The operation to lift the first of two Tasmanian tugboats that were sunk in January has exposed the damage done to them by a massive cement carrier in Devonport.
Key points:
The two cranes used can lift 500 tonnes, but the water, marine growth and fuel left in the tugboat meant the exact weight was unknown until the operation began
An estimated 60,000 liters of fuel spilled into the river shortly after the two tugs were sunk
The January crash is the subject of a safety bureau investigation
On Sunday, the heavy-lift ship AAL Melbourne lifted the first wrecked tug, the York Cove, from the Mersey River.
In a statement, TasPorts chief operating officer Stephen Casey said TasPorts, its insurer (Shipowners) and United Salvage had been “working diligently on the salvage effort.”
“The lift of the first tug was a slow process, but it needed to be,” he said.
“It is made complex by a series of environmental factors, including weather, wind and river currents that have been affected by recent rain, and the condition of the wrecks themselves in the water.
Damage from the accident was clearly visible after the tugboat was raised.(Supplied: Rob Burnett)
Mr Casey said the “allision” had resulted in an estimated tens of thousands of liters of fuel being spilled into the river.
“The York Cove weighs 310 tonnes. The two cranes used to lift the tug provides a lifting capacity of 500 tonnes, but the water, marine growth and fuel left in the vessel means the exact weight is unknown until we start lifting.
“Further, as the weight of the tug comes under tension, the lifting ship needs to remain upright, so it is constantly pumping its ballast tanks.”
Authorities say they have a weather window for the salvage works until Wednesday.(Supplied: Rob Burnett)
The operation started before dawn on Sunday.(Supplied: Rob Burnett)
Mr Casey said a decision on the commencement of the salvage works for the second tug, named Campbell Cove, would be made after the first job was complete.
“We have a positive weather window until Wednesday to complete the second lift,” he said.
“In planning and executing the second lift, just as was the case with the first lift, TasPorts, the salvage company and the operators of the AAL Melbourne will be working to manage the safety of TasPorts staff and all contractors on the wharf.
“Ensuring the protection of the environment and the integrity of the oil spill response boom around the wreck site is maintained will also be a key focus.”
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The moment the cement carrier Goliath crashes into the tugs is captured on video
Mr Casey said Sunday’s operation was an “important step forward for TasPorts” which had been focused on removing the York Cove and Campbell Cove wrecks and returning all commercial berths at the Port of Devonport to full operations, “while at the same time carefully managing environmental and safety”.
Soon after the crash, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau launched an investigation, calling for any witnesses or anyone with information to contact them.
Tugboats York Cove and Campbell Cove sank after cement carrier Goliath crashed into them.(Supplied: ATSB)
US Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks to reporters following the Senate Republicans weekly policy lunch at the US Capitol in Washington, July 19, 2022.
Elizabeth Franz | Reuters
Republican senators on Sunday voted down a cap on the price of insulin in the private market, removing it from Democrats’ sweeping climate and economic package.
Democrats had tried to preserve the provision to cap insulin costs at $35 for private insurers, but that vote failed 57-43, with seven Republicans voting with them to keep the insulin cost cap in the bill, three short of what was needed.
The move was expected following a decision by the Senate parliamentarian, who determined earlier that the insulin provision was not compliant with the chamber’s strict budget rules. Democrats need to comply with those rules to advance the legislation, called the Inflation Reduction Act, without any Republican votes.
The legislation, however, still includes a $35 copay cap on the price of insulin for seniors on Medicare.
Following the vote, Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., accused Republicans of caving to pressures from the pharmaceutical industry at the expense of citizens.
“Republicans have just gone on the record in favor of expensive insulin,” Wyden said in a statement. “After years of tough talk about taking on insulin makers, Republicans have once wilted against in the face of heat from Big Pharma.”
“Fortunately, the $35 insulin copay cap for insulin in Medicare remains in the bill, so seniors will get relief from high insulin costs. I will continue working to deliver lower insulin costs to all Americans,” he added.
Republican Sens. Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy of Louisiana; Susan Collins of Maine; Josh Hawley of Missouri; Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi; and Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan of Alaska joined Democrats in voting to keep the insulin cap for private insurers on Sunday.
Senators have been working through the weekend on amendment votes after the chamber advanced the bill Saturday in a 51-50 procedural vote, with all Republicans opposing the motion to proceed with the bill and Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tie-breaking vote.
