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England disqualified in 400m relay, gold medal stripped for infringement

England disqualified in 400m relay, gold medal stripped for infringement

England has been stripped of the gold medal in the 4x400m relay in high drama on Monday morning (AEST).

It appeared England had pulled off one of the headline moments of the entire Games when Jessie Knight held off Canada’s fast-finishing Kyra Constantine down the final straight to cross the line just 0.01 seconds ahead.

England appeared to have won by a thousandth of a second. Photo: BBC.
England appeared to have won by a thousandth of a second. Photo: BBC.Source: Supplied

Fans inside Alexander Stadium went berserk when the replays showed Knight had just done enough for a famous victory. Or so they thought.

As the final event on the final day of athletics for the entire Games, it is enough to leave a sour taste in the mouths of the English fans — and many of them had already left the stadium before the disqualification was announced.

The England team wasn’t even told the news until after they had completed a victory lap.

They had no idea they were about to be hit a bus. Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images.Source: Getty Images
Ama Pipi, Victoria Ohuruogu, Jessie Knight and Jodie Williams celebrate. Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images.Source: Getty Images

However, there can be no doubting that the officials got the call right. It was announced that England had committed an infringement at the end of the first leg during the first baton change.

Replays showed English runner Jodie Williams had drifted to the inside lane (Lane 2) as she positioned herself to receive the baton and take off from that position.

England launched an immediate appeal, but 20 minutes later it was announced that the appeal had been tossed out.

As a result of the disqualification Canada took gold, Jamaica silver and Scotland was promoted to the bronze medal.

It finished off an incredible night at the track, which included Peter Bol’s silver medal win in the men’s 800m.

Scotland’s Laura Muir ended her Commonwealth Games campaign with a flourish by winning gold in the 1500m.

The 29-year-old’s teammate, 10,000m champion Eilish McColgan, just failed to make it a memorable double, finishing second behind Kenya’s impressive world silver medalist Beatrice Chebet in the 5,000m.

Muir, who won bronze in the 800m on Sunday (AEST), kicked for glory before the bell and ran a fairly moderate field — lacking two-time Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon — ragged, timing 4min 02.75sec.

The Olympic silver medallist was overjoyed, having failed to medal in 2014 and missing the 2018 Games due to veterinary exams.

“You learn from it and your time will come,” said Muir, who will bid for more gold medals in the upcoming European Championships.

“It sounds cheesy but it’s true. Eight years of Commonwealths and it’s been bugging me so this means a lot.”

India have also had an excellent athletics competition — Eldhose Paul won their first-ever men’s triple jump gold earlier on Sunday — but bitter rivals Pakistan also had a taste of glory.

Arshad Nadeem, wearing strapping around his right arm, gave the Asian nation their first javelin gold with a Games record mark of 90.18 meters.

Nigeria’s Ese Brume won the women’s long jump competition, leaping 7.00m. Despite the fierce competition, though there was still room for sentiment between rivals.

Recently crowned world champion Kelsey-Lee Barber earlier won the women’s javelin with a throw of 64.43m while Canada’s Evan Dunfee won the men’s 10,000 race walk.

Trinidad and Tobago won the men’s 4x400m relay.

– with AFP

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Commonwealth Games 2022: England disqualified in 400m relay, gold medal stripped for infringement

Commonwealth Games 2022: England disqualified in 400m relay, gold medal stripped for infringement

England has been stripped of the gold medal in the 4x400m relay in high drama on Monday morning (AEST).

It appeared England had pulled off one of the headline moments of the entire Games when Jessie Knight held off Canada’s fast-finishing Kyra Constantine down the final straight to cross the line just 0.01 seconds ahead.

Fans inside Alexander Stadium went berserk when the replays showed Knight had just done enough for a famous victory. Or so they thought.

As the final event on the final day of athletics for the entire Games, it is enough to leave a sour taste in the mouths of the English fans — and many of them had already left the stadium before the disqualification was announced.

