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Sports

Commonwealth Games 2022: Sam Gaze wins mountain bike gold, Ben Oliver takes silver in New Zealand 1-2

Commonwealth Games 2022: Sam Gaze wins mountain bike gold, Ben Oliver takes silver in New Zealand 1-2

Sam Gaze wins gold and Ben Oliver wins silver in the men’s cross country mountain biking. Video/Sky Sport

By Kris Shannon in Birmingham

Four years after seizing gold with a snarl, Sam Gaze claimed his second with a smile.

The Kiwi mountain biker today blew away the field to win the men’s cross country race at Cannock Chase Forest, with only compatriot Ben Oliver capable of following his commanding lead.

Gaze earned his third Commonwealth Games medal in a time of 1:34:19, finishing 31 seconds ahead of Oliver in a second after dropping his teammate with a blistering attack on the sixth of eight laps.

It was the third straight Games in which New Zealand recorded a 1-2 in the event, after Anton Cooper pipped Gaze in Glasgow before that outcome was acrimoniously reversed on the Gold Coast.

Sam Gaze (right) and Ben Oliver celebrate their 1-2 finish. Photo / Photosport
Sam Gaze (right) and Ben Oliver celebrate their 1-2 finish. Photo / Photosport

The Birmingham edition came with slightly less drama, owing to a combination of Cooper’s absence through Covid and Gaze’s dominance on the bike.

Having been caught out by a Cooper attack near the finish line in 2014, Gaze later said he had “felt a bit robbed” by the result.

Those simmering feelings would boil over in 2018, when Gaze outsprinted Cooper for gold, accused his compatriot of poor sportsmanship and showed him a middle finger.

Gaze would be the one fined for unsportsmanlike behavior and he expressed remorse over his actions, but the only thing better than time to heal those wounds would have been another gold medal.

Particularly one secured with Cooper watching from an isolation hotel, his ill-timed illness denying today’s race some intrigue but doing nothing to lessen the Kiwi stranglehold on the event.

“It’s been very challenging – the last four years have been pretty turbulent,” Gaze said. “I’m very grateful for it, in hindsight. It’s made me who I am today and to come back this year, I like to think as a version of myself I’m proud of, is very special.

“To perform in the way I did and have Ben here with me is very special.”

From LR, Ben Oliver, Sam Gaze and Alex Miller celebrate their medals. Photo / Photosport
From LR, Ben Oliver, Sam Gaze and Alex Miller celebrate their medals. Photo / Photosport

Gaze immediately hit the front as the field started to string out through the picturesque setting outside of Birmingham, with Oliver right on his shoulder in a front group of 11.

That group didn’t last long, although chief podium contenders Charlie Aldridge of Scotland and Cameron Orr of Northern Ireland had at least remained on the Kiwis’ wheel at the first time check.

But by the end of the first of eight laps, with Gaze stopping the clock at 12:26, ​​he and Oliver had already opened a six-second lead, one that would only grow.

A quarter of the way through the race, with their advantage at 23 seconds, Gaze for the first time allowed Oliver to lead the way, having exchanged a word and a glance while crossing the finish line.

Gaze took the opportunity for a long look over his shoulder on one straight, but he needn’t have worried. England’s Joe Blackmore had bridged the gap to make it a chase trio, but they were surely racing only for the minor placings.

Halfway through the race, crossing at 47:23 and having extended their advantage over the British trio to almost a minute, only calamity could prevent another Kiwi 1-2.

The pair exchanged in further discussion as they rode together across the line, no doubt knowing their teamwork had locked up the top two steps of the podium.

Midway through the sixth lap, though, that teamwork came to a sudden end. On the hilly Twin Peaks section of the course, Gaze seized his chance to attack and Oliver could muster no response.

“He’s a hard man to follow on a hill like that,” Oliver said. “I kept the same speed and Sam just got quicker. I kept hard on the pedals all the way to the line to see if Sam was going to fade, which he obviously didn’t.”

Clearly the strongest rider in the field, Gaze was now racing towards a second straight gold medal.

The 26-year-old completed the sixth lap in a time of 1:10:45, with his compatriot 25 seconds back. And with Oliver holding a one-minute edge over the pursuing pair of Orr and Blackmore, silver was still firmly in his grasp of him, eventually coasting in 90 seconds ahead of Namibia’s Alex Miller who mounted a final-lap surge for bronze.

