History took precedence over record-setting track performances Friday in the Commonwealth Games.
Former BYU sprinter Frankie Fredericks became the first Namibian to earn a gold, winning the 200. And Hezekiel Sepeng became the first black South African in any sport ever to win a medal in the games, taking a silver in the men's 800 meters.Samuel Matete became the first Zambian to win a track gold, capturing the 400 hurdles, and Cathy Freeman of Australia added the women's 200 title to the 400 she won previously, becoming the first male or female to win both events in the same Commonwealth Games.
Sepeng, the South African flag bearer in last week's opening ceremony, nearly won the gold. With 70 meters remaining, he led Patrick Konchellah, but the Kenyan burst down the stretch and thwarted Sepeng's bid for victory.
Sepeng, 20, was one of seven black athletes on the 112-member delegation from South Africa that is competing in the games for the first time since 1958. He was emotional on the awards podium.
"I wanted to cry . . . but the tears didn't come," he said. "It will mean a lot for South Africa. When I came here, there was a lot of pressure. Everyone was expecting me to win a medal."
South Africa had been barred from the games because of its now-dropped apartheid policy. Until Friday, South Africans - all whites - had won six medals, two golds, one silver and four bronzes.
Sepeng, the fifth-place finisher in last year's World Championships, was timed in 1 minute, 45.76 seconds, behind Konchellah's 1:45.18.
Fredericks led a barrage of record-setters, beating England's John Regis in a rerun of their men's 200-meter final in last year's World Championships.
While Fredericks smashed the games record with a time of 19.97, records also fell in three other finals - Freeman won the women's 200 in 22.25, England's Sally Gunnell took the women's 400 hurdles in 54.51 and Matete won the men's 400 hurdles in 48.67.
Fredericks, who beat Regis in 1993 in Stuttgart, Germany, burst away with 50 meters left and won by nearly 3 meters in shattering the games record of 20.36 that Regis set in Wednesday's quarterfinals. The time matched Fredericks' best of the year and is the third-best in the world.
"I'm very happy that Regis had the the lane outside me," said Fredericks, fourth in the 100 on Tuesday. "I tried to run off him. When I got to the top corner, I thought, `Now, I can go."'
Namibia, which gained its independence only four years, was admitted to the Commonwealth this year.
Regis, coming off an Achilles injury, finished second at 20.25.