The England team wasn’t even told the news until after they had completed a victory lap.

However, there can be no doubting that the officials got the call right. It was announced that England had committed an infringement at the end of the first leg during the first baton change.

Replays showed English runner Jodie Williams had drifted to the inside lane (Lane 2) as she positioned herself to receive the baton and take off from that position.

England launched an immediate appeal, but 20 minutes later it was announced that the appeal had been tossed out.

As a result of the disqualification Canada took gold, Jamaica silver and Scotland was promoted to the bronze medal.

It finished off an incredible night at the track, which included Peter Bol’s silver medal win in the men’s 800m.

Scotland’s Laura Muir ended her Commonwealth Games campaign with a flourish by winning gold in the 1500m.

The 29-year-old’s teammate, 10,000m champion Eilish McColgan, just failed to make it a memorable double, finishing second behind Kenya’s impressive world silver medalist Beatrice Chebet in the 5,000m.

Muir, who won bronze in the 800m on Sunday (AEST), kicked for glory before the bell and ran a fairly moderate field — lacking two-time Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon — ragged, timing 4min 02.75sec.

The Olympic silver medallist was overjoyed, having failed to medal in 2014 and missing the 2018 Games due to veterinary exams.

“You learn from it and your time will come,” said Muir, who will bid for more gold medals in the upcoming European Championships.

“It sounds cheesy but it’s true. Eight years of Commonwealths and it’s been bugging me so this means a lot.”

India have also had an excellent athletics competition — Eldhose Paul won their first-ever men’s triple jump gold earlier on Sunday — but bitter rivals Pakistan also had a taste of glory.

Arshad Nadeem, wearing strapping around his right arm, gave the Asian nation their first javelin gold with a Games record mark of 90.18 meters.

Nigeria’s Ese Brume won the women’s long jump competition, leaping 7.00m. Despite the fierce competition, though there was still room for sentiment between rivals.

Recently crowned world champion Kelsey-Lee Barber earlier won the women’s javelin with a throw of 64.43m while Canada’s Evan Dunfee won the men’s 10,000 race walk.

Trinidad and Tobago won the men’s 4x400m relay.

– with AFP

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Commonwealth Games 2022 boxing results: Callum Peters vs Sam Hickey final, Aussie robbed

Commonwealth Games 2022 boxing results: Callum Peters vs Sam Hickey final, Aussie robbed

Aussie teen star Callum Peters has been “robbed” of gold after another farcical judging decision at the Commonwealth Games.

The Aussie, competing in his first senior tournament, showed nothing but class after the judges scores were announced with Scotland’s Sam Hickey being awarded the victory by the narrowest of margins.

The rollercoaster middleweight final was arguably the best fight of the entire Games.

However, it was overshadowed by the controversial finish which ended in a split decision 29-28 x3, 28-29 x2.

The greatest shock was the decision from judge No. 5 Mazlan Amzah to award Hickey the final round when all the other judges gave it to Peters. Peters had dominated the final round, repeatedly landing clean shots in the final minutes. That perplexing decision to award Hickey the final round ultimately decided the fight.

Peters just had to settle for silver.

Aussie sport commentators could not believe their eyes.

Sports reporter Phil Lutton posted on Twitter Peters had been “burgled”.

“That doesn’t look right at all to me,” I posted.

“Callum Peters gets the final round on four of the five cards but it’s not enough.”

He also posted: “Fair play to Sam Hickey, very tough Scot, but Callum Peters just burgled of gold there. One point the difference in the end, Peters absolutely dominant in that final round and one of the five judges gives it to the Hickey. Boxing delivers again.”

Hickey celebrated Scotland’s first boxing gold medal since 2014.

Fox Sports reporter Alex Conrad wrote on Twitter: “Sorry, WTF? Callum Peters robbed in that final boxing. Absolutely robbed. That is mind-boggling”.

The BBC’s Thomas Duncan also said the fight could have gone either way.

