A total of 46 athletics events were contested, which made it the sport with the second greatest number of medals on offer after the aquatics competition. The programme was almost identical to that of the 2006 edition, with the sole exception being the men's 50 km race walk, which was dropped. As in 2006, three men's and three women's disability athletics events were contested alongside the open competition.[2]
Each of the Commonwealth Games Associations could send a maximum of three participants per event and a team of six for relay events.[3]Kenya topped the medal table, with eleven gold medals and 29 medals in total. This was the first time that the nation achieved the feat, beating the typically dominant nations Australia (eleven golds, but 20 overall) and England (seven golds, 26 medals).[4]Canada and Jamaica rounded out the top five while hosts India enjoyed their greatest ever haul at the Games, taking home two golds and twelve medals altogether.
Four failed doping tests have so far been announced: Nigerian Oludamola Osayomi was stripped of the women's 100 m title, and her compatriot Samuel Okon, a 110 m hurdler, was also disqualified. Both athletes tested positive for methylhexanamine. Rani Yadav, India's representative in the women's 20 km walk, was the third athlete to fail a test as 19-Norandrosterone was detected in her sample.[5] Osayomi's 100 m stripped gold initially went to Sally Pearson of Australia but a delay in the appeals process saw Pearson disqualified for a false start some time after the race.[6]Folashade Abugan of Nigeria tested positive for Testosteroneprohormone following the final of the women's 400 metres. She was disqualified from the 400 metres and the Nigerian team, of which she was a member, were disqualified from the women's 4 x 400 metres relay where they had originally placed second.[7]
Preparation
A test event for the competition was scheduled in late July: the Asian All-Star Athletics Meet featured a number of prominent Asian athletes and demonstrated the stadium's readiness for games usage.[8][9]
Many of the most prominent athletes from the Commonwealth were absent from the competition. Caster Semenya, Commonwealth champion Christine Ohuruogu, and Olympic medallist Lisa Dobriskey were among the athletes missing due to injury, but others including Usain Bolt, David Rudisha and Shelly-Ann Fraser opted to miss the competition out of choice – all ten of the year's fastest Commonwealth men's 100 m runners (including defending champion Asafa Powell) were not present.[10] Further to this, two reigning world champions (English jumper Phillips Idowu and Australian thrower Dani Samuels) declared themselves out of the running on grounds of the security and accommodation conditions in Delhi. The competition's late scheduling within the track and field season was a primary factor in many athlete withdrawals.[11]
In spite of this, a number of Olympic champions and other prominent names were selected to compete, including Australian Olympic/World champion Steve Hooker and New Zealand's Olympic/World Champion Valerie Adams, top Kenyan runners Nancy Langat, Vivian Cheruiyot and Ezekiel Kemboi, Bahamian high jumper Donald Thomas, and South Africa's Commonwealth champions L.J. van Zyl and Sunette Viljoen.[10] Former world record holder Steve Cram emphasised the Games' role in developing younger athletes: "That's what it was for me, at 17 years old I went to the Commonwealth Games because Coe and Ovett didn't go. Nobody at the time was telling me it was bad that Coe and Ovett weren't there."[11]
Moses Ndiema Kipsiro, men's 5000 metres and 10000 metres championDylan Armstrong, men's shot put championAndy Turner won the men's 110 m hurdlesDai Greene won the men's 400 metre hurdlesXIX Commonwealth Games-2010 Delhi Winners of (Pole Vault Men's), Steve Hooker of Australia (Gold), Steven Lewis of England (Silver) and Max Eaves of England (Bronze), during the medal ceremony of the eventMen's Decathlon winners: Nelson Adjetey Jami of Canada (Gold), Brent Newdick of New Zealand (Silver) and Martin Brockman of England (Bronze)
Grace Momanyi of Kenya won the women's 10000 metresDonald Thomas was the victor in the men's highjumpSteve Hooker of Australia won the men's pole vaultWinners of Discus (Women's) Krishna Poonia of India (Gold), Harwant Kaur of India (Silver) and Seema Antil of India (Bronze) during the medal presentation ceremonyXIX Commonwealth Games-2010 Delhi (Women's) Athletics Long Jump Alice Falaiye of Canada (Gold), Prajusha Maliakkal of India (Silver) and Tabia Charles of Canada (Bronze), during the medal presentation ceremony
* Athletes who participated in the heats only and received medals.
Women's para-sport
XIX Commonwealth Games-2010 Delhi Winners of 100m (Women's T37) Hart Katrina of England (Gold), Mcloughlin Jenny of Wales (Silver) and Benson Johanna of Namibia (Bronze)
At the competition Amantle Montsho (Botswana) and Cydonie Mothersill (Cayman Islands) all won the first ever Commonwealth gold medals for their respective countries. Natasha Mayers (St. Vincent and Grenadines), won the first gold medal ever by a female for her country. The number of medal sweeps in the athletics (6) was at an all-time high for the competition: Kenya took all top three spaces in four events, England beat all in the men's hurdles while hosts India completed a 1–2–3 in the women's discus.[13]
,_Steve_Hooker_of_Australia_(Gold),_Steven_Lewis_of_England_(Silver)_and_Max_Eaves_of_England_(Bronze),_during_the_medal_ceremony_of_the_event.jpg)
_Athletics_Decathlon,_Nelson_Adjetey_Jami_of_Canada_(Gold),_Brent_Newdick_of_New_Zealand_(Silver)_and_Martin_Brockman_of_England_(Bronze).jpg)
_Krishna_Poonia_of_India_(Gold),_Harwant_Kaur_of_India_(Silver)_and_Seema_Antil_of_India_(Bronze)_during_the_medal_presentation_ceremony_of_the_event.jpg)
_Athletics_Long_Jump_Alice_Falaiye_of_Canada_(Gold),_Prajusha_Maliakkal_of_India_(Silver)_and_Tabia_Charles_of_Canada_(Bronze),_during_the_medal_presentation_ceremony.jpg)
_Hart_Katrina_of_England_(Gold),_Mcloughlin_Jenny_of_Wales_(Silver)_and_Benson_Johanna_of_Namibia_(Bronze).jpg)
