athletics – Page 2 – Michmutters

Tag: athletics

Categories
Sports

Scotland’s Eilish McColgan upsets Kenya’s Irine Cheptai in the Commonwealth Games 10,000m, matching her mother Liz Nuttall

A woman wears a beaming smile as she looks at a female athlete who is wrapped in a Scottish flag after a race.

The women’s 10,000m race in Birmingham has produced one of the iconic moments of the Commonwealth Games, with Scotland’s Eilish McColgan upsetting the odds to emulate her mother Liz Nuttall by taking gold in the event.

The pair had an emotional embrace in the stands after the race, which saw McColgan break the Commonwealth Games record.

Nuttall (formerly Liz McColgan), won the women’s 10,000m world title and the 10,000m crown at the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh in 1986.

She went on to successfully defend her title in Auckland four years later. In the process she set a Commonwealth Games record for the event of 31 minutes 41.42 seconds.

A Scottish athlete runs to the shoulder of a Kenyan rival on the final corner of a 10,000m final, as both runners grimace.
Eilish McColgan and Irine Cheptai gave it everything in a thrilling final lap of the women’s 10,000m final, before McColgan came away to win.(Getty Images: Al Bello)

Thirty two years on, her daughter came into the 10,000m facing the task of beating favorite Irine Cheptai of Kenya.

loading

The 25-lap race was a tactical battle, with McColgan lifting the slow early pace before it evolved into an elite group of six, that then became a group of three with Cheptai and compatriot Sheila Chepkirui Kiprotich.

Kiprotich then dropped back with a suspected leg problem, leaving McColgan and Cheptai alone.

The crowd in the Alexander Stadium roared her on, McColgan gritted her teeth and hung in on the final lap as she refused to be broken by the Kenyan runner.

The pair ran down the back straight with Cheptai leading by a meter or so, but McColgan was still there and kept responding to every move.

As they ran towards the final turn, McColgan was on her shoulder and the crowd noise grew again.

The Scottish runner seemed to lose balance slightly but regathered herself for one last push entering the straight. She finally drew level and then moved in front.

Both women were on the limit, but McColgan had enough in reserve to draw ahead in the final stages and sprint clear for gold.

Team Scotland's Eilish McColgan celebrates her gold medal in the women's 10,000m
The emotions were high for Eilish McColgan as the Scottish runner brought the house down with a stirring win in the 10,000m, like her mother had 32 and 36 years previously.(Getty Images: David Ramos)

She raised her arms in triumph as she crossed the line, then the tears flowed for McColgan as she tried to process the fact she had won.

.

Categories
Sports

Watch the moment Zambian athlete Muzala Samukonga collapses in agony after winning men’s 400m heat at Commonwealth Games in Birmingham

Watch the moment Zambian athlete Muzala Samukonga collapses in agony after winning men's 400m heat at Commonwealth Games in Birmingham

It was a blistering run.

At just 19, Zambian Muzala Samukonga ran a personal best of 44.89 seconds to comfortably win his men’s 400m heat at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games on Wednesday.

See the moment Samukonga collapsed after the race in the video player above

Stream Seven’s coverage of the Commonwealth Games 2022 for free on 7plus >>

Not only that, he was the only qualifier of the semi-finals to run under 45 seconds.

But the rising star seems to have put himself at risk of missing his next race on Friday.

Samukonga had gained an approximately 10m lead with the finish line in sight on the final straight, but rather than slowing down towards the end as most athletes would do, he continued his sprint to the finish line to extend the margin.

He appeared elated but collapsed after the finish line and stayed on the ground for a number of minutes.

Samukonga was unable to walk after the race. Credit: 7Sport

And when he made it to his feet, he could not stay standing up.

Samukonga remained on the ground again and repeatedly slapped and punched his upper leg, before doctors determined he couldn’t walk.

He was wheelchaired out of the venue.

Channel 7 commentator Tamsyn Manou speculated the young runner could be suffering from lactic acid.

Samukonga needed to be wheelchaired out of the stadium. Credit: 7Sport

EVERYEVENT: Check out the full Commonwealth Games schedule

TALLY MEDAL: Every gold, silver and bronze at Birmingham 2022

LATEST RESULTS: Detailed breakdown of every event at the Games

“He’s in licorice there. Definite all sorts,” the Australian former sprinter said.

“That’s just lactic acid pain pulsating through those legs.

“He’s got it that badly, he’s going to take a while to recover from that.

“He’s going to need an ice bath for a while.”

Muzala Samukonga of Zambia reacts as he crosses the finish line. Credit: Alastair Grant/AP

Former English middle-distance runner Tim Hutchings was more critical, saying Samukonga had put himself in unnecessary distress and was unable to see a reason for him sprinting out the race.

“Maybe he thought I may never get a chance to run sub-45 (seconds) again,” Hutchings said in games commentary.

“I think most coaches would say, ‘it’s great to run a personal best, but actually this is just extravagant and you will pay for it’.

“That’s a 10m winning margin – and more by the time he hits the line.

“Really, really unnecessary, no one else goes under 46 seconds.

“He runs 44.89 and dare I say, he’s the word naïve.

“An incredible run, but I hope that’s not the last we see of him in Birmingham.”

Just like Tokyo 2020 on Seven, there will be one destination to watch every epic feat, every medal moment, every record attempt and every inspiring turn from the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

7plus is the only place to watch up to 30 live and replay channels of sport, see what’s on when, keep up to date with the medal tally, create a watchlist to follow your favorite events and catch up on highlights.

.

Categories
Sports

Australia’s Peter Bol cruises into Birmingham Commonwealth Games final after dominant heat win

An Australian male athlete runs during a heat of the men's 800 metres at the Commonwealth Games.

National record holder Peter Bol has ignored a pre-race injury scare to cruise into the men’s 800 meter final at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

Bol rolled his ankle when stepping on the curb at the training track on Tuesday.

But the threat of injury did not hamper the Australian in his 800m heat on Wednesday night AEST.

Bol went to the lead with 250 meters to run and enjoyed the luxury of easing right down in the final straight before crossing the line first in one minute and 47.01 seconds.

After clocking the fastest qualifying time, Bol now has a full four days to reset ahead of the final, where he will be among the gold-medal favourites.

“I rolled my ankle yesterday and I was limping on the way back and today I’m perfectly fine, so it’s a massive thanks to the medical team at Athletics Australia,” said Bol, who was fourth at the Tokyo Olympics.

“I wasn’t playing basketball, I promise.

“I just rolled it on the curb at the track. That’s the first time ever.”

After finishing a disappointing seventh in the final at the recent world championships in Eugene, Bol was thrilled to get the tactics just right in his Birmingham heat.

“I always say it’s a strange race, the 800, because it’s so unpredictable,” he said.

.