Gaze’s lead at the end of the seventh lap had grown to 42 seconds, leaving his final ride around the circuit little more than a procession, one that soon ended in triumph for both Kiwis.

“It’s special to race with your teammate at this event, especially Ben,” Gaze said. “I’ve known him since he was 14 years old, and he’s a great guy.

“We had a plan going into it that I wasn’t wanting to shake him straight away – we wanted to help each other out and secure the first two medals.”

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Sports

The silver, the secret, and a baby named Birmingham: The emotional journey of Samoan weightlifter Vaipava Nevo Ioane

A weightlifter screams in joy as the weights fall to the ground.

Samoan champion weightlifter Vaipava Nevo Ioane had a heavy heart when he boarded his flight to Birmingham.

The 34-year-old was carrying a sporting secret he wasn’t sure when or where to reveal.

But even then, something much bigger was on his mind.

On top of the secret he would later reveal to his coach and teammates, his wife was pregnant and would give birth any day.

Ioane social
Nevo with his wife and three children before heading to Birmingham for the Commonwealth Games.(Supplied)

She had no support back home in Apia.

Nevo had spent his last days on Samoan ground finding a babysitter to look after their three young children for when the newborn would arrive.

The thought of his wife needing him while he was on the other side of the world was nearly too much to bear.

“All I could do was pray,” Nevo said.

On top of the pressure of the secret he was keeping, and the concern for his family, Nevo also knew he had to deliver for his country and his coach, Tuaopepe Jerry Wallwork.

He had to bring home a gold medal.

Coach Jerry believes the Samoan government robbed his weightlifting team by blocking travel to the Tokyo Olympics because of COVID.

He still bristles at the mention of the whole saga.

“We were denied the opportunity to go to the Tokyo Olympics. Our government shut down our borders. We had a realistic chance to win a medal,” he said.

“A missed opportunity like that doesn’t come around many times. So we’re going to Birmingham to make a statement.”

B_Samoan Weightlifting team Comm games
The Samoan weightlifting team for the Commonwealth Games, with coach Jerry Wallwork second from right.(Supplied)

The statement nobody saw coming

With competition in full swing, Nevo easily progressed to the top two for his 67kg weight category.

For gold, he would have to beat 19-year-old Indian lifter Jeremy Lalrinnunga.

“We knew it was going to be tough, especially from the Indian,” coach Jerry said.

“He had a stronger snatch, but we had a stronger jerk.”

GettyImages-1411970746
Nevo performs a snatch in Birmingham, eventually claiming silver behind his Indian opponent.

Nevo’s second attempt at the snatch was a personal best at 127kg.

His second go at the clean and jerk was a Commonwealth Games record, at 166kg.

Things were looking good, but tight. He would have to go to 174kg to win the gold, and to lift an 8kg increase would be considered akin to a miracle.

“We started with 163kg to secure bronze, then got 166kg to secure silver but we had the job of jumping to 174kg to win gold,” Jerry said.

“It was close but it didn’t pull off.

“But I got to hand it to Nevo, he fought it all the way. From the snatch to the last jerk … it was one of the best performances of his career.”

When Nevo’s 174kg failed jerk crashed to the floor, he missed out on the gold but would take home a silver medal for Samoa.

And then it was time to make a different statement.

While still on the stage, he took off his shoes and placed them neatly together on the lifting platform.

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Entertainment

Samuel Johnson portrait wins Archibald Prize People’s Choice Award

A man in a beige suit smiles next to a large painting of actor Samuel Johnson holding a black and white photo

Artist Jeremy Eden has won the Archibald Prize People’s Choice Award with a portrait of actor Samuel Johnson.

A record 35,268 gallery-goers voted in the 2022 award, the most since the prize was first offered in 1988.

After receiving the award at the Art Gallery of NSW, Eden said he was ecstatic to have won the popular vote in his second consecutive year as an Archibald finalist.

“It’s been life-changing… I just hope I can grow with it and be one of those people that’s here every year,” he said.

Being a finalist has alone meant more commissions, and he hopes Wednesday’s win will lead to gallery representation.

“I went from being an emerging artist with nothing to back me up, to people somewhat knowing who I am, which is lovely.”

