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: DAY 6: England dominate gymnastics team events, Canada rack up the medals, Kenya lock out long distance podium

England's gold-winning gymnasts (BBC Sport)

By Steven Oldham MISS DAY 5 HIGHLIGHTS? CLICK HERE

England dominated the gymnastic events today, taking gold in both the men's and women's team events.

A returning Louis Smith helped the men to gold in his first competition since the London 2012 Olympics.

Smith, Kristian Thomas, Max Whitlock, Nile Wilson and Sam Oldham - who missed two rotations due to an injury sustained in the vault - took England's first gold in this event since 2002 ahead of Scotland and Canada.

Hours later, the women's team matched their male counterparts by beating Australia and Wales to gold.

Rebecca Downie, Claudia Fragapane, Ruby Harrold, Hannah Whelan and Kelly Simm kept it clean and made the most of an error-prone display by Australia to take home the title.

In the pool, Ben Proud won his second gold medal of the Games by taking the 50m freestyle competition to add to the butterfly title he won over the same length.

There was also success for the men's 4x100m relay team who beat Australia to win gold in the final event in the pool.

Catherine Pendrel on her way to gold for Canada (@sarahtweetering)

Canada enjoyed their best day at Glasgow 2014 yet, picking up gold in athletics, cycling, weightlifting and wrestling and moved up to third in the medal table ahead of Scotland.

Jim Steacy matched Sultana Frizzell by winning the hammer event ahead of England's Nick Miller and Scotland's Mark Dry.

Damien Warner took the men's decathlon, while Catherine Pendrel won took the women's cross country cycling event ahead of team-mate Emily Batty.

Korey Jarvis also won gold for the Canadians in the 125kg, four years after he took silver in the 96kg event in Delhi. Marie-Ève Beauchemin-Nadeau also took weightlifting gold.

Kenya's dominant 10,000m runners (@VOASonnySports)

Kenya enjoyed another successful day in track and field, including a clean sweep of the podium in the women's 10,000m.

Joyce Chepkirui took the gold ahead of team-mates Florence Kiplagat and Emily Chebet.

Faith Kibiegon took victory in the women's 1500m but Hellen Obiri surprisingly missed out on a medal in the same event.

Sushil Kumar is now a 2x Commonwealth champion (@TheRSSPiyussh)        

India continued their strong pedigree in wrestling today with three gold medals, in the women's 48kg and men's 57kg and 74kg weight classes.

Sushil Kumar (74kg) has stepped up a weight since Delhi but the result remained the same, as he took victory over Pakistan's Qamar Abbas.



New 110m hurdle champion Andrew Riley (@TweetCam2014)



Jamaica are top ten on the medal table mostly due to their performance in athletics, and today they added titles in men's hurdles, and women's triple jump and 400m.

Not to be outdone by Kenya, the Jamaicans dominated the 400m and took all three places on the podium with Stephanie McPherson beating Novolene Williams-Mills and Christine Day to the title.
Kimberley Williams took triple jump gold, while Andrew Riley held off England's William Sharman to take the 110m hurdles.

DAY SIX DIGEST IN 60 SECONDS

• Scotland broke their medal record today with silver in gymnastics, swimming and shooting.
• Georgia Davies handed Wales a second gold in the pool after the country had waited 40 years for one.
  There was a first medal for Fiji, with weightlifter Apolonia Vaivai taking bronze in the women's 75kg weight class.
• Barbados also made their debut on the medal table with a bronze medal in the 110m hurdles for Shane Brathwaite
• Malta are still without a medal but it's not for a lack of effort. They missed out on bronze in wrestling today as David Galea lost to England's Mike Grundy in the 74kg freestyle.

Glasgow 2014: DAY 5: Scotland guarantee best ever Games with bowls success, Jamaica take athletics gold, Malaysia enjoy best day

Scotland's history makers Alex Marshall and Paul Foster (@_dpaj)

MISSED DAY 4 HIGHLIGHTS? CLICK HERE

By Steven Oldham 

It was only a matter of time before Scotland beat their eleven gold medals from Melbourne 2006 given their successful start to Glasgow 2014, and, with six days left, they achieved this today with victory in bowls as Alex Marshall and Paul Foster won the men's pairs.