Senate Democrats are aiming to pass the legislation on Sunday, bringing long-stalled elements of President Joe Biden’s agenda, including major spending to combat climate change and extend health care coverage, one step closer to reality. The package will then head to the House, which is currently planning to pass it on Friday.
Russo tells The Australian Financial Review’s How I Made It podcast that after losing another job, she decided she would start her own company. She set up a typing school in 1979.
Sarina Russo was fired as a legal secretary. Now, she’s one of the country’s richest women.
But things were tricky for female founders then. She remembers her de ella accountant telling her that for all the rent she was paying, she could probably buy her own offices. “We started looking and not one real estate agent would take my call,” Russo recalls.
She asked her brother-in-law, a lawyer, to call the agents for her.
“And of course, they took his call. And the rest is history. I bought 82 Ann Street [in Brisbane], which I still own today. I’ve never sold it.”
The building is part of an extensive property portfolio spanning Queensland, NSW and Victoria.
Building her property and business interests took persistence. She was fired quite a few times, but Russo does not believe in failure.
“I didn’t believe I failed. Every job I went for, I learned more than the last job. I was not a failed legal secretary, I was different. I challenged the status quo,” Russo says.
In 1979, Sarina Russo started a typing school.
When Russo was fired from her job at a typing school, the students demanded she be brought back, she tells the podcast.
“I got reinstated. but as she [my former employer] was telling me to come back, and persuading me to come back, I thought, ‘I can do this on my own’,” she says.
“So that was a boost of confidence that I got from the students.”
Russo went to the bank, which required a big chunk of her savings as security for an overdraft facility.
“I virtually kick-started the company with 600 bucks,” she says.
“And I gave myself eight months that I was going to do this. And I was determined. I used to work 17 hours a day to drive this little business. In the first year, I was making more money than the prime minister of the day.”
Russo has since expanded, and the company boasts more than 100 offices that help get people into employment, training and education.
But it has not always been easy. In 2009, Sarina Russo Job Access lost government contracts for 11 areas in Brisbane and south-east Queensland, representing about 30 per cent of its national market share.
Headlines screamed she was set to sack hundreds of staff as a result. Except, she did the opposite.
“I said, I’m not going to make one person redundant. Everyone will have a job. I’m going to keep all the offices open. And I’m going to re-engineer the company. And we re-engineered ourselves,” she says.
“We moved to the UK, to the Midlands, and we actually shook the tree. And we placed over the last 10 years there in the Midlands something like 10,000 [people]. I was told that I’d never make it in the UK because I didn’t belong to the class distinction. And I said, well, watch me.”
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game of Thrones‘ Westeros wasn’t a great place for anybody to live during the eight seasons of the show, and the plethora of badass female characters didn’t mean that kingdoms embraced women as leaders or warriors, with some exceptions. House of the Dragon will take viewers back to Westeros in a completely different era, but some things remain the same. A Song of Ice and Fire and Fire&Blood author George RR Martin explained why the kingdoms in his fictional world of Westeros weren’t too keen on women getting ahead.
House of the Dragon will face the issue of women having (or not having) power head-on, as it is rooted in a chaotic time for the Targaryen family in which King Viserys I intends to give his daughter Princess Rhaenyra the throne. Others believe Viserys’ brother, Daemon, should rule, as a woman had never sat on the Iron Throne at that point. George RR Martin spoke during the show’s panel at San Diego Comic-Con about that and noted that his books by him are not any more unkind to women than real-life history was:
I get inspiration from history, and then I take elements from history and I turn it up to 11. Games of Thrones is, as many people have observed, based very loosely on the War of the Roses. [House of the Dragon] is based on an earlier period in history called the Anarchy. I don’t think Westeros is particularly more anti-woman or more misogynistic than real life and what we call history.
Unfortunately, the female characters getting overlooked or punished disproportionately to the men is fairly true to history, according to George RR Martin. That doesn’t especially bode well for the women of House of the Dragon, but then, as the author said, he takes “inspiration from history.” Perhaps the fictional kingdoms will be somewhat kinder – or at least less oppressive – to characters like Rhaenyra and Rhaenys, since they have dragons.