“There was a hug of mutual respect in the ring between Sam Hickey and Callum Peters in the ring there. What a fight that was, and it could have gone either way,” he said.

“But Hickey of Scotland is the Commonwealth champion. He puts his hands over his face, he ca n’t believe it. The crowd go wild.”

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Commonwealth Games 2022: Candice Warner drops brutal Kyle Chalmers truth

Kyle Chalmers has been the talk of the Commonwealth Games.

The swimming is officially over at the Commonwealth Games and while Australia dominated with a towering medal tally, there was plenty of attention on the Dolphins over what was happening outside the pool.

Kyle Chalmers slammed the media for delving into a reported “love triangle” between himself, Emma McKeon and Cody Simpson, saying all the attention and “clickbait” focused on his personal life might drive him out of the sport.

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Chalmers was romantically involved with McKeon before she started dating Simpson, whose incredible comeback to swimming from his music career has been one of the biggest storylines in Birmingham.

The swimmers involved have repeatedly denied there’s any bad blood between them, while Chalmers went on the offensive and ripped into the media. His father Brett did the same, blasting the national obsession with Simpson as he complained not enough credit was being directed to other swimmers and their achievements in Birmingham.

Candice drops truth bombs on Kyle

Ex-Aussie swimmer turned popular TV presenter Johanna Griggs said earlier in the week Chalmers was “feeding” the media frenzy by constantly engaging with it, and former Ironwoman Candice Warner is on the same page.

Warner said she was “really surprised” by how Chalmers handled the headlines, saying she expected someone who dealt with the attention thrust upon him in 2016 when he won gold in the 100m freestyle at the Rio Olympics to be better prepared for the media barrage.

“He knows how to deal with the pressure. Why is he allowing the media to make these comments?” Warner told Fox Sports program The Back Page this week.

“Why hasn’t he put a self-imposed media ban (on himself) until the Games are over? I’m just really a little bit confused by the situation and why he’s engaging with the media.

“He’s not in the wrong, but he also has the power and ability to stop it and also just to focus on his swim events.

“Should I know how to deal with this pressure? Should I know how to deal with this completely?”

Reports of possible friction between Chalmers and Simpson first emerged at this year’s national championships in Adelaide, leading Warner to question why the 24-year-old wasn’t more prepared for the questions he’d face in Birmingham.

“Would there not have been a strategy put into place before these Games? We haven’t just started talking about this now, we’ve been speaking about this love triangle before the Commonwealth Games,” Warner said.

She adding Chalmers’ team and Swimming Australia should have “put some sort of strategy into place knowing this could have been a possibility”.

Warner also said Chalmers — who she described as an “alpha male” — would understandably be affected by McKeon’s relationship with Simpson given their history, suggesting “his ego would be burnt a little bit”.

‘He likes the attention but not the scrutiny’

Chalmers has been irked by attention being lavished on Simpson and his personal life at the expense of other swimmers whose feats also deserve praise. Courier Mail chief sports writer Robert Craddock suggested Chalmers craves positive headlines about himself but can’t handle it when coverage isn’t so rosy.

“It appears to me as if he likes the attention but not the scrutiny — and there is just a fine line between them and they often overlap,” Craddock told The Back Page.

“I think he’s one of those guys who can’t live with it and can’t live without it and finds it very awkward.

“He’s on Instagram, he’s out there, he’s happy to put himself front and center but like a lot of swimmers, when it’s big time, when it’s Games time, the force of the coverage hits them hard.”

Australian swimming legend Susie O’Neill had a different take on how the situation has affected the national team in Birmingham.

O’Neill — who was in Tokyo for last year’s Olympics — was adamant there is no rift among the Dolphins and said it’s harder for athletes these days to block out negative publicity because of social media and the insatiable news cycle.

“I think what they’re struggling with is, if you think about swimmers, they spend 30-40 hours a week trying to improve one one-hundredth of a second — such specific, objective goals,” she told The Back Page.

