Section: Commonwealth Games

Commonwealth Games, Cycling

Glasgow 2014: Geraint Thomas wins gold in men’s road race

Wales’ Geraint Thomas won the Commonwealth Games road race in dramatic fashion as he survived a puncture with six kilometres to go.

Thomas had broken away earlier on the final lap, and had enough time in hand to change the wheel and resume his victory charge with a 20-second lead.

The 28-year-old then powered clear once more to win in pouring rain in Glasgow.

New Zealand’s Jack Bauer edged out Scott Thwaites of England on the line to claim the silver medal.

Thomas becomes the first man from Wales to win a Commonwealth Games cycling gold medal, although Louise Jones and Nicole Cooke won golds in 1990 and 2002 respectively.

Commonwealth Games, Cycling

Glasgow 2014: Lizzie Armitstead & Emma Pooley win gold and silver

England’s Lizzie Armitstead and Emma Pooley claimed gold and silver in the 98km women’s road race at the Commonwealth Games.

Armitstead, 25, overhauled Pooley with 7km to go to win her first gold after silver medals at Delhi in 2010 and the London Olympics two years ago.

Pooley, 31, who now retires from cycling, cried as she crossed the line for her second silver of the Games.

South Africa’s Ashleigh Pasio was third and Scotland’s Katie Archibald seventh.

Armistead becomes the first English woman to win a road race title at the Commonwealths.

She summed up the achievement as “special, surreal”, adding: “This is something I have always dreamed about; it means so much to me. I am always a runner-up.”

Read more on BBC Sport

Athletics, Commonwealth Games

Glasgow 2014 : Eilidh Child wins emotional silver medal in 400m hurdles

Child takes silver behind Kaliese Spencer in 400m hurdles

Eilidh Child of Scotland holds her country's flag

Eilidh Child took silver in the 400m hurdles on Thursday night. A standing ovation of 40,000 clapped and stamped her around her victory lap after the poster girl for this games won a second Commonwealth medal to add to the one she took in Delhi four years ago.

It was not the gold she had hoped for and so Scotland’s 20-year wait for that particular metal goes on. But it was the high point of a great night for the home nations’ women and for a crowd who have proven themselves more than generously inclined towards their southerly neighbours. Child’s race had always been going to be the main show but the dramatic entrance of young English talent stole several scenes and brought medals galore.

Read More on The Guardian

Athletics, Commonwealth Games

Glasgow 2014 : Nijel Amos storms to 800m gold beating David Rudisha

David Rudisha stays humble after Nijel Amos storms to 800m gold

Nijel Amos

There have been many fine athletes at these Commonwealth Games, and many fine races too. But nothing like this: the two best 800m athletes of their generation thrashing it out in the final straight, the outcome in doubt until the last metres when Botswana’s Nijel Amos finally downed the Olympic and world record holder, David Rudisha. No wonder the Hampden roar lingered.

But defeat did not diminish Rudisha. Quite the opposite. He hugged Amos, and told him “Well done my brother” before going on a lap of honour with his Kenyan team-mates. If there was disappointment, it was well disguised, smiling at the crowd as he received a standing ovation.

There were echoes of a swollen Muhammad Ali after his first professional defeat to Joe Frazier, winking at the hundreds of fans that had converged on his hotel, determined to show light on his darkest day. The bruises last night were to Rudisha’s record not his face. But like Ali he will be back.

“It wasn’t so bad,” he insisted. “I am happy to have done and achieved that despite the fact that I would have wished to do better and maybe win the gold medal. Nijel is a tough competitor and he was good tonight. But we really love this place and it has been a great championships – the crowd were fantastic.”

Read More on The Guardian

Commonwealth Games, Gymnastics

Glasgow 2014: Max Whitlock and Claudia Fragapane win third golds

England gymnasts Max Whitlock and Claudia Fragapane both won their third Commonwealth Games gold medals with individual final success.

whitlock_medal

After taking gold in the all-round and team competitions, Whitlock, 21, won the men’s floor final and Fragapane, 16, the vault.

Whitlock added a silver from the pommel horse final which was won by Scotland’s Daniel Keatings with Louis Smith third.

Rebecca Downie took her second gold of the Games, winning on the uneven bars.

Read More on BBC Sport

 

 

Commonwealth Games, Cycling

Glasgow 2014 : Emma Pooley takes silver for England in the time trial

Danish-born Kiwi Linda Villumsen dug deep in the final stages to pip Emma Pooley to win time-trial gold in Glasgow

Emma_Pooley

It was not the gold she was hoping for but Emma Pooley said she was “thrilled” to have bowed out of her final competitive time trial with silver at the Commonwealth Games, paying tribute afterwards to those who have supported her through a career in which she was a consistent force both on and off the bike.

The 31-year-old, who retires after Sunday’s road race to focus on triathlons and other endurance events, was pipped, agonisingly, by New Zealand’s Danish-born rider Linda Villumsen on a damp Glasgow course. Australia’s Katrin Garfoot took the bronze.