Of course, the powerful women of game of Thrones certainly didn’t all get happy endings in positions of power despite all of their struggles, even if they made to the final season. For all that they were arguably both villains by the end, Cersei and Daenerys both died horribly. Sansa went through at least seven hells before she was ultimately crowned Queen of the North. Arya left her family de ella after spending most of the series trying to get back to them.
when it comes to House of the Dragon, it appears that Rhaenyra Targaryen will face her own trials in order to protect her place as the rightful heir to the Iron Throne. The new series will not depict sexual violence, which may not be what viewers and HBO Max subscribers might have expected after game of Thrones. Still, considering that George RR Martin based Fire&Blood on a period of time known as “the Anarchy,” viewers should probably expect plenty of suffering to go around.
Just how the new show compares to game of Thrones remains to be seen. The original series came to a divisive end that many criticized, but it’s still a safe bet that House of the Dragon will be a major success for HBO. George RR Martin had a rave review for the first episode after seeing a rough cut in 2021, though he admitted that he’s not an objective party to speak on it.
House of the Dragon premieres on HBO on Sunday, August 21st at 9:00 pm ET. It’s one of many new shows headed to television in the coming weeks, so be sure to be keeping tabs on what’s ahead as more anticipated shows premiere.
There is a growing expectation that Daniel Ricciardo is set to exit McLaren at the end of the 2022 Formula 1 season.
On paper, the Australian has struggled for both consistency and results, and has been overshadowed by team-mate Lando Norris.
That follows a similar trend seen in 2021 and points to a driver-team relationship that has never worked as hoped.
Ricciardo was hired to drive the team forwards, only that has not happened.
His victory in last year’s Italian Grand Prix made up for what was otherwise a disappointing season.
There seems no hope of a similar result this year or, more to the point, not hope a repeat result can save him from being elbowed aside by Oscar Piastri.
It comes after Ricciardo managed only four points finishes in the opening 13 races of 2022, and the best of those a kilometer in the Australian Grand Prix.
However, he argues the results themselves don’t paint the full picture of his year to date.
“It’s one of those ones where like, everyone has their things that go on, you know, like away from the paper,” he told Speedcafe.com in the days prior to the Piastri contract saga breaking.
“Whether it’s like in Miami qualifying where we had issues and had to push then the out lap, and then the tires are too hot, so we were never going to get through Q3, Q2, whatever it was.
“So there’s little things like that, again, don’t just happen to me – I’m sure every driver goes through the bad times in the year.
“But it’s just a sport where for sure the paper talks, but it’s not the full story sometimes.”
Ricciardo’s 2022 has been troubled to say the least.
It began with a bout of coronavirus which eliminated him from the final pre-season test in Bahrain and left him still recovering at the opening round.
The car also suffered brake issues which significantly hampered its early performance.
There was a mechanical failure in Saudi Arabia, while contact at the start of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix (initially triggered by Ricciardo) crippled his car.
After the Spanish Grand Prix there were problems found in the MCL36 which the 33-year-old had raced, while in Monaco the team opted for a set-up which led to his practice crash.
The British Grand Prix proved a head-scratcher, but there were positive signs in Austria and again in France, where it was only through being caught in the second half of both races that saw him drop away from Norris in the final results.
Add into the mix a hotly contested midfield, in which Alpine arguably has the faster car, not to mention the likes of Alfa Romeo Sauber and Haas who have shown strong pace on occasions, and that the top six places on any given weekend can be accounted for, and any minor hiccup is heavily punished.
“Of course, I want to have a better season,” Ricciardo confessed.
“Even sometimes I catch myself; like, even Paul Ricard, I was like ‘oh, but it’s just ninth.’ You know, I was maybe not that stoked on the race.
“But then I kind of looked it over and then looked back, and it was better than it seemed.
“Ultimately, yeah, it’s still not going to get me jacked up on a Sunday night and wanting to go out and party and celebrate it.
“It’s a work in progress, but it’s not as bad as it always seems, for sure.”
Ricciardo has a valid contract for 2023 with McLaren, with the break clause understood to sit with the Australian.
It means, should he decide to stick around, it would be he in the car and not Piastri, regardless of what contract the 21-year-old may have signed.
Of course, it begs the question whether Ricciardo would want to hang around for a final year at a team where the senior management clearly doesn’t support or want him there.
There are also precious few opportunities out in the market, with Alpine and Williams the only realistic options, and the former is the better of those options.
However, Ricciardo has previously driven for the operation, having been drafted in to spearhead the team’s march to the front of the F1 grid in an eerily familiar sounding tale.