“So when they get asked subjective questions not even to do with their sport, you know, reality TV stuff, they’re confused and I think get offended by that.”

Why Chalmers is kicking up a stink

Meanwhile, SEN boss Craig Hutchison believes Chalmers is struggling in adjusting to the added scrutiny because he’s been so used to positive coverage for the majority of his career.

“He has had a charmed run as a young man with the media. That rarely happens to the bulk of society and you get a disproportionate comfort that you are … a figure that gets a lot of adulation,” Hutchison said on his media podcast The Sounding Board.

“So when things go wrong, you’re not emotionally equipped to necessarily handle the negativity.

“Then it often sways the other way because you overreact, or react to a certain way.”

Journalist Damian Barrett told The Sounding Board: “What he (Chalmers) doesn’t get… you can’t control media. No matter who you are and what run you’ve got.”

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Candice Warner drops brutal Kyle Chalmers truth

Kyle Chalmers has been the talk of the Commonwealth Games.

The swimming is officially over at the Commonwealth Games and while Australia dominated with a towering medal tally, there was plenty of attention on the Dolphins over what was happening outside the pool.

Kyle Chalmers slammed the media for delving into a reported “love triangle” between himself, Emma McKeon and Cody Simpson, saying all the attention and “clickbait” focused on his personal life might drive him out of the sport.

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Chalmers was romantically involved with McKeon before she started dating Simpson, whose incredible comeback to swimming from his music career has been one of the biggest storylines in Birmingham.

The swimmers involved have repeatedly denied there’s any bad blood between them, while Chalmers went on the offensive and ripped into the media. His father Brett did the same, blasting the national obsession with Simpson as he complained not enough credit was being directed to other swimmers and their achievements in Birmingham.

Kyle Chalmers’ outstanding results were overshadowed by his angst with the media. Picture: Glyn KIRK / AFPSource: AFP

Candice drops truth bombs on Kyle

Ex-Aussie swimmer turned popular TV presenter Johanna Griggs said earlier in the week Chalmers was “feeding” the media frenzy by constantly engaging with it, and former Ironwoman Candice Warner is on the same page.

Warner said she was “really surprised” by how Chalmers handled the headlines, saying she expected someone who dealt with the attention thrust upon him in 2016 when he won gold in the 100m freestyle at the Rio Olympics to be better prepared for the media barrage.

“He knows how to deal with the pressure. Why is he allowing the media to make these comments?” Warner told Fox Sports program The Back Page this week.

“Why hasn’t he put a self-imposed media ban (on himself) until the Games are over? I’m just really a little bit confused by the situation and why he’s engaging with the media.

“He’s not in the wrong, but he also has the power and ability to stop it and also just to focus on his swim events.

“Should I know how to deal with this pressure? Should I know how to deal with this completely?”

Reports of possible friction between Chalmers and Simpson first emerged at this year’s national championships in Adelaide, leading Warner to question why the 24-year-old wasn’t more prepared for the questions he’d face in Birmingham.

“Would there not have been a strategy put into place before these Games? We haven’t just started talking about this now, we’ve been speaking about this love triangle before the Commonwealth Games,” Warner said.

She adding Chalmers’ team and Swimming Australia should have “put some sort of strategy into place knowing this could have been a possibility”.

Warner also said Chalmers — who she described as an “alpha male” — would understandably be affected by McKeon’s relationship with Simpson given their history, suggesting “his ego would be burnt a little bit”.

Candice Warner believes Chalmers needed to come into the Commonwealth Games with a smarter strategy. Picture: Michael Errey/AFPSource: AFP

‘He likes the attention but not the scrutiny’

Chalmers has been irked by attention being lavished on Simpson and his personal life at the expense of other swimmers whose feats also deserve praise. Courier Mail chief sports writer Robert Craddock suggested Chalmers craves positive headlines about himself but can’t handle it when coverage isn’t so rosy.

“It appears to me as if he likes the attention but not the scrutiny — and there is just a fine line between them and they often overlap,” Craddock told The Back Page.

