England rounded off the track and field programme with two golds from the men’s and women’s sprint relay teams, a bronze from Kate Dennison in the pole vault, and two bronzes from the men’s and women’s 400m relay teams.
For Katherine Endacott, first leg runner in the 4x100m, gold was swiftly supplemented by silver as official news arrived that she had moved up from the bronze medal position in the controversial 100m final held on Thursday.
The doping positive returned by the Nigerian who claimed gold once Australia’s Sally Pearson had been disqualified for a false start, Osayemi Oludamola, was confirmed.
“Well I won’t forget this championships in a hurry will I?” said Endacott, a 30-year-old teaching assistant from Plymouth. “I expect to turn on the TV at home and watch Question of Sport and the 100m race will be on – what happens next.
“I’m just really chuffed whatever happens in the individual, I have won gold with these guys. Amazing.”
For Endacott, Laura Turner – also disqualified from the 100m final – and Montell Douglas, the medal ceremony, coupled with the surging melody of England’s anthem, Jerusalem, provoked tears. Only Abi Oyepitan, who anchored the team home in 44.19, retained her full composure.
Mark Lewis-Francis, who brought the baton home in 38.47 after the consecutive efforts of Ryan Scott, individual 200m gold medallist Leon Baptiste and Marlon Devonish, was moved to recall the Athens Olympics, when he anchored Britain to a sprint relay victory.
“These guys set me up for gold,” said the 100m individual silver medallist. “I took some yards back and they did too. It brought back memories of 2004.”
Baptiste, too, was in jubilant mood after a Games in which he has stepped up to a new level of performance: “Wow! Two gold medals. I couldn’t be happy.”
Devonish, also part of the Athens quartet, added: “Usually in a Commonwealth year I have a medal by now so this meant so much to me. It’s amazing. I’m so happy.”
The women’s 4x400m team – Kelly Massey, Victoria Barr, Meghan Beesley and Nadine Okyere – came home third behind India, whose victory caused a packed stadium to thunder its applause, and Nigeria, recording 3:29.51.
“The crowd is just insane here,” said Massey. “The atmosphere in the stadium was great.”
Victoria Barr added: “We came here for a podium finish and that’s what we got. We’ve all worked really hard for it.”
The 4x400m men won bronze in 3:03.97, finished behind gold medallists Australia and Kenya.
Conrad Williams, who started for England, said: “I had to give the boys a good start and I think I did that. I’m really pleased to get a medal.”
Nick Leavey took over the baton in first place, and was holding third when he passed it on to Rick Yates, who supplied Robert Tobin in second place.
“I was disappointed not to hold on for silver,” said Tobin, “but at the end of the day a medal is still great.”
Dennison won her first major medal with a jump of 4.25m, but confessed to “mixed emotions”, adding: “I came here for gold. It was a tough night but I’m happy with a medal. Now I need to turn Commonwealth medals into World and Olympic medals.”
Youngster Emma Lyons finished seventh at her first major international with 4.10.
Nathan Douglas and 1998 Commonwealth champion Larry Achike finished fourth and seventh respectively in the final of the triple jump with 16.96m and 16.59m as Nigeria’s Tosin Oke won with 17.16m.
“I am disappointed, as I came here to win gold,” said Douglas. “I feel that the most gutting thing is if the third jump had been legal it would’ve been over 17.30 and then it would have been game over.”
Andy Baddeley and Tom Lancashire finished sixth and eighth in a 1500m final where Kenya’s Silas Kiplagat and James Magut took gold and silver in 3min 41.78 and 3:42.47 respectively.
Baddeley, who clocked 3:43.33, commented: “That was tough. Actually, no it wasn’t. I just ran like an idiot. The race was really slow and I found myself at the back, it was terrible.”
Lancashire, who recorded 3:43.58, added: “The Kenyans went out hard and then really slowed down, and in slow races you can’t afford to get yourself at the back like I did.”
Charlotte Purdue finished sixth against a high quality 5000m field in 16:16.13. Kenya achieved a clean sweep, with Scotland’s Steph Twell just missing out.
“They went earlier than expected and it was hard,” Purdue said. “But I’ve had an amazing experience out here in Delhi, I came fourth in the 10,000 and sixth in the 5,000 in my first senior international event.”