Villumsen was nine seconds behind Pooley at the final time check but managed to finish six seconds ahead. The Englishwoman, though, said she had no regrets.

“You can’t be frustrated when you have done your best,” she shrugged. “Linda deserves the credit for a fantastic race. I’m not upset. I’m thrilled to have a medal.”

Commonwealth Games, Cycling

Glasgow 2014 : Alex Dowsett : missing Tour de France spurred me on to Commonwealth gold

England’s Alex Dowsett won gold in the time trial in Glasgow four years after taking the silver medal in Delhi

England's Alex Dowsett won gold in the time trial in Glasgow four years after taking silver in Delhi

Alex Dowsett admitted missing out on the Tour de France spurred him on to Commonwealth gold in the individual time trial, following a courageous display born out of “anger and disappointment” from the England rider.

Dowsett clocked 47min 41.78sec over the 38.4km course on the roads of Glasgow to take gold ahead of the Australian Rohan Dennis and Wales’s Geraint Thomas, just weeks after being omitted from the Tour by Movistar owing to illness.

The 25-year-old was forced to produce a stunning finish after trailing Dennis by more than five seconds with 6km remaining but he overturned the deficit in remarkable fashion and his margin of victory was, in the end, comfortable at 9.30sec.

“I had a point to prove to myself, I know I was worthy of that Tour place, I was unlucky when I got ill,” said Dowsett, who won silver in this event at Delhi 2010. “I don’t hold anything against my team for not taking me. If I was my team manager I would’ve probably not taken me as well.

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Athletics, Commonwealth Games

Glasgow 2014: Greg Rutherford leaps to Commonwealth gold

Greg Rutherford added Commonwealth long jump gold to his Olympic title to claim England’s first athletics gold of these Glasgow Games.

rutherford

Rutherford, who won silver in Delhi four years ago, had an epidural injection in the build-up to make it to qualifying after pulling out of the Diamond League event here with injury.

But after his first round 8.12 metres was matched by South Africa’s Zarck Visser, his championship pedigree told as he produced a third round 8.20m to snatch a lead that none of his rivals could threaten.

Rutherford, who has endured a difficult time since London 2012 – struggling with hamstring injuries, losing his kit sponsor and failing to qualify for the World Championship final a year ago – used the support of a home crowd as well as he had two years ago on a cool night far from ideal for jumping.

“It’s never an easy road, and after what happened last year with injury I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to carry on jumping. But now I’ve managed to win another title and that’s what it’s all about for me,” he told BBC Sport afterwards.

“I think a lot of people had written me off thinking I was a one-hit wonder. But I wanted to prove I could do it again.

Read More on BBC Sport

Commonwealth Games, Gymnastics

Glasgow 2014: England win double gymnastics team gold

England’s women emulated the achievement of their male team-mates by winning gold in the gymnastics team final at the Commonwealth Games.

england_men_gold

Rebecca Downie, Claudia Fragapane, Ruby Harrold, Hannah Whelan and Kelly Simm held off Australia to win, with Wales putting in a superb display for bronze.

Earlier, Louis Smith, Sam Oldham, Kristian Thomas, Max Whitlock and Nile Wilson won the men’s title.

Scotland finished second to secure their first major team medal.

Dan Keatings, Dan Purvis, Frank Baines, Adam Cox and Liam Davie scored 257.603, with England’s 266.804 enough for victory.

However, Oldham missed England’s final two rotations after falling in the vault.

Read More on BBC Sport

Athletics, Commonwealth Games

Glasgow 2014 : Kemar Bailey-Cole takes 100m title for Jamaica as Adam Gemili claims silver

Third straight Commonwealth triumph for Caribbean island while English sprinter stays just outside 10-second barrier after beating Nickel Ashmeade in to third place

100m-final

So, the Jamaican supremacy in Commonwealth 100 metres finals continues, as Kemar Bailey-Cole brought a third straight triumph for the Caribbean island with a brilliant run for gold in 10 seconds dead, but this was a night that also marked the coming of age for England’s Adam Gemili.

The 20-year-old had stated that his ambition was simply to reach the final but he did better, far better, in claiming a silver medal that suggests his longer-team target of winning a medal at the Rio Olympics in 2016 is very much intact.

At just 22, Bailey-Cole has understood his capacity to be a superstar ever since he formed part of Jamaica’s triumphant sprint relay team at London 2012, and duly confirmed it with this fabulous display. Coach Glen Mills has billed him as the country’s next pre-eminent star, even drawing the first tentative comparisons with Usain Bolt.

But Gemili deserved immense praise for the way he split the Jamaican triumvirate of Bailey-Cole, Nickel Ashmeade and Jason Livermore to finish second after a lightning-fast start. His time of 10.10 sec might mean he is still to break the elusive 10-second barrier, but on his present trajectory that, too, must surely come soon.

Read More on The Telegraph