“I think he’s one of those guys who can’t live with it and can’t live without it and finds it very awkward.

“He’s on Instagram, he’s out there, he’s happy to put himself front and center but like a lot of swimmers, when it’s big time, when it’s Games time, the force of the coverage hits them hard.”

Australian swimming legend Susie O’Neill had a different take on how the situation has affected the national team in Birmingham.

O’Neill — who was in Tokyo for last year’s Olympics — was adamant there is no rift among the Dolphins and said it’s harder for athletes these days to block out negative publicity because of social media and the insatiable news cycle.

“I think what they’re struggling with is, if you think about swimmers, they spend 30-40 hours a week trying to improve one one-hundredth of a second — such specific, objective goals,” she told The Back Page.

“So when they get asked subjective questions not even to do with their sport, you know, reality TV stuff, they’re confused and I think get offended by that.”

The sprint king wanted to silence his critics. Picture: Clive Brunskill/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images

Why Chalmers is kicking up a stink

Meanwhile, SEN boss Craig Hutchison believes Chalmers is struggling in adjusting to the added scrutiny because he’s been so used to positive coverage for the majority of his career.

“He has had a charmed run as a young man with the media. That rarely happens to the bulk of society and you get a disproportionate comfort that you are … a figure that gets a lot of adulation,” Hutchison said on his media podcast The Sounding Board.

“So when things go wrong, you’re not emotionally equipped to necessarily handle the negativity.

“Then it often sways the other way because you overreact, or react to a certain way.”

Journalist Damian Barrett told The Sounding Board: “What he (Chalmers) doesn’t get… you can’t control media. No matter who you are and what run you’ve got.”

.

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Commonwealth Games 2022: A historic day for golden Kiwis – day six wrap

Commonwealth Games 2022: A historic day for golden Kiwis - day six wrap

Hamish Kerr makes history with high jump gold. Video/Sky Sport

All you need to know from yet another successful day at the Commonwealth Games for New Zealand athletes as they claimed historic gold medals.

king of the mountains

Ben Oliver (L) and Sam Gaze celebrate yet another one-two finish for New Zealand in Commonwealth Games mountain biking. Photo / Photosport
Ben Oliver (L) and Sam Gaze celebrate yet another one-two finish for New Zealand in Commonwealth Games mountain biking. Photo / Photosport

Day six began with a bang for New Zealand as Sam Gaze made it back-to-back Commonwealth Games golds in the men’s mountain bike event after a dominant display that also produced silver for fellow Kiwi rider Ben Oliver.

Gaze was in commanding form on Thursday, finishing 31 seconds ahead of Oliver to make it three straight Games that New Zealand has completed a one-two, after Anton Cooper pipped Gaze in Glasgow and before that outcome was acrimoniously reversed on the Gold Coast.

The race was denied the chance of reigniting Gaze and highly-ranked Cooper’s heated rivalry after the latter withdrew from the event due to Covid-19. That left Oliver the opportunity to make his way up the field and he did so well, improving from his fourth place on the Gold Coast in 2018.

Check out or full report from the circuit here.

Paul Coll rallies to new height

Paul Coll with the gold medal he's been dreaming of all week long. Photo / Photosport
Paul Coll with the gold medal he’s been dreaming of all week long. Photo / Photosport

Coll has capped off a huge few years at the top level of men’s squash by winning gold in a tough five-set battle with Wales’ Joel Makin.

After winning silver four years ago on the Gold Coast, Coll briefly ascended to No 1 in the world earlier this year and in 2021 became the first Kiwi man to win the prestigious British Open title, while defending that crown again in April.

History was made again today as Coll became the first Kiwi man to win a gold medal in squash at a Commonwealth Games.

Earlier in the day, Joelle King blew a 2-0 lead in her bronze medal playoff to lose in five sets to world No 6 and hometown favorite Sarah Jane Perry.

Check out Albie Redmore’s full report from the court here.

