m butterfly, 200m individual medley and the 4x100m freestyle relay.

Only four other athletes have won more golds in a single Games: Australia swimmers Graham Smith in 1978, Susie O'Neill in 1998 and Ian Thorpe in 2002 and Canada's rhythmic gymnast Alexandra Orlando in 2006 all won six.

Jones -- who successfully defended her 100m and 200m breaststroke crown for the third successive Games -- gave Coutts the perfect stage for a two-lap victory swim after a blistering leg.

The achievement by Jones equals the most number of golds by an individual in the Games and puts her alongside Australia swimming legends O'Neill and Thorpe.

The 25-year-old from Melbourne had been looking to extend her unbeaten record in New Delhi but could not retain her 50m breaststroke title and took silver.

Backstroke specialist Emily Seebohm equalled the record of winning eight medals in total in a single Games, a feat only achieved by Australia's Ralph Hutton in 1966 and O'Neill in 1998.
.