The Sydney-based artist first met Johnson in 2021 while the actor was recovering from a near-fatal car accident.

He was in a neck brace when they first spoke on a video call, and the pair bonded over their shared experience of losing close family members to cancer.

Eden’s mother died from the illness in 2008, while Johnson founded the cancer charity Love Your Sister with his sibling Connie before she died in 2017.

The winning portrait depicts Johnson holding a photo of Eden’s mother Annette, after the actor encouraged Eden to include his personal story in the portrait too.

Samuel Johnson Archi portrait 2
The portrait shows Johnson holding a black-and-white photo of the artist’s mother.(AAP: Bianca De Marchi)

The painter flew to Melbourne for a live sitting with Johnson, then worked six hours a day for 10 weeks to finish the portrait.

“The people have spoken and they loved Jeremy the most,” Johnson said in a statement.

“He is an extraordinary storyteller, has a huge heart and he deserves this acknowledgment so fully.”

Love your Sister has a substantial public following and has raised more than $15 million for cancer research.

The Archibald, Wynne and Sulman prizes are on show at the gallery until August 28, and the Archibald finalists will tour regional Victoria and NSW until July 2023.

AAP

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Categories
Australia

ACT budget 2022: Winners and losers

ACT budget 2022: Winners and losers

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr has released the details of his 11th budget as Treasurer — his third since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Here are some of the ways the budget may affect you and Canberra.

Winner: Home owners

An illustration of a house with a Hill's Hoist washing line beside it.

Hang on: don’t rising interest rates make home owners with mortgages losers?

Maybe, but the ACT government doesn’t have much to say about interest rates.

It does set household rates bills, though. And, while these will still increase, this year’s rate rises for Canberrans who own homes will be much gentler than in recent years.

The average bill is set to increase by 2.5 per cent — or $111 per year — in 2022-23.

That’s well below inflation and comes after a decade in which rates typically rose by 6 to 7 per cent a year.

Loser: Unit owners

An illustration of skyscrapers in the city.

Canberrans who own units and townhouses face much steeper rate rises than owners of houses.

The average bill for these properties will increase by 9.9 per cent — or $67 per year — in 2022-23.

These owners had been spared some of the very large hikes that house owners had borne in previous years.

But as the value of units and townhouses rises, their owners’ taxes will increase, too.

Winner:Economy

Illustration of pile of coins increasing in height

If you looked at Canberra’s economic indicators and nothing else, you might well conclude: “The pandemic must be over.”

The ACT economy is hurtling along, fueled by a relatively fast-growing population. The federal government has played a big part, employing more staff and consultants.

State final demand (the size of the economy) grew by 3.2 per cent last year after accounting for inflation. Residents and businesses are spending significantly more than they were.

And while rising electricity prices are weighing down other jurisdictions, the ACT has been largely spared due to its long-term renewable energy contracts.

All this has left the ACT budget hundreds of millions of dollars better off than was expected a year ago.

But, can it last?

Winner: Workers

An illustration of a man with a builders hat in front of a brick wall.

Make hay, Canberra workers: now, more than any other time in living memory, is the moment to ask for a pay rise or find a new job.

Treasury officials note there are consistently more job vacancies in the ACT than there are workers. They also expect new employment opportunities to continue to outpace population growth.

This hasn’t yet contributed to real pay rises; inflation is hitting everyone.

But salaries are already rising in Canberra, mostly in the private sector. The Albanese government has also ditched the 2 per cent a year ceiling on public servants’ pay rises.

Wage growth is forecast to reach about 3.5 per cent within a year, while inflation is expected to drop well below that.

Neutral: Employers

Illustration of person at desk writing

Job vacancies in Canberra are at record highs and under-employment is at a record low, and that’s not great news for employers.

The budget papers cite the lack of skilled workers as a significant risk to the economy. The COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine have also led to shortages of a range of materials.

Nonetheless, consumer confidence in Canberra is high. Household spending and business investment are buoyant, too.

The current shortages are a challenge to businesses, but the ACT has more than its share of market opportunities to make up for that.

Neutral: Homebuyers

Illustration of piggy bank and money notes on ground.

The ACT is continuing to phase out stamp duty in favor of land taxes, which will make housing cheaper than it would otherwise be.