A rekindling of that relationship is most likely as, while he upset the senior management with his decision to leave, Renault CEO Luca de Meo is the only remnant from that time; Laurent Rossi (Alpine CEO) Davide Brivio (Racing Director), and Otmar Szafnauer (Team Principal), have all been appointed since.
The latter, whose job also makes him the public face of the team, has said there are no barriers to such a return.
To the first major political interview of the day, and federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has fronted Seven’s breakfast show Sunrise.
The Labor frontbencher was joined by former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce.
Environment and Water Minister Tanya Plibersek.Credit:alex ellinghausen
The pair were asked about reports that Plibersek intends to block a proposed coal mine by billionaire Clive Palmer over concerns the project is likely to have “unacceptable impacts” on the Great Barrier Reef.
As regular readers of this blog will know, new coal and gas projects have been in the spotlight recently, given the Albanese government has been locked in negotiations with the Greens and Teal independents over its signature climate legislation.
Here’s what Plibersek had to say about the matter:
Well, we are still in the 10-day consultation before the decision is finalized, so I have to be careful what I say. The reason I am proposing to block this, is that [the mine] is less than 10km from the Great Barrier Reef and has significant impact [on] toilet [and] the land as well. I’m not going to say too much about it because the decision is open for a consultation. And I want to give everybody their say before I say anything further on it… [but] the Great Barrier Reef, in a good year, before COVID, it is about $6.4 billion worth of tourism and supports 54,000 jobs.
And here was Joyce’s stance:
That is one opinion. I respect the process. [But] let’s look at our deficits. They might be harsh because of the exports of coal and gas, which are really helping a nation out, so we have to be really careful of saying the word no. We have to understand the reality we are in and we want to become a strong as possible and as quickly as possible [because of what’s happening in Ukraine and around Taiwan] and that means we have to make money. We have to become a bit harder and tougher in our mindset.
The mining industry makes multiple times [the reef’s $6.4b annually]. Well in excess of $100 billion [in] coal alone. So compare the two. Destroy the Great Barrier Reef, nobody wants to do that. But if we keep stopping projects, we have to understand what we’re doing.
More human skeletal remains were found Saturday at a beach on Lake Mead, the fourth set of remains found at the lake where water levels have dramatically receded in recent years because of a lingering drought, authorities said.
Park Rangers responded to a call about the discovery of the remains at Swim Beach at Lake Mead National Recreation Area about 11:30 am Saturday, according to the National Park Service. They were assisted in their investigation by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department dive team.
The skeletal remains are the second set to be found at Swim Beach.
Authorities provided no additional information about the discovery. A spokesperson with the Clark County Office of the Coroner-Medical Examiner could not be reached for comment.
This is the fourth time since May that human remains have been discovered at Lake Mead, the nation’s largest reservoir, which has dropped to unprecedented lows amid a 22-year drought. The lake provides water to 25 million people and millions of acres of farmland in several states in the Southwest, including California.
The first set of skeletal remains was found in a barrel in May and likely belonged to a gunshot victim killed in the 1970s or 1980s, officials said.
Six days later, another set of remains was found at Callville Bay. A third set was recovered last month at the lake’s Swim Beach.
Authorities believe the region’s extreme drought and Lake Mead’s dropping water levels will lead them to discover more remains. None of the remains discovered have been identified.
In addition to human remains, the receding waters have revealed watercraft, including a World War II-era boat that had been put into service at the lake before sinking.
New photographs taken by an Australian traveler show a heartbreaking sight in Bali.
While more tourists are returning to the party island since international travel resumed, and businesses are reopening, things are still not quite the same at the famous tourist hub of Kuta as they were before the Covid-19 pandemic struck.
But despite this, there are still some parts of the resort area that remain a ghost town, with some of the pubs, shops and restaurants that were once major tourist drawcards still closed.
This can be seen in images of the once-popular Kuta Town Houses and its surrounds, which now appear to be an abandoned site, boarded up and overgrown with weeds.
Traveler Kat Willeme told news.com.au that on a recent visit she had gone for a morning walk to check out the area and was surprised by what she found.
“What an absolute heartbreaking sight to see things in such disrepair and all the surrounding businesses shut down,” Kat said.
“The area used to be so lively and was the main thoroughfare between Poppies Lane 1 and 2. We are understanding now why they are both struggling to recover.”