The pair romped to an easy 20-3 victory over Malaysia and in doing so secured their place in Scottish folklore as the athletes who confirmed a historic best for the country.

Libby Clegg's victory in the T12 100m in para-sport athletics was another milestone matched, as Scotland now have 33 medals from this Games - matching their best ever total haul from a single Commonwealths.

Nicol David playing England's Laura Massaro (@starsport_my)

Malaysia enjoyed their best day of Glasgow 2014 so far, picking up gold in both squash and badminton.

World number one Nicol David beat English challenger Laura Massaro to take the women's squash event while they again outperformed the English in the mixed team badminton event, meaning both David and the badminton team retain the titles they won in Delhi four years ago.

Kemar Bailey Cole wins the 100m ahead of Adam Gemili (@sportsnet)

Jamiacan gold medals are like buses; you wait ages for one then two turn up at once.

Predictably, both came in athletics - Kemar Bailey-Cole won the 100m, and O'Dayne Richards took the shot put.

Veronica Campbell-Brown had to settle for silver in the 100m sprint, with team-mate Kerron Stewart third. Nigeria's Blessing Okagbare won the race.

Welsh swimmer Jazz Carlin (Getty Images)



Swimmer Jazz Carlin became the first women in 40 years to win a Commonwealth event for Wales as she took the 800m freestyle.

She took her first Games title ahead of New Zealand's Lauren Boyle and Brittany Maclean and now has Commonwealth gold, silver and bronze.

This was Wales' third gold this Games  in three different sports - swimming, judo and rhythmic gymnastics.

English discus thrower Dan Greaves (@spogo)

England had another successful day with titles in the pool, squash and athletics.

Swimmer Ollie Hynd completed the grand slam and added Commonwealth gold to his collection, which already includes Paralympic, European and world titles, by winning the SM8 200m medley. 18-year-old Sophie Taylor took the 100m breaststroke final, having won her semi final and been the fastest in the heats. 

Discus thrower Dan Greaves secured his country's first gold medal in athletics by winning the F42/44 final ahead of Wales' Aled Davies and Nigeria's Richard Okigbazi.

Nick Matthew retained his Delhi 2010 title by winning an all-English final in the men's squash against team-mate James Willstrop. Peter Barker's bronze meant the English completed a clean sweep of the podium, with Laura Massaro also winning silver.

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DAY 5 DIGEST IN 60 SECONDS...

• Northern Ireland edged closer to the top prize by picking up silver in the men's triples bowls competition
• Cameroon won their first gold medal of the Games, and first since the 2002 Games, as weightlifter Marie Fegue takes victory in the 69kg weight class.
• Singapore continued their dominance in table tennis, adding the men's team event to the women's title they took on day 4
• Medal table leaders Australia continue to add to their medal tally, winning gold in shooting and swimming
• Canada's Sultana Frizzell retained her hammer title from Delhi 2010 and beat her own Games record in the process

Glasgow 2014: DAY 3: Scotland equal best gold medal haul already, Isle of Man secure first medal, Wales beat Canada in gymnastics

Scottish flagbearer Euan Burton (@JudoScotland)

By Steven Oldham    MISSED YESTERDAY'S HIGHLIGHTS? CLICK HERE

Scotland have already equalled their best ever gold medal haul at a Commonwealth Games in just three days.

The host nation now have 11 gold medals, the same amount they managed from the entirety of the Melbourne Games in 2006.

They won three golds in judo today, including flagbearer Euan Burton's last ever competitive match as a judoka.

35-year-old Burton went out on a high by beating Pakistan's Shah Hussein Shah in the -100kg weight class final, while Sarah Adlington (+78kg) and Chris Sherrington (+100kg) also won their competitions as the judo tournaments came to a close.

The home nations have been dominant in judo, with Scotland and England both winning six gold medals.

Para-cyclist Neil Fachie and pilot Craig Maclean won their second gold medals of the Games in the velodrome, coming from behind to beat the Australian riders Kieran Modra and Jason Niblett 2-1 in the tandem sprint.