Stamp duty will fall this coming year for properties priced below $1.5 million.

The budget also details plans for 30,000 extra dwellings in Canberra over the next five years.

Nonetheless, that’s what’s needed to house the ACT’s growing population.

There’s no quick fix — at least, not in this budget — for the ongoing crisis in housing affordability and rental availability.

Winner: Schools

An illustration of a school hat on top of a pile of books.

Canberra is growing quickly, and the city needs either new or expanded schools to cope with the influx, particularly in northside suburbs.

This budget confirms funding for a new early childhood and primary school in Whitlam, as well as a new high school in Taylor.

Majura Primary, in Watson, and Margaret Hendry School, also in Taylor, will be expanded to take on more students.

The government has also set aside money to install shades, improve ventilation and hire more cleaners for schools across Canberra.

Loser: Gambling

It’s about getting a little harder to make a profit from gambling.

The ACT’s betting operations tax — paid by casinos and businesses that run pokies, lotteries or betting games — is rising from 15 to 20 per cent.

The government says the increase will improve both the economy and Canberrans’ wellbeing.

Winner: Recycling

Illustration of 3 arrows going around in a circle

It’ll cost 1.75 per cent more to dump household, business or industrial waste at the tip.

That’s on top of the usual increase that’s part of the government’s indexation for fees and charges.

Tip fees had been frozen during the pandemic, but the government says it wants people to try to recycle more and reduce their waste.

Loser: Fossil fuels

Illustration of pollution in the form of smoke

The ACT already buys enough renewable electricity to cover 100 per cent of what it uses.

The government is now focused on cutting fossil fuels used for heating and transport.

Government offices that use gas will switch to electricity, and poorer Canberrans will be funded to replace gas appliances and install insulation.

Canberra’s gas and diesel buses will be replaced, gradually, with electric ones.

This budget also begins to fund incentives for electric vehicles, such as free registration and exemption from stamp duty.

Last year, 5 per cent of new motor vehicles in the ACT were electric. The government wants that to be as high as 90 per cent by 2030.

Neutral: Healthcare

An illustration of a hospital bed.

Healthcare is the giant of every ACT budget, accounting for about 30 cents of every dollar spent.

This budget significantly increases health spending — mostly for the expansion of the Canberra Hospital and to buy new clinical equipment.

However, many of the ACT’s ongoing healthcare problems stem not from a lack of facilities but from the perennial challenge of recruiting skilled staff.

That problem will continue to hang over the health system, and will likely worsen as a result of the ACT’s tight labor market.

Winner: Visitors

Line drawing of people waiting for airplane.

The borders have reopened, which means the battle for tourists is on.

The ACT government is bolstering two annual drawcards — Floriade and Enlighten — to attract interstate visitors.

Money has also been set aside to help secure blockbuster art exhibitions.

The budget continues to fund the redevelopment and expansion of the Canberra Theater Centre, though that will take years to complete.

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Categories
Sports

Georgia Godwin, Matthew Glaetzer show strength and resilience to win second Commonwealth Games gold medals

Two athletes wearing green and yellow hold their arms out wide in celebration

Georgia Godwin has continued her breakthrough Commonwealth Games, with another gold medal in artistic gymnastics in Birmingham.

A day after winning the women’s all-round individual title, the 24-year-old again produced her best to claim the vault.

And it was as tight as you can get.

Godwin and Canada’s Laurie Denommee finished on the same score after their two vaults.

A female gymnast does a flip
After a difficult few years for women’s gymnastics, Georgia Godwin has given the sport in Australia a ray of hope.(AAP: Dean Lewis)

However, the Queenslander won on the tie-break rule, with the highest scoring single vault.

“Coming off of two days of comp, I am feeling it a little bit, so I just gave 110 per cent of what I had left into that first vault,” she said.

And straight after the final vault, she backed up for the uneven bars, and this time grabbed silver.

While gold might seem to shine brightest, Godwin was most emotional when talking about sharing the silver medal in the team final earlier in the week.

“The team one means so much to me,” she said.

“To go through everything we have with the other four girls, and to come away with a silver, I’m so proud of them.

“I’m just proud of myself and everything I’ve had to go through. And everyone who’s helped me get here. It takes a huge village.”