White men can jump

Hamish Kerr is building an impressive resume amongst the world's best high jumpers. Photo / Photosport
Hamish Kerr is building an impressive resume amongst the world’s best high jumpers. Photo / Photosport

Christchurch’s Hamish Kerr became the first Kiwi man to win a Commonwealth Games high jump medal, claiming a shiny new gold for his cupboard.

Kerr ended up in a head-to-head battle with Australian Brandon Starc, the 2018 gold medal winner and younger brother of cricketer Mitchell Starc.

Both cleared 2.25m and failed at 2.28m, but Starch had earlier failures at lower heights whereas Kerr had been clear.

Kerr joins Tania Murray (nee Dixon) and Tracy Phillips, who claimed gold and bronze respectively in the women’s event at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland.

Maddi Wesche was a cool customer on the Commonwealth Games days. Photo/Getty
Maddi Wesche was a cool customer on the Commonwealth Games days. Photo/Getty

Kerr’s medal was one of two in athletics for the day, with shot putter Maddi Wesche taking out bronze with a throw of 18.84m, a touch shorter than her throw of 18.98m in the final of the Tokyo Olympics. Canada’s Sarah Mitton won gold with a throw of 19.03m.

In the women’s 100m final, Kiwi sprinter Zoe Hobbs finished sixth with a time of 11.19s. She would’ve needed to better her personal best of 11.08 to challenge for the podium.

Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah of Jamaica took out gold with a time of 10.95, with St Lucian Julien Alfred second in 11.01 and England’s Daryll Neita third in 11.07.

Check out our full report from the athletics here.

Liti salvages silver from tough day

David Liti poses with his silver medal besides coach Tina Ball. Photo / Photosport
David Liti poses with his silver medal besides coach Tina Ball. Photo / Photosport

Popular Kiwi weightlifter David Liti fell short of a second straight Commonwealth Games gold medal but still came away with a silver on a day when he couldn’t find his best form.

Liti set a new Games record in 2018 with a combined weight of 403kg and lifted a total of 417kg at last year’s Olympics. However, he could only muster a total of 394kg on Thursday, leaving the door open for Pakistan’s Nooh Dastgir Butt to claim the gold with a total of 405kg.

The loss to Butt has sparked a desire for revenge in Liti, who says he’s now looking forward to a repeat match up at the world championships.

“He did really good to keep himself ahead, and next time I face off with him it’ll definitely be a good one,” Liti said. “If he comes to worlds, I’ll show him what’s up.”

Check out our full report from the weightlifting here.

Three medal haul for Judo team

Kody Andrews was a proud silver medalist on Thursday. Photo / Photosport
Kody Andrews was a proud silver medalist on Thursday. Photo / Photosport

It was a superb day for the New Zealand judo team with Kody Andrews leading a three medal haul with silver in the men’s 100kg event after being pinned by Canada’s Marc Deschenes early in the gold medal bout to lose by Ippon.

Moira De Villiers claimed bronze in the women’s -78kg after defeating Ayuk Otay Arrey Sophina of Cameroon by Ippon with 28 seconds left. It’s her second medal from her after winning silver in Glasgow eight years ago. She defeated fellow Kiwi Hayley Mackey in the quarter-finals, one of her her students at the judo club she runs with her husband Jason Koster in Christchurch. She was then beaten by England’s Emma Reid in the semifinals who went onto win gold.

The bronze bout was a close thing but de Villiers kept her calm and got the win just at the end.

“[It’s] super special. It wasn’t what I wanted but I’m still glad I was able to represent New Zealand and get another medal. I just knew she would gas after a minute I just had to keep going and be a little bit of a dogfight. I’m ruthless on the ground so I knew I was going to get it,” she told Sky Sport.

Gisborne’s Sydnee Andrews also claimed bronze with the 19-year-old promising gold in four years’ time after defeating Sarah Hawkes of Northern Ireland in their women’s +78kg bronze bout.

