Commonwealth Games: Four years on, it's bronze for Willis

Medal collector Nick Willis now has the complete 1500m set - gold, silver and bronze - after running third at the Delhi Commonwealth Games last night.

Willis ran the same canny way he did for gold in Melbourne in 2006, and Beijing two years ago to claim Olympic silver but while the Delhi reward was a less valuable metal, there was still plenty of satisfaction.

Since Beijing, Willis has been hampered by injury, and feared he might not be able to defend his Commonwealth Games crown, after a knee injury cost him valuable training.

He didn't get back to full training until the end of July and spent the past week and a half sharpening his speed.

He still came with lowered expectations, so was quietly pleased with the outcome.

Willis was perfectly placed to the turn, but was unable to run down Kenyans Silas Kiplagat and James Magut in the home stretch. He was well clear of fourth.

Kiplagat, who this year clocked the fastest 1500m time recorded over the past four years, and is the 10th fastest man ever, won in a pedestrian three minutes, 41.78 seconds.

Magut, who it seemed Willis might catch until his lack of quality training caught up with him, clocked 3min 42.27sec, with the New Zealander home in 3min 42.38sec.

"I had high hopes of course ... expectations that I could medal, and bronze was probably the best I could do," he said.

"After my last two years I am delighted to be just healthy again and racing. This race is about strength and speed, and I've had to sacrifice the speed part in this build up.

"I'm just looking forward to getting back into things full time, and with 20 months to go to London I hope to be right back to my best and be competitive by then."

New Zealand teammate Adrian Blincoe was 10th in 3min 44.47sec.

There was silver for New Zealand in the javelin, when Stuart Farquhar of Hamilton threw 78.15m, beaten only by Jarrod Bannister of Australia, who threw 81.71m.

Indian Kashinath Naik took the bronze with 74.29m.

As well as battling the other competitors, Farquhar had to scrap it out with the officials, after they mismeasured one of his throws.

He was stunned when the electronic scoreboard flashed up what proved to be his second-best throw as 72 metres, and stalked over to the officials.

"When I saw the number go up on the board I couldn't believe it, I knew it had gone over the 75m mark so I just had to go up and protest.

"They weren't going to do anything about it and then when they checked all of a sudden the board changed."

The throw was recorded as 76.39m, a distance he did not beat until his sixth - and final - throw.

"I don't know how this sort of thing happens, I guess it's India.

"I'm absolutely delighted it was a really good performance, it was difficult throwing conditions but my experience really helped, now I'm certainly going to dig in again and push through to London (2012 Olympics)."

The medals ended a successful track and field Games for New Zealand, who won a gold to shot putter Val Adams, and five silvers -- Farquhar, decathlete Brent Newdick, Jess Hamill in the F34 shot put and Nikki Hamblin in the 800m and 1500m.

Willis and 100m hurdler Andrea Miller won bronze.