Glasgow 2014: DAY 11: Australia finish with a flourish, England and Wales take road race gold medals as Commonwealth Games come to a close



Australia's men have won every Commonwealth hockey tournament

By Steven Oldham MISS DAY 10 HIGHLIGHTS? CLICK HERE

Australia enjoyed a successful as the Commonwealth Games came to a close today, but still had to settle for second on the medals table.

The team from Down Under completed a double in hockey, with their men's team beating India 4-0 in the final, a day after their women beat England.

Their victory ensured Australia's 100% record in men's hockey gold is maintained - they have won every Commonwealth tournament since the sport was added to the programme in 1998.

They also regained the netball title from reigning champions New Zealand, winning 58-40.  Australia now have bragging rights in this sport too, having won three gold medals - one more than great rivals New Zealand.

They also picked up the final with David Palmer and Cameron Pilley picking up the men's doubles in squash, with Palmer picking up double gold, having won the mixed doubles with Rachael Grinham, with both victors  defeating teams from England.

Joy for husband and wife Chris & Gabby Adcock (Guardian Sport)

 

England sealed their place on top of the medal table by taking two more gold medals on the final day of action.

Husband and wife badminton players Chris and Gabby Adcock won an all English final in the mixed doubles, beating team-mates Chris Langridge and Heather Oliver 2-0. They became the first married pair to win the title and add Commonwealth gold to the national title they won earlier this year.

In this morning's first action, Lizzie Armitstead took the first gold of the day in the women's road race from team-mate Emma Pooley. The 25-year-old won silver in both the Delhi Games and London 2012 so this becomes her biggest achievement on the road.

Wales' Geraint Thomas wins road race (Team Sky)

Wales celebrated the final day with gold in the men's road race for Geraint Thomas, the country's fifth of the Games as they finished 13th on the medal table - the same position as in Delhi four years ago, but with two more gold medals.

Thomas - who also won bronze in the time trial - survived late drama with a puncture with 6km left to run to take gold ahead of New Zealand's Jack Bauer and Simon Thwaites of England.

Malaysia's women's double winners (Starsport)

Malaysia won both doubles titles in badminton to take home half of the six gold medals available in the sport, but even this impressive performance failed to match their success in Delhi.

Tan Wee Kiong and Goh Wei Shem won the men's competition with Vivian Hoo Kah Mun and Woon Khe Wei taking the women's doubles.

Kirsty Gilmour of Scotland wins silver

Scotland's Kirsty Gilmour lost to Canada's Michelle Li but still made history by being the first woman from her country to make a Commonwealth badminton final.

She was easily beaten in the end, but had the honour of picking up her country's 53rd and final medal of a record breaking Games as they finished in fourth in the medals table.

Glasgow 2014 - Commonwealth Games Sports Guide: Cycling

By Steven Oldham

Click HERE for Commonwealth Games homepage

This is the first of a daily series of guides for each sport in this year's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, giving you all the need-to-know information for each sport.

Each guide will include when and where the sport is taking place, likely medal contenders and a quick run through to make you a little more knowledgeable before the Games start.
Despite only being an optional sport at the Commonwealths, cycling has been ever present at the Games since 1934.

Events in track, road and mountain biking are all scheduled to take place this summer in Glasgow and there are also para-sport events for both men and women.

WHEN?

Cycling takes place over seven days. Mountain biking is settled on one day, July 29. The road events happen on July 31 and August 3. Four busy days of track action take place between July 24 and 27.

WHERE?

Track cycling will take place at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow's east end,  while road events - free for the public to attend - will take place around the city centre. See the Glasgow 2014 website for maps. Cathkin Braes Mountain Bike Trails will host the off-road events, around 15 minutes drive away from the city centre.

WHO?  

Australia were dominant four years ago, with a haul of 14 golds from a possible 18. Anna Meares was the star of the squad picking up three golds in both individual and team events and will be looking for more success here. Fellow Delhi champions Jack Bobridge, Shane Perkins Scott Sunderland and Michael Hepburn will also look to take up where they left off in India four years ago. 
It's unlikely the Aussies will win as many this time. The all-conquering British squad from London 2012, including Sir Bradley Wiggins, Laura Trott, Jason Kenny, Ed Clancy, Dani King, Philip Hindes and Geraint Thomas will all be in action and will undoubtedly look to benefit from competing in Britain again with a partisan crowd cheering them on in their home nations' colours.
The Isle of Man's Mark Cavendish will be one of the most popular competitors in Glasgow if he competes, having dislocated his shoulder after crashing in the opening stage of the Tour de France on July 5.

LET ME SOUND LIKE I KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT...

• Don't ask where Sir Chris Hoy is - he retired after the last Olympics despite hopes he'd carry on to take part in a home Commonwealths
• Track events come in two categories - sprints and endurance events up to 4000m.
• The event where riders start behind a motorbike pacer before being let loose is the keirin. The multi-discipline event, the omnium, will not be contested in Glasgow.
• Mountain biking is included in the Commonwealth Games for only the third time since debuting in 2002.
• Josiah Ng, set to ride again this year, won Malaysia's first ever cycling gold at the Commonwealths in the keirin in Delhi four years ago.

CAN I STILL BUY TICKETS?

Yes. Click here. Remember, you don't need tickets to view the road events. Just turn up on the day.

Will Mark Cavendish return from injury to compete in Glasgow?