Wales' Frankie Jones won her country's first gold (Getty Images)

 Wales waited two days for gold and then won two on the third day of competition.

Rhythmic gymnast Frankie Jones took a third medal in as many days, and it was also her country's first gold, as she won the individual ribbon event ahead of Malaysia and Canada.

A second gold followed in judo, as Natalie Powell denied Scotland a husband-and-wife pair of gold medals by defeating Olympic silver medallist - and Mrs Euan Burton - Gemma Gibbons in the final.



Isle of Man's silver medal winner Peter Kennaugh (Adam Gerrie)



Cyclist Peter Kennaugh helped the Isle of Man onto the medal table by winning silver in the men's points race.

Kennaugh - an Olympic champion two years ago as part of the British team pursuit - came second to New Zealand's Thomas Scully.



Australia's Commonwealth skeet champion Laura Coles (@InsideWAIS)



Australia now lead the medal table thanks to winning five more bronze medals than England.

Both nations have 17 golds and 14 silvers so the race is still very tight with strong events still to come for both nations.

The team from Down Under won their first shooting medals today, with Laura Coles taking the women's skeet and Daniel Repacholi winning the 10m air pistol event.

They also had further success in swimming and cycling and will look to sports like hockey, athletics and rugby sevens to boost their medal tally further.

New 100m breastroke champion Adam Peaty (@BBCmtd)

Despite being bumped down into second in the medal standings, England again had a good day.

The country's domination of triathlon in Commonwealth circles continued as they won the first ever mixed team event.

Fran Halsall and Adam Peaty both took gold and new Games records in the pool, in the 50m freestyle and 100m breaststroke respectively.

There was also success in weightlifting with Zoe Smith also taking a Commonwealth record in the -58kg weight class. The diminutive 20-year-old managed to lift an unbeaten total of 210kg.

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DAY THREE DIGEST IN 60 SECONDS...

• Mauritius win their first medal of Glasgow 2014, with Annabelle Laprovidence taking bronze in the +78kg judo competition.
• India lock out gold and silver in two shooting competitions, with seven of their seventeen medals coming in this sport
• New Zealand's all-conquering rugby sevens team were given a scare by the hosts before winning 17-14 on the way to topping their group
• The first bowls gold medal went to South Africa who won the para-sport mixed pairs event ahead of Scotland
• Malaysia's world number one squash player Nicol David is through to the semi finals after beating England's Jenny Duncalf

Glasgow 2014: DAY 2: More success for England and Scotland, Cyprus win first ever weightlifting gold, Welsh athlete banned for doping violation

England's Chris Walker-Hebborn broke the Games record in 100m backstroke
(@NickHopeBBC)

By Steven Oldham
 
England and Scotland continued to rack up the medals on day two of the Commonwealths, with the hosts already well on their way to their best ever Games.
 
Medal-events in cycling, swimming, judo, gymnastics, shooting and weightlifting were settled today, and preliminary rounds continued in bowls, hockey, netball, squash and boxing.
 
There was more bad news for a Wales team already hit by injury and suspension, with hurdler Rhys Williams banned from the Games after failing a drugs test.

MISS THE ACTION FROM DAY ONE? CLICK HERE

 

Chris Walker-Hebborn broke the Commonwealth record while winning the 100m backstroke for England, just hours after teenager Ben Proud had won the country's first gold in the pool by taking victory in the 50m butterfly earlier in the day. Proud beat Olympic champion Chad le Clos in both the semi and final, with the South African having to settle for third.
 
Judo continues to be a happy hunting ground for Team England, who continue to top the medal table. Three more gold today came in for both male and female judoka, with Owen Livesey beating team-mate and room-mate Tom Reed in the final of the -81kg weight class. Danny Williams (-73kg) and Megan Fletcher (-70kg) also won their respective events to leave England with an impressive six medals in the sport already.
 
Joanna Roswell won the individual pursuit to secure a second English title in track cycling, and set a new Commonwealth record in the qualifiers, and beat her Australian opponent by nearly four seconds in the final.
 