A female athlete wearing yellow and green holds up two medals
Georgia Godwin now has won two gold and two silver medals at the 2022 Games.(ABC News: West Matteussen)

Godwin is the advertisement gymnastics needs after a report last year showed serious issues in the sport.

And she’s willing to help the sport move forward.

“I like to see myself as the mother figure. I am older,” she said.

“This team I was honored to be the captain of — and I’ve really just tried to take everyone under my wing, show them what sportsmanship looks like and try [to] guide them in the right direction at the end.

“I do my best to try [to] show that gymnastics is a safe sport, and that everyone should feel safe when doing gymnastics, and we’re heading in the right direction.”

Godwin still has one more event to come: the women’s beam final.

Glaetzer ‘over the moon’ to win after rollercoaster competition

Track cyclist Matthew Glaetzer has had one of the wildest rides of all athletes at the Commonwealth Games.

He started competition with gold in the men’s team sprint, then was involved in a scary crash in the keirin, which threatened to end his campaign.

He was left fuming after being denied a bronze medal in the men’s sprint upon review.

Two cyclists down on the banked cycling track, one is Englishman Joe Truman and the other Australia's Matthew Glaetzman.
Matthew Glaetzer’s Birmingham campaign almost came to a premature end after a heavy crash in the keirin.(Getty Images: Justin Setterfield)

Then, to throw another spanner in the works, just hours before the men’s 1000m time trial, AusCycling released a statement saying the Australians would have to use different handlebars, due to them being ruled unsafe.

So, among that dramatic backdrop, Glaetzer still somehow managed to summon a phenomenal performance to win the time trial, using equipment that would’ve added at least a second to his time.

“I’m making a habit of bouncing back at the Commonwealth Games,” he said.

“I’d rather not have such lows to come back from, but it shows there is always a new day and we can always try again.”

Glaetzer has now equaled Anna Meares’s track cycling record of five Commonwealth Games golds.

“It was special, but I was surprised I won, given how bad I felt out there,” he said.

“Last night I said I’d be over the moon just to get a medal, considering everything that’s happened.

“To come home with a win in such a special time, shows how strong we are as a nation.”

Another bright star emerges on the green

Ellen Ryan, 25 — the youngest member of the Australian lawn bowls team — took out the gold medal in her debut Games women’s singles final, overcoming Guernsey’s Lucy Beere 17-21.

However, in the men’s triple final, while Australia’s men almost pulled off one of the great comebacks, they had to settle for silver..

Barry Lester, Carl Healey and Ben Twist were trailing 12-1, with two ends to go.

They managed to get back to 12-all but England edged ahead to win 14-12, leaving the Aussies with a silver medal.

“We used every bit of Aussie spirit we could and put ourselves in a position [to win],” Lester said.

“ButJamie [Chestney, England] and the boys played really well and they’re worthy winners.”

Weightlifting gold out of reach

Kyle Bruce was in the gold medal position in the men’s 81kg weightlifting category after a Commonwealth Games record of 183kg in the clean and jerk.

He was given three white lights by the judges, however, on review, officials ruled his arms didn’t fully extend in the overhead position and, so, he was left with silver behind England’s Chris Murray.

A man wearing green, yellow and black lifts a heavy weight during a competition
Kyle Bruce accepted the judges’ decision as he claimed silver in the men’s 81kg category.(AAP: Darren England)

“A lot of people at home that don’t know weightlifting that will would be cheering and screaming like ‘Wow, that’s the gold, he’s got it,'” Bruce said.

“And then, a few minutes later, to say it’s a ‘No lift’, some people wouldn’t understand that.

“But, as a weightlifter, that’s the rules. I understand that.”

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Categories
Australia

Concern the Queensland floods could have spread fire ants, but minister says it’s not likely

Concern the Queensland floods could have spread fire ants, but minister says it's not likely

There are fears of the invasive fire ant, which can form a raft to move along waterways, may have spread during record floods in southern Queensland.

The state government said floodwaters moved too fast for the insects, but the opposition has called for evidence the risk had been assessed.

Landholders, meanwhile, said they were worried eradication programs were not moving fast enough.

The tiny pest has the potential for disastrous impact should it move unchecked and experts have warned it could cause billions of dollars of social, economic and environmental damage.