However, she said it’s crucial for tourists to keep coming back to support Bali as “they need our help”.
She explained that most of her friends have businesses in the area which were still struggling to recover, unlike other parts of Bali which were thriving. She hopes to raise awareness of what’s really going on in Kuta, in the hopes of bringing life back to the area.
“It is not like this everywhere,” she said.
Kat also posted the images in a Facebook travel group and it was flooded with comments, many reminiscing about the past and devastated to see the state of the building now.
One commenter said: “So sad – this was such an awesome place.”
Another said: “This is a crying shame. We are so lucky in this country. Good buildings going to waste, only increased tourism can remedy this. Please help by visiting Bali.”
And a third wrote: “Yes it’s so sad! We were there recently and it was a sight to see. Just want it back to the way it used to be.”
Another commenter shared some fond memories: “It’s so sad. We stayed there since they opened and they were like family … It’s the worst to see it all so overgrown.”
Others pointed out that with the boards removed, and some weeding and general maintenance work done, the building would look much better.
Closed for business
Kat also shared other images from the streets of Kuta showing businesses that are shut. They include places such as the Matahari Shopping Center on Kuta Square, and other eleven-busy shops nearby.
She said there were many shops still shut along the formerly bustling Poppies Lane 1.
Meanwhile, most shops are open for business along Poppies Lane 2, but due to some local hotels being shut Kat said she noticed “there is a lack of foot traffic getting down there”.
She also said popular businesses such as Tubes and Bagus Pub are shut, along with the famous Bounty Hotel which Kat said “is still all boarded up and looking a little shabby”.
But there is hope that things will slowly improve.
A local advised her the Bounty is hoping to reopen in September after doing some renovations.
“You can see them doing work and repairs everywhere you go and more and more stores and hotels are reopening each day,” Kat said.
tourism revival
The Covid-19 pandemic caused international travelers to disappear from the island nation, leaving 400,000 Balinese people without jobs.
In April this year, Indonesia’s Tourism Minister Sandiaga Uno asked Australians to return, as the nation “misses” us.
“We want you guys to be back,” he told 9news.
“We are seeing demand, very healthy demand from Australia in particular. Bali is now open.”
The Block is back for more stunning home renovations and for the first time ever we are in the country for a tree change.
Five new teams arrive for what really is the biggest block ever and they’re thrown straight into the deep end with a 48-hour House Decider challenge.
Stream the latest episodes of The Block for free on 9Now.
the reality of the block hits hard and fast as the teams battle reno fails and misunderstandings to try to deliver a bedroom good enough to get them first choice of the houses.
And one team’s confusion over some well-intended design advice results in a unique room feature that leaves them fearing they won’t secure their favorite house.
READMORE:Meet the contestants taking on the Tree Change challenge of The Block 2022
Before we get to that we’re reunited with host Scott Cam who is also renovating a house this year.
He’s arrived three months early to get a few rooms ready. The façade, veranda and front lawn are also beautifully landscaped providing the perfect setting to meet the new contestants.
First to arrive on the Gisborne building site are block fans Tom and Sarah-Jane from Victoria.
When they get to Scotty’s front lawn there is no one to be seen, but soon enough another team arrives and it’s sunshiny Queensland couple Dylan and Jenny.
Next up its former AFL player Joel and influencer Elle from Sydney who are instantly recognized by Tom and Sarah-Jane as famous faces.
Then Victoria’s Ankur and Sharon drive up and they’re already vowing not to “break up as a result of The Block“, which is always a good sign.
Last but certainly not least are happy-go-lucky best friends Omar and Oz, who hail from Sydney.
Now everyone’s here Scotty – along with his kelpie Frankie – makes his entrance and explains the 48-hour House Decider challenge to the teams.
“So now what we want to see is what you guys can do over the next 12 weeks with 10 acres. It’s never been done before in block history. The question I’ve got for you guys is simple, have you got what it takes? Why don’t we find out right now?” Scotty asks the contestants.
(Nine)
He tells them there are five homesteads on the property, each a different size and shape with their own unique views of the Macedon Ranges.
To get first pick of the house they’ll be renewing this season they’ll compete in a House Decider challenge. This requires them to makeover a bedroom in 48 hours with a budget of only $5,000 and the help of tradies from hipages.
Scotty allocates them a house for the challenge based on the order they arrived in and the teams run to the properties to get started.