The moment Sarah Clark won judo gold for Scotland (Daily Record)

 
 

Scotland's success in the pool continued with Daniel Wallace securing a stunning breakthrough win in the 400m medley ahead of Thomas Fraser-Holmes (Australia) and Sebastian Rousseau (South Africa).
 
Hometown favourite Michael Jamieson however is out of the 100m breaststroke after being eliminated in the semi finals where he could only place fifth. Compatriot and new 200m champion Ross Murdoch is safely through.
 
The Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome also saw it's first homegrown champion in the para-cycling today. Neil Fachie and pilot Craig Maclean won the 1000m tandem time trial for visually impaired riders from teams from Australia and Wales.
 
Judoka Sarah Clark became the third Scottish woman to win gold on the mat by beating Cameroon's Helene Wezeu Dombeu in the -63kg weight class by making her opponent submit via an armlock.
 

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Cyprus won their first gold at these Games in weightlifting, with Dimitris Minasidis taking victory in the -62kg. He raised 276kg ahead of lifters from Sri Lanka and Samoa.  
 
He makes history by becoming the island's first Commonwealth weightlifting champion.
 


Cyprus' Dimitris Minasidis lifting for gold (BBC Sport)
 

DAY TWO DIGEST IN 60 SECONDS...

• Commonwealth powerhouse Australia also continued to pile up the medals, taking more gold in swimming and opening their account in shooting.
• Canada continue to dominate the rhythmic gymnastics, with Patricia Bezzoubenko winning her second gold in as many days in the individual all round event.
• Team Wales also put in a good show in rhythmic gymnastics, with flagbearer Frankie Jones and Laura Halford taking bronze today after team silver yesterday
• Nigeria also scooped a first gold of the Games in women's weightlifting, as Chika Amalaha won the -53kg weight division
• Singapore, Bangladesh and Papua New Guinea all opened their medal tallies today.

DAY 3: WHAT'S UP FOR GRABS?

Mixed team triathlon makes it Games debut tomorrow, can England continue their dominace?

There are also medals to be decided in lawn bowls, rhythmic gymastics, cycling, judo, shooting, swimming and weightlifting. 



Glasgow 2014 - Commonwealth Games Sports Guide: Triathlon

By Steven Oldham

Click HERE for Commonwealth Games homepage

Triathlon's global popularity continues to grow and after being absent from the last Games, returns to make a third appearance since debuting in 2002 in Manchester.

A 1.5km swim, 43km bike ride and 10km run stand between triathletes and Commonwealth glory, with all competitors starting together with no heats.

A mixed relay team event - a first for the Games - will also happen this summer.

WHEN?

The individual runs take place on July 24. The team event is two days later.

WHERE?

The triathlon takes place at Strathclyde Country Park on the outskirts of Glasgow.

WHO?

The Brownlee brothers - Alistair and Jonny - are both contenders for the men's title having traded victories and form in the past few years. Older brother Alistair has the ultimate prize, as he was crowned Olympic champion two years ago. They both compete for England.

Welsh triathlete Helen Jenkins will miss out on the Commonwealths though due to a foot injury. It's another blow to Wales' hopes of taking medals in this sport, with World Series champion Non Stanford already ruled out with a fractured ankle.

Historically, Australia and New Zealand have proved strong at the Games and will be looking to be so again. Australian Emma Moffatt is both a double world champion and Olympic bronze medallist, while New Zealand's best chance lies with Andrea Hewitt, a Commonwealth bronze medallist and a world champion at under 23 level.

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

• The different disciplines are undertaken consecutively - no half time, or breaks in this sport
• Being a good all-rounder is more important than being a world class swimmer or cyclist.
• Don't be confused by hearing triathletes or commentators saying T1, T2 - it simply means 'transistion' - i.e. the stages in between the disciplines. T1 is the stage between swimming and cycling, while T2 is the final swap between cycling and running.
• Transition happens in a designated area where bikes, running shoes and so on are prepared ready for a quick turnaround.
• Both the Olympic and Commonwealth Games follow the 'standard' triathlon. Ironman triathlons are the toughest, taking in a 3.8km swim, 180.2km bike ride and 42.2km run - a full marathon distance.