Unseasonal rain earlier this year wreaked havoc in the Lockyer Valley, west of Brisbane, including two major floods only 10 weeks apart.

The movement of such floodwater has LNP’s opposition spokesman for agriculture and Gympie MP Tony Perrett worried.

“We just don’t need them to be spread any further but more importantly, go undetected,” he said.

Often referred to as a super pest, red imported fire ants are renowned for their ability to not only move across the ground and fly, but also to float.

A raft of fire ants in flood waters in Texas, USA 2020.
A raft of fire ants after flooding in Texas, United States in 2020.(Supplied: Bill O’Zimmermann)

The National Fire Ant Eradication Program identified the insects could raft on water by linking their claws and trapping air under their bodies, allowing them to float in groups and travel long distances on waterways.

Mr Perrett asked the government via a question on notice if it was investigating the risk, and if the ants had spread.

“It’s quite clear that they say they have a remarkable ability to be able to survive floods and can float for weeks until they come to dry land or a place where they can rest again,” he said.

“So, I am seriously concerned that they have spread and if that’s the case, then we need to know that.”

Tony Perrett standing in front of the muster stage.
Mr Perrett wants the government to be sure the destructive fire ant has not spread.(Supplied: Tony Perrett)

Floods ‘too fast’ for fire ants

In response, Agriculture Minister Mark Furner said he had been advised the floods were too swift to allow the fire ants to raft.

“The information we have at hand is that the 2022 flooding event was a rapid event in terms of rises and the high flow rates, which actually reduced the likelihood of any spread,” he said.

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Categories
Business

This Paper Battery Is as Powerful as a AA, And Is Activated by Water

This Paper Battery Is as Powerful as a AA, And Is Activated by Water

A newly developed, water-activated disposable paper battery promises to make a big impact on single-use electronics – those temporary gadgets used in medical and industrial fields where electronic waste can quickly start piling up.

The battery that has been demonstrated by researchers is biodegradable, made from sustainable materials, and cheap to put together. What’s more, it can be produced in a variety of shapes and sizes as needed.

To give an idea of ​​the power, a two-cell battery made using the technology was enough to power an LCD alarm clock. While it won’t be charging up your laptop anytime soon, there’s lots of potential for low-powered sensors and trackers.

“We present a printed paper battery developed to power single-use disposable electronics and to minimize their environmental impact,” write the researchers in their published paper.

“The battery is based on a metal-air electrochemical cell that uses zinc as a biodegradable metal in the anode, graphite in the cathode, paper as a separator between the electrodes, and a water-based electrolyte.”

The battery, made from sodium chloride salt-diffused paper, can measure as little as one square centimeter (0.15 square inches), and is based on printed inks: one ink contains graphite flakes and acts as the cathode (positive end), while another on the other side of the paper contains zinc powder and acts as the anode (negative end).

A third ink, composed of graphite flakes and carbon black, is printed on both sides, on top of the other two inks, connecting the positive and negative ends to two wires. These are attached to one end of the paper, dipped in wax.

All that’s needed, then, is a small amount of water, as little as two drops. This dissolves the salts within the paper, releasing charged ions that then activate the battery as they travel. The circuit is closed by attaching the wires to the electrical device, meaning that electrons can be transferred from the negative to the positive ends.

With a stable voltage of 1.2 volts, the paper battery is close to the level of a standard AA alkaline battery at 1.5 volts. The battery starts producing power around 20 seconds after water is added, as per the experiments carried out by the team.

“This demonstration shows that despite its limited power density when compared to standard technologies, our battery is still relevant for a wide range of low-power electronics and the Internet of Things ecosystem,” write the researchers.

Although the performance decreases over time as the paper dries out, it can be topped up to some extent with more water. With extra water, the battery can still be producing 0.5 volts two hours after first being activated.

This is very much a proof-of-principle study for the time being, but the battery described in the paper isn’t overly complicated to produce. The researchers say they want to improve the efficiency of the battery in the future, and get it working for longer.

“With a rising awareness of the e-waste problem and the emergence of single-use electronics for applications like environmental sensing and food monitoring, there is a growing need for low environmental impact batteries,” write the researchers.

“This shift from traditional performance-oriented figures of merit creates new opportunities for unconventional materials and designs that can provide a balance between performance and environmental impact.”

The research has been published in Scientific Reports.

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