Best of Gold Coast, Australia GC2018: Day 7

The Olympics sports team Abdul Rahim and Muhammad Sadiq Padela (Gold Coast Australia GC2018).

Gold Coast, Australia, Apr 11, 2018: Usain Bolt – the fastest man in history -landed in the country, but it was the athletes on the field stealing the show with 15 gold medals awarded on Wednesday 11 April.

Bolt’s fellow Jamaican Aisha Praught claimed an historic Commonwealth Games gold for her country, winning the women’s 3000m steeplechase.

Australia’s Kathryn Mitchell was rewarded for her persistence with a Commonwealth Games and Australian record in the javelin, while there was plenty of action in diving, shooting, gymnastics and beach volleyball.

Australian Kathryn Mitchell broke the Commonwealth Games and Australian record on her first javelin throw and then promptly broke down when she realised she had won the gold medal.

Her throw of 68.92m was the longest throw in the world for five years.

The 35-year-old started her career at the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games, but this was her first medal after finishing sixth in Melbourne, fifth at the Delhi 2010 Games and fourth at Glasgow 2014.

In the battle for the minor medals, Australia’s Kelsey-Lee Roberts produced a final-round effort of 63.89m to dislodge South Africa’s Sunette Viljoen from silver.

The two-time former champion from South Africa, who hurled a best of 62.08m, had the consolation of becoming the first woman in history to win medals in this event at a fourth successive Commonwealth Games (gold in 2006 and 2010 and silver in 2014) with bronze.

Jamaica claims historic gold
Jamaica’s Aisha Praught claimed an historic Commonwealth Games gold for her country, breaking the Kenyan dominance of the 3000m steeplechase at Carrara Stadium on Wednesday.

Jamaica is best known as a sprinting powerhouse, and had never won a Commonwealth medal in an event longer than the 800m.

And when the pre-event favourite and second-fastest woman in history for the distance, Kenyan teenager Celliphine Chespol, took a decisive 20-metre lead, the race appeared over.

But Praught slowly reeled in the fading Chespol over the final lap, sweeping past her on the final bend and taking gold in a time of 9 minutes, 21 seconds.

Botswana reign supreme
Botswana toasted the 400m double on Wednesday night as Amantle Montsho regained the title she won at the 2010 Delhi Games.

Just 24 four hours after her compatriot Isaac Makwala cruised to victory in the men’s 400m, Montsho, the 2011 world champion, produced her quickest time for five years to register 50.15 and prove she is back to her best. The mark was 0.05 shy of her Games record.

It is the first time in Commonwealth Games history the 400m men’s and women’s events have been won by athletes from the same country.

Jamaica secured the silver and bronze medals through Anastasia Le-Roy in 50.57 and 2014 Commonwealth champion Stephenie McPherson in 50.93.

Women’s synchronised drama
Australia’s Esther Qin and Georgia Sheehan won gold in the women’s synchronised 3m springboard diving after a dramatic competition at the Optus Aquatic Centre.

Qin and Sheehan came from behind to win gold after Australia’s other pairing of Maddi Keeney and Annabelle Smith dramatically failed to score on their final dive due to an error.

Canada’s pairing of Jennifer Abel and Melissa Citrini-Beaulieu were in first place after three rounds but also failed to make the podium after a mistake on their fourth dive cost them any chance of a medal.

England’s Alicia Blagg and Katherine Torrance took silver with a score of 276.90, while Malaysia’s Mun Yee Leong and Nur Dhabitah Sabri claimed bronze with a score of 264.90.

Men’s 50m pistol
Australian Daniel Repacholi won the men’s 50m pistol final with a Games Record score at Belmont Shooting Centre.
Repacholi won with a score of 227.2, Shakil Ahmed of Bangladesh took silver, while Om Mitharval of India claimed bronze.

Women’s double trap a real shootout
Shreyasi Singh of India won the women’s double trap final after a shoot-off with Australia’s Emma Cox, who took silver. Linda Pearson from Scotland claimed bronze.

Manyonga leaps for South Africa
World champion Luvo Manyonga from South Africa repelled the fierce challenge of Australia’s Henry Frayne to take the country’s first Commonwealth Games long jump gold since 1950.

Frayne, who led the qualifiers with a Games record 8.34m, took control of the competition with an 8.33m effort in round two.

Manyonga, the former crystal meth addict who last year produced the longest jump in the world for eight years, dislodged Frayne from top spot in round four with 8.35m.

The gold medallist then soared out to his longest leap of the competition in round six with a Games record 8.41m.

Frayne had to settle for silver, with South Africa’s Ruswahl Samaai, the Commonwealth bronze medallist from four years ago, matching that performance inside the Carrara Stadium with a best of 8.22m.

Champs on the beach
Former world surfing champion Mick Fanning has taught some Commonwealth Games legends the art of catching waves at Kirra Beach.

Despite missing out in his final competition at Bells Beach earlier this month, the surfing icon was happy to pass on his experience to Anna Meares, Jessica Gallagher and Chad le Clos.

Service with a difference
GOLDOC Chairman Peter Beattie and CEO Mark Peters served lunch to the athletes in the main dining hall of the Athlete’s Village. —- GC2018

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