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Australia's two time world champion Emma Moffatt

Glasgow 2014 - Commonwealth Games Sports Guide: Netball

By Steven Oldham

Click HERE for Commonwealth Games homepage

Netball is another one of the ten 'core sports' at the Commonwealth Games and has been ever present since debuting at the 1998 Games in Kuala Lumpur.
 
Along with rhythmic gymnastics, netball is one of the only sports solely competed by women at the Games.
 
The Commonwealths is the sport's biggest platform, as it has never been included in the Olympic programme.
 
WHEN?

The netball tournaments spans the length of the Games, with group matches kicking off on July 24. The medal matches are on August 3.
 
WHERE?

Netball happens across two locations - group matches are located in the Scottish Exhibition & Conference Centre, while the medal matches will take place in the new 13,000 capacity Hydro Arena next door, which has been open less than a year.

WHO?

Australia and New Zealand have shared the spoils equally since netball debuted at the Commonwealth Games 16 years ago in Malaysia. They both have two gold and two silver medals from four tournaments. England have often been bridesmaids, picking up three bronze medals, with Jamaica the only other country to take a top three placing,

New Zealand have the momentum in Commonwealth terms, having upset the hosting Aussies in Melbourne in 2006 then retaining their title in Delhi four years ago. However, the team from Down Under have won the World Championships in both 2007 and 2011 so it really is cat and mouse between the two nations.

Twelve nations from across the Commonwealth will take part in netball this year.

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

• Netball games last for an hour, split into quarters. There are seven players on each team.
• Positions mean something in this sport, with only attacking players allowed to score. Players stick to their role and are restricted to where they move on court
• The court is split into three - one third for each of the team's rings, and the centre
• Players are not allowed to hold the ball for more than three seconds at a time, or dribble the ball around the court
• After a goal, play resumes from the centre zone with teams alternating taking 'centre passes'; regardless of which team has conceded the goal.

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Can Malawi win a first medal in netball in Glasgow?
(faceofmalawi.com)

Glasgow 2014 - Commonwealth Games Sports Guide: Rugby Sevens

By Steven Oldham
 
Click HERE for Commonwealth Games homepage
 
Rugby sevens is a fast developing sport globally and the Commonwealths have stolen a march on the Olympics with this one; it's been featured since 1998, while it will only make it's debut on the biggest stage of them all at the next Games, Rio 2016.
 
With the introduction of women's boxing for this edition, rugby sevens is the last sport at the Commonwealths only played by men.
 
WHEN?
 
The rugby sevens tournament is done and dusted in two days, July 26-27.
 
WHERE?
 
The tournament will be held at the Rangers' Ibrox stadium.
 
WHO?
 
New Zealand are the dominant force in sevens, and have won every Commonwealth gold medal since the sport was introduced in 1998. They will again go into the tournament as favourites to secure another win. They are also reigning World Series and World Cup champions. It would be a huge surprise if they didn't add to their bulging trophy cabinet in Glasgow this summer.
 
So what about the other countries? Traditional rugby powers are likely to contest the remaining medals. South Africa, Australia and England all have claims to do well this summer. South Africa were runners up in the World Series this season, while England were World Cup finalists last year, albeit well beaten. Australia were runners up in Delhi four years ago.
 
Sixteen countries will take part in the tournament in groups of four with the top two from each group advancing to the quarter finals. Scotland, Kenya, Wales and Samoa will be looking to progress.
 
LET ME SOUND LIKE I KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT...
 

• Sevens follows the rulebook of rugby union, with changes mainly due to fewer players being on the pitch - so look out for three man scrums and two-minute sin bin punishments.
• As the name suggests, teams play with seven players rather than fifteen.
• The other main difference is that games only last 14 minutes - two halves of seven minutes with a minute's break in between.
• Eliminated countries still get the chance to win some silverware in the classification events - there's a Bowl and Shield to be won.
• Despite being seen as a new idea by many, sevens dates way back to 1883.

 
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Can New Zealand continue their domination of rugby sevens?
(odt.co.nz)