After some debate over which room they’re going to do their bedroom in, Tom and Sarah-Jane settle on a space and get to work. They’re going for a modern farmhouse look with green and white walls.
And then we’re treated to our first reno fail of The Block 2022.
Once the walls have been plastered, Tom tries to save some time by priming the wall during the night. The only problem is, the plaster hasn’t been sanded yet.
“I don’t have to be neat now, just slap it on, that all gets sanded off tomorrow anyway,” he says not realizing his mistake.
The next morning the plasterer returns for sanding and giggles as he greets Sarah-Jane.
“They’re like what’ve you done to the walls? You don’t put primer on until the gyprock has been sanded,” Sarah-Jane recalls.
“I’m not aware it’s like paint,” Tom explains.
That means Tom had to hand sand the walls before redoing the first he stayed up all night to apply.
Later things take a turn when Tom struggles to operate a paint spray gun and ends up in an argument with Sarah-Jane. The stress and overwhelming nature of the first two days on The Block gets to Sarah-Jane as she tears up.
Sarah-Jane is in tears after an argument with Tom. (Nine)
Elsewhere Omar and Oz have hit the ground running after a slow start and are planning a bedroom with a neutral palette, storage and an occasional chair.
Dylan and Jenny are progressing well with their bedroom which has “country vibes” and “Mediterranean farm style texture, nude colors and stuff like that, like luxury”.
Dylan and Jenny get ready to transform this room into a bedroom. (Nine)
As for Joel and Elle, they’re looking far from the country for their bedroom inspiration and doing a coastal cool style. They’ve also decided to forego carpet and pay $750 for timber flooring, even though they’ve got a tight budget and a short deadline.
Scotty pays them a visit and though he claims he likes the features in the room tells them “it’s a room to lose”.
Over in House 4, Ankur and Sharon are having a reindeer fail of their own. Sharon is keen for a reclaimed timber feature wall in the bedroom but Scotty is concerned it might look like a “man cave”.
“I don’t think it should be really rustic, it can be timber – beautiful. I don’t know about the rough rusticity [wood]. You do that in a man cave by the pizza oven, but not in the bedroom,” he advises.
READMORE:Why The Block host Scott Cam thinks his dog Frankie will be the star of the 2022 season
Despite Scotty’s advice Sharon heads off to a farm in search of timber off-cuts and reveals a hidden talent for driving a forklift. It seems she’s misinterpreted his comments on her and thought he meant she shouldn’t do a whole wall with rustic timber, so she’s gone and done half a feature wall instead.
“Ta-daaaaa – I listened to you,” Sharon proudly tells Scotty.
“No you didn’t, you’ve done completely the opposite of what I said,” he laughs.
But that’s not the only problem, the timber beams on the ceiling are 30mm short. Scotty recommends fixing it because if they leave it like that the judges will notice and they definitely won’t win the challenge.
And that’s a worry for the couple who have their hearts set on House 4, especially because that’s the house everyone wants.
“It’s a got a big deck that wraps around for that east side, so you get the sunrise in the morning,” Dylan says about House 4’s features.
This is the house everyone wants to renovate. (Nine)
Joel and Elle love it because the back of the house has direct views of Mount Macedon.
And Sarah-Jane is also a fan of House 4, so winning the House Decider challenge has never been more important.
To find out who gets first pick of the houses, we’ll have to wait until the rooms are judged in Episode 2. But that’s not only thing rocking The Block with one couple set to walk-off the show completely for the first time in history.
In Pictures
Scotty’s house renovation so far
Sneak peek at the first three rooms.
ViewGallery
The Block airs Sunday at 7.00pm and Monday to Wednesday at 7.30pm on Nine. Catch up on all thelatest episodes on 9Now.
Another rush of gold in Birmingham saw Australia reach a major milestone as the Diamonds netball team claimed the nation’s 1,000th Commonwealth Games gold medal. It followed success – and another slice of history – for the women’s T20 cricketers at Edgbaston after they edged India by nine runs to win the first Commonwealth gold medal awarded to women.
Mission Petria chef Thomas said it was an honor to have led the team towards such a momentous occasion. “Australia has a long and proud sporting history, with this 1,000th gold medal cementing our spot at the top of the Commonwealth table,” said Thomas. “On behalf of the whole team, I congratulate the Diamonds in bringing home this significant medal in our amazing history and all those who have stood atop the podium at this year’s Games and all the Games, dating back to Hamilton in 1930.”