Clareburt bags a bronze

Lewis Clareburt has added a bronze to his medal collection. Photo / Photosport
Lewis Clareburt has added a bronze to his medal collection. Photo / Photosport

Lewis Clareburt’s quest for a third gold medal fell just short as he picked up a bronze to end his campaign.

The Kiwi finished third in the 200m individual medley final with Scotland’s Duncan Scott taking the gold ahead of Tom Dean of England.

18-year-old Erika Fairweather qualified fastest for the 400m freestyle final but couldn’t match world record holder Ariarne Titmus and young Canadian star Summer McIntosh in the final.

Fairweather battled Aussie Kiah Melverton for bronze, just missing out on the medals by 0.60 seconds in a time of 4:03.84. Fellow Kiwi Eve Thomas was seventh in 4:09.73.

To view a full list of every result by every Kiwi athlete and team, check out our full schedule and results.

Medals today:

Gold – Paul Coll – Men’s squash
Gold – Hamish Kerr – Men’s high jump
Gold – Sam Gaze – Men’s mountain bike
Silver – Ben Oliver – Men’s mountain bike
Silver – Kody Andrews – Judo – Men’s 100kg+
Silver – David Liti – Weightlifting – Men’s +109kg
Bronze – Sydnee Andrews – Judo – Women’s 78kg+
Bronze – Moira Koster – Judo – Women’s 78kg
Bronze – Lewis Clareburt – Swimming – Men’s 200 IM
Bronze – Maddi Wesche – Athletics – Women’s shot put

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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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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.

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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.”

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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.”

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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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Commonwealth Games 2022: Australia win gold, redemption in Rugby Sevens, defeat Fiji

Commonwealth Games 2022: Australia win gold, redemption in Rugby Sevens, defeat Fiji

Australia have wrapped up the Commonwealth Rugby Sevens gold medal in a 22-12 win over Fiji in a dominant display.

It’s redemption for the Aussies after a heartbreaking loss at the previous Commonwealth Games in Australia.

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Australia lost an epic final in 2018 on the Gold Coast, down 17-12 in extra-time to New Zealand.

But after edging past the Kiwis in a dramatic semi-final and losing a pool game to Fiji, Australia made no mistake in the final.

Faith Nathan scored a first half double as well as a try to Madison Ashby opened up a massive 17-0 lead at halftime.

The Aussies then scored immediately after the half through Maddison Levi, making it a 22-0 lead.

Although the Fijians finally got a pass to stick and scored a try as well as a consolation two minutes after full-time, it was nowhere near enough as the Aussies claimed the gold medal.

It had been the one medal Australia had been missing, having won in Rio in 2016, and coming into the tournament as the reigning Rugby Sevens women’s world champions after winning four of the six tournaments in the 2021-22 World Series.

Aussie star Charlotte Caslick said it was nearly a perfect performance from gold medalists.

“I think in those physical contests, we dominated nearly every single one of those and that’s what we had to do,” Caslick said after the match.

“I wouldn’t say it was perfect (performance) but it was close to.

“We’ve had an amazing World Series and been dominant year so to be rewarded in front of an awesome crowd is pretty special.”

And it was more redemption after Australia was bundled out of the Tokyo Olympics in a 19-0 quarterfinal thrashing by Fiji.

While the women’s side will bring home the extra baggage of the gold medals, the men couldn’t follow suit.

After a semi-final loss to South Africa earlier in the day, the Aussies fell 26-12 to New Zealand in the bronze medal match to miss the podium.

It was a tough break for Australia who are second on the World Series ladder behind South Africa with one tournament left in Los Angeles in late August.

South Africa broke to the men’s title in a 31-7 obliteration of Fiji.

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Adam Peaty swimming news, star savages over arrogant BBC interview

Commonwealth Games 2022: Adam Peaty swimming news, star savages over arrogant BBC interview

English swimming goliath Adam Peaty has apologized over an “arrogant” interview that followed his incredible collapse at the Commonwealth Games on Monday.

