Commonwealth Games live updates: Hockeyroos face India in semi-final, while men’s decathlon draws to a close

Things are seriously tense at the University of Birmingham Hockey & Squash Centre.

Just one goal in the first quarter is all that separates Australia and India in this semi-final.

England awaits. Who will it be?

Get the spikes back out Steve! You’re running in the end on Sunday!

Great stuff for the Aussie, who qualifies in the last spot, but just 0.03 of a second, and will race in the final!

Steve Solomon told Channel 7 that he was happy to wrap his season up after that semi-final run.

He might still be in with a chance of sneaking into the final though, so he may want to reassess…

None of the non-automatic qualifiers managed to beat his 46.30 in that race, so there is still hope for the likable Aussie…

Jonathan Jones of Bahamas got the win in that second semi.

There’s one semi final to go…

Steve Solomon has just finished in fourth place in his 400m semi final…

It looked like he really struggled in the home straight, far from fluid as the race really heated up having exited the final bend in a second.

From there though, he went backwards.

He has told Channel 7 that he just didn’t have the running in his legs after a rough six months of injuries and has resigned himself to not racing in Sunday’s final.

I ran to 46.30, which will unlikely be good enough to see him qualify, I’d think.

The Hockeyroos have lost their referral pretty dubiously.

Kaitlin Nobbs challenged a penalty corner ruling, and it looked for all money like she’d done so successfully, but the third umpire found a way to confirm it.

All this while Shanea Tonkin was serving time in the penalty box on a green card.

The penalty corner didn’t come off for India, and Australia kept its 1-0 lead at the break despite being pinned in their own quarter of the field for most of the period.

India had five penalty corners in the first half, but couldn’t capitalize, while the Hockeyroos’ sole goal came from the field via Rebecca Greiner.

We have a winner in the battle of the Lobbans…

And it’s Donna Lobban who gets bragging rights with her partner Cameron Pilley!

The Aussie pair (and defending champions) came from behind to beat Scotland’s pairing of Greg Lobban and Lisa Aitkin 3-0.

They won the final game 11-8 to complete the turnaround.

Donna told the Commonwealth Games media team that if Greg won he’d have to make dinner for a month…

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Does that mean dinners are on her for the foreseeable?

Perhaps after the Comm Games are over – Donna and Cameron have worked to do and a medal to win for Australia.

Lindon Victor has re-taken the lead in the decathlon after a superb javelin throw.

He leads The Gap’s Cedric Dubler by 161 points heading into the 1500m.

Daniel Golubovic is third, just four points behind Dubler after throwing a season’s best of 58.26m in the javelin.

Alec Diamond is fifth.

It’s ever so close and the 1500 will be a belter when it takes place at 6:30am AEST.

Looking for redemption for the quarter-final loss at last year’s Olympics, the Hockeyroos have struck first in the semi against India.

Rebecca Greiner did the damage from the field.

Gutting news for Jacinta Beecher, who misses out on a spot in the 200m final by 0.12.

Ella Connolly is the slowest of the qualifiers to make it through and actually ran 0.01 seconds slower than Jacinta Beecher.

But, because the qualification is done on placings in the semi finals (top two qualify automatically, plus the two fastest non-qualifiers) then Beecher misses out.

The favorite Elaine Thompson-Herah qualified fastest.

Oh my goodness that was so, so close!

did Ella Connolly get second there?

AND IT IS! By 0.01 of a second!

At the moment, Jacinta Beecher is there too, by just 0.02 seconds…

But there’s one semi to go…

Quick update from the University Squash Center and the wife has leveled things up at one game each after she and Cameron Pilley took the second 8 – 11.

It’s coming down to decide…

This is for a spot in the final against England.

Jacinta Beecher has gone in the first semi final of the women’s 200m and I don’t think she’s done enough to get through, sadly.

Beecher came home in fourth spot with a time of 23.40, a fair way off her PB of 22.70 but she was running into a serious headwind of +1.9.

Like I said, I don’t think that will be enough to get one of the two fastest qualifying spots, but we’ll wait and see.

Australian Olympic silver medalist Nicola Olyslagers has had to withdraw from tonight’s high jump final with a calf injury.

She said it was “disappointing and devastating not to be able to compete.”

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“What was thought to be a tight calf after my qualifying round turned out to be a torn muscle in my jumping leg,” she said.

“Of all the emotions and shock I could feel in the moment, I still have peace. Winning bronze at the Commonwealth Games four years ago allowed my professional career as a high jumper to begin, it was a competition that changed the trajectory of my life .

“My prayer is that someone else’s dream comes alive tomorrow as I cheer them on from the sidelines. Let’s go cheer Eleanor on as she jumps for Australia so well out there.”

She is of course referring to world champion Eleanor Pattersonwho will be jumping in the final from 7:17pm AEST.

Remember the story of the husband and wife who are going up against each other in the mixed doubles quarter finals?

Well, they’re in action right now and first blood has gone to the husband Greg (of Team Scotland).

He and his partner Lisa Aitkin took the first game 11 – 9 against his life partner Donna and her cousin, Cameron Pillley.

This might read like a script from Bold and the Beautiful, but it’s not (although let’s not put it past them to get something in on it soon).

Domonic Bedggood and Cassiel Rousseau finish third behind England’s Matty Lee and Noah Williams, and Canadian pair Rylan Wiens and Nathan Zsombor-Murray.

Lee won Olympic gold with Tom Daley last year, but this is his first Commonwealth Games medal.

Bedggood, meanwhile, has claimed his fifth Commonwealth medal and third bronze. He has gold in this event from Glasgow 2014, and won 10m platform gold in 2018, when he also won bronze in 3m and 10m synchro.

Can Sam Carter and Jake Lappin emulate the efforts of Madison de Rozario and Angie Ballard from yesterday?

Not remove.

Sam Carter wins bronze in a superb race, led out hard by Canada’s Josh Cassidy, then Danny Sidbury of England made his move around the halfway mark, blowing Cassidy away.

Carter closed the gap, but brought him Englishman Nathan Maguire, who powered past Carter’s outside shoulder, then passed teammate Sidbury on the final straight to win gold.

Jake Lapin was fourth, five seconds behind Carter

Domonic Bedggood and Cassiel Rousseau are in the bronze medal spot with two dives left.

England’s Matthew Lee and Noah Williams, and Canadian pair Rylan Wiens and Nathan Zsombor-Murray just look streets ahead.

They’ll duke it out for gold, while the Aussies try to hold off the other English pair of Ben Cutmore and Kyle Kothari.

England’s Victoria Ohuruogu has qualified fastest for the women’s 400m final after running a 51-flat in the first semi final.

She’ll be joined by compatriot Ama Pipi and Jodie Williams, but they’ll be hard up to beat World Championship bronze medalist Sada Williams, who looked very comfortable in cruising to victory in the second semi in a time of 51.59.

England have just beaten New Zealand 2-0 in a penalty shoot out after a tight and tense 0-0 draw at the University Hockey Centre.

That means the hosts are in the final, where they await the winner of the second semi final between the Hockeyros and India.

That match is due to start at 5:15am AEST, so about half an hour or so.