At the NEC Arena, Gretal Bueta shot 100% in a 55-51 win over Jamaica as Australia bounced back from the disappointment of silver on the Gold Coast four years ago to became the first nation to reach the milestone with their 66th gold of these Games in Birmingham.
In the two teams’ final pool game, Australia had let slip a six-goal lead at the final break and fell to their first Commonwealth loss to Jamaica. With their confidence high, the Jamaicans then routed New Zealand, as Australia found form when too strong for England. It sets the tone for a fierce finale.
But Australia were not going to make the same mistake again. Having leveled by half-time, they wrested control in the third quarter, moving 10 points ahead at one stage, and showed strong resistance against their richly-talented rivals to claim gold.
Steph Wood said there were flashbacks to the traumatic loss in the final against England on the Gold Coast but this time around they found a way to maintain their focus. “It’s very surreal. The emotion after the game. There were tears [and] a bit of PTSD from the Gold Coast in that last little bit,” she said. “It’s such a tight-knit group. We wanted to do it for each other.”
At Edgbaston, Meg Lanning’s all-conquering side added to their stunning record in women’s cricket, but it was a near run thing, with India threatening to pull off a remarkable run chase right to death.
On a day of drama, Australia confirmed midway through their innings that Tahlia McGrath had tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday morning. If the final had been held in Australia, she would not have been able to play but the Commonwealth Games rules are more relaxed to match the laws of the host nation.
After checking with bodies including the International Cricket Council and the Commonwealth Games Foundation, she was allowed to take her place, with precautions. She sat isolated from her teammates during the batting innings and in a surreal moment after taking a catch in the third over, she waved her teammates away as they ran to celebrate.
Australia had been on top until reeled in late in their innings. Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur then batted brilliantly when scoring 65 from 43 balls. But when she was caught by record-breaking wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy off the bowling of Gardner in the 16th over, the momentum swung back towards the Australians.
As Australia were trying to reel India’s run chase in, Peter Bol set off in pursuit of Kenyan Wycliffe Kinyamal at Alexander Stadium but had to settle for silver 0.14 seconds behind the record-breaker, who became the first man to defend the Commonwealth Games 800m title in 1:47.52.
“I got a medal and that’s what we wanted,” Bol said. “I had a lot of pressure and a lot of expectations, but I lived up to it, and that’s my first medal at a major championships.”
Earlier on Sunday, the Hockeyroos also fared second best in their final against England when beaten 2-1. A week after the Lionesses became the pride of England, the chant of “Hockey’s coming home” was heard ringing around the University of Birmingham as the host nation claimed their first gold medal in women’s hockey.
There were several standout individual performances from Australians leading into the women’s teams events later in the day.
Kelsey-Lee Barber throws on her way to gold in Birmingham. Photograph: Dean Lewins/AAP
A double world champion in javelin, Kelsey-Lee Barber saved her very best for last again. Ella stricken with Covid-19 after her success at the world championships in Oregon, the 30-year-old missed the opening ceremony and spent several days isolated from her teammates.
Her compatriot Mackenzie Little raised the bar with a personal best in the final of 64.27m. But Barber, who was cleared to compete late in the week, loves a challenge. She responded with her final throw to edge her teammate by 16cm to continue her success in major championships with gold.
Cassiel Rousseau dived superbly to claim gold in the men’s 10m platform, scoring massive points with his final entry in the morning qualification and bettering that with a superb effort to close out the competition.
Cyclist Georgia Baker also saved her best for the finish of the women’s road race, in the process claiming a third gold following triumphs in London in the team pursuit and points race.
As Australia’s cricket innings began, Chris McHugh and Paul Burnett also clinched a gold medal for the nation in beach volleyball. But the defense of the title was not without drama either.
McHugh, who was part of Australia’s winning combination on the Gold Coast, and Burnett dropped the first set and had to save two match points in the decider when winning 17-21, 21-17, 20-18 over Canada. Amid the tension, referee Giovanni Bake had to be replaced at 12-all in the deciding set, ostensibly due to baking in the sun.
“It is crazy. To come from two match points down is a surreal experience,” Burnett said. “This is why we play, for moments like this, feelings like this.”
The women’s pairing of Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy won silver after falling in their final to Canada’s Sarah Pavan and Melissa Humana-Paredes in three sets.
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