Peaty’s defeat in the event he has owned for 10 years left Aussie legend Ian Thorpe staggered. It was a result almost nobody saw coming.

The world record holder had been undefeated in the 100m breaststroke at major meets since 2014. He had qualified fastest for the final and led the event with 25m to go. However, English teammate James Wilby pushed ahead of him to take the gold.

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The magnitude of the boilover was written all over Wilby’s stunned face as he looked up to the big screen to see that he had won. With Aussies Zac Stubblety-Cook and Sam Williamson exploding at the death, Peaty suddenly went from the gold medal position to missing out on the podium completely.

It has been an explosive fall-out to the result with the 27-year-old declaring he won’t be coming back to the Commonwealth Games in four years’ time. It followed a social media backlash over comments that have been branded “arrogant” by fans.

Peaty spoke to the BBC on the pooldeck after finishing outside the medals and said losing in the Commonwealth Games meant little to him after already scooping up three Olympic gold medals.

“It doesn’t feel amazing, but it doesn’t feel bad either,” Peaty said.

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Adam Peaty speaking on the BBC.Source: Supplied

“It’ll probably be my last attempt tomorrow, but I’m not bothered about it. The Commonwealths to me, in the grand scheme of things… it’s about two years time (the Olympics).

“That’s no disrespect. I’m still four weeks into my program, I can’t put that expectation on myself.”

Retired English swimmer Mark Foster responded to Peaty’s comments, saying: “I think he’s trying to say it doesn’t matter, but it does matter.

“It’s the Commonwealth Games, it’s a multi-sport event and I think when he was growing up, the Commonwealth Games would have been a big deal.

“But the fact that he’s won lots of Worlds and Olympic Games, maybe he’s trying to play it down to himself that it doesn’t matter.”

The Birmingham Mail reported fans on social media said Peaty’s comments were “arrogant” and “disrespectful”.

“Adam peaty is disrespectful to every other athlete at the Commonwealth Games Acting like he doesn’t care While all the other athletes are trying they best to win medals,” one Twitter user wrote.

Another posted: “Adam Peaty, I think you need to take a deep breath, have a word with yourself and take a look at the para swimmers. Used to really respect you and what you were trying to achieve but feel let down by tonight’s comments.”

World record-holder Peaty qualified second-fastest for the 50m breaststroke final, scheduled for Wednesday morning, behind Australia’s Sam Williamson.

After moving through to the end, Peaty appeared to apologize for his comments.

He wrote on Twitter: “Thankful for all the supportful messages I’m getting at the moment. It has been an incredibly hard time the past few months, but mostly the last few days.

“Sometimes in the heat of the moment my emotions better me and I can’t speak with a clear mind.

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James Wilby was stunned. Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images.Source: Getty Images
England’s James Wilby celebrates winning. Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP.Source: AFP

“These championships mean a lot to me being a home games but I have to think bigger picture to keep my spirits high. It really, really isn’t easy. My last Commonwealth Games race will be tomorrow.”

Peaty said he simply hasn’t had the time to return to his best shape as a result of a lengthy rehabilitation from several foot injuries. He said he didn’t have the aerobic fitness to challenge for the 100m breaststroke and even said he needs to lose 4kg before competing at the Olympics in Paris in 2024.

He said he has a long way to go before Paris.

“It’s heartbreaking,” Peaty said.

“I don’t see the point in doing something I wouldn’t do that well at, at the moment. We’ll see.

“I don’t know what went wrong. With 25m to go I had nothing in the tank. Maybe that’s overexposure on the foot. Sometimes you just have a bad race, I can’t pinpoint where I went wrong. There’s a lot of debriefing to do. I need a full reset now.

“It was a slow ending, I can’t remember the last time I went that slow. It just didn’t go right. Of course, I’m disappointed, but that’s what makes you go faster next time.

“I’ve kind of lost that spark, whether it’s with my foot, but I’ll be looking to find that over the next months and into the next two years.”

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