BIRMINGHAM - Australia dominated the first night of action in the Commonwealth Games pool in Birmingham on Friday to race clear at the top of medals table.
Olympic champions Ariarne Titmus and Zac Stubblety-Cook showed their class in tight races while world champion Elijah Winnington powered home in style. Australia finished their evening on cloud nine by winning the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay, with Emma McKeon collecting the ninth Commonwealth gold of her career.
They won eight medals out of a possible 16 on day one of sporting action at the Games -- five clear of second-placed New Zealand. Titmus, who won 200m and 400m freestyle gold at last year’s Tokyo Olympics, was given a mighty scare in the women’s 200m freestyle at the Sandwell Aquatics Centre by 18-year-old compatriot Mollie O’Callaghan.
The double Olympic champion was in control for most of the race but was hunted down the final stretch, edging home by just 0.12sec in a new Games record of 1min 53.89sec. Winnington stormed to victory in the men’s 400m freestyle as Australia swept the podium just weeks after winning the world title in Budapest. The 22-year-old, who was inside world record pace for much of the race, tired in the latter stages, clocking 3:43.06.
Winnington, who almost quit the sport after a poor Olympics last year, said he was not too disappointed that he had faded in the final stages to miss out on a shot at the world record. Olympic and world men’s 200m breaststroke champion Stubblety-Cook was put under immense pressure by England’s defending champion James Wilby but powered down the home straight to win in 2:08.07.Canada’s Summer McIntosh, just 15 years old, destroyed the field in the women’s 400m individual medley. She recorded a new Games record of 4:29.01 -- more than three seconds quicker than her winning time at the recent world championships. Breaking her own world junior record, she finished nearly eight seconds clear of second-placed Australian Kiah Melverton.
In the cycling events, taking place in London, Australia won the women’s 4,000 metres team pursuit and New Zealand won the men’s event. Much of the focus was on England’s Laura Kenny, who took an emotional bronze medal in the women’s race. The 30-year-old has endured a torrid time since last year’s Covid-delayed Tokyo Olympics, suffering a miscarriage and an ectopic pregnancy.
Flora Duffy -- Bermuda’s first-ever Olympic champion -- became the first triathlete to win two Commonwealth Games titles with a dominant display in Sutton Park. The 34-year-old finished the sprint-distance event in 55min 25sec. That was 41 seconds clear of England’s Georgia Taylor-Brown, who also took silver behind Duffy in Tokyo last year.
England’s Alex Yee won the men’s event in a time of 50min 34sec. Australia beat India by three wickets in the first-ever Commonwealth Games women’s cricket match, with Ash Gardner scoring 52 not out and Jess Jonassen taking 4-22 in the Twenty20 match.
In the later match, also at Edgbaston, Barbados beat Pakistan by 15 runs. England became the first team to win three successive Commonwealth Games team gymnastics golds with victory for the men.
Pakistan, South Africa opener ends in a 2-2 draw in CWG 2022
Pakistan and South Africa hockey teams settled for a thrilling 2-2 draw in their opening match of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
In the first quarter, South Africa took the lead in the 14th minute when Connor Beauchamp converted a penalty corner. In the 25th minute, Pakistan got their first penalty corner and levelled the match superbly through Rizwan Ali to end the first half at 1-1.
South Africa, however, remained the dominant side with more shots, circle entries and penalty corners but Pakistan’s defensive unit managed to thwart their moves. In the third quarter, the two teams were a little wasteful in possession, not making the most of their possession.
Pakistan got their second penalty corner of the match but the South Africans kept it at bay and the game remained even. With just a few seconds left on the clock, Pakistan got a close chance but could not execute their plans. Thus, the third quarter ended without a goal.
Guise-Brown took the stroke to make it 2-1 with six minutes remaining on the clock. Pakistan dominated the proceedings in the last few minutes. They got a penalty corner in the dying moments of the match. With just 20 seconds left Afraz put the ball in the back of the net to level the match.
Meanwhile, Barbados women handed a 15-run defeat to Pakistan women in their opening match of the Commonwealth Games. Chasing 145 to win, Pakistan lost four wickets with 49 runs on the board. Iram Javed (first-ball duck), Muneeba Ali (17, 19b, three fours), Omaima Sohail (10, 14b, two fours) and Bismah Maroof (12, 28b, one four) were all back in the hut in the 11th over but Nida Dar’s (50*) half-century kept Pakistan in the run-chase.
Earlier, Barbados women scored 144-4 in 20 overs with Kycia Knight (62*), Hayley Matthews (51) batting strongly. Fatima Sana bagged 2 for 41. Pakistan athletes failed to impress in boxing, badminton and swimming on the first day of the Commonwealth Games.
The only win for Pakistan was Nasir Iqbal’s 3-0 win over Jamaica’s James Morrison in the round-of-64 of the men’s singles squash event. Nasir overwhelmed his opponent 11-5, 11-4, 11-3. In in the round-of-16 he will compete against compatriot Tayyab Aslam.
Olympic champions Ariarne Titmus and Zac Stubblety-Cook showed their class in tight races while world champion Elijah Winnington powered home in style. Australia finished their evening on cloud nine by winning the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay, with Emma McKeon collecting the ninth Commonwealth gold of her career.
They won eight medals out of a possible 16 on day one of sporting action at the Games -- five clear of second-placed New Zealand. Titmus, who won 200m and 400m freestyle gold at last year’s Tokyo Olympics, was given a mighty scare in the women’s 200m freestyle at the Sandwell Aquatics Centre by 18-year-old compatriot Mollie O’Callaghan.
The double Olympic champion was in control for most of the race but was hunted down the final stretch, edging home by just 0.12sec in a new Games record of 1min 53.89sec. Winnington stormed to victory in the men’s 400m freestyle as Australia swept the podium just weeks after winning the world title in Budapest. The 22-year-old, who was inside world record pace for much of the race, tired in the latter stages, clocking 3:43.06.
Winnington, who almost quit the sport after a poor Olympics last year, said he was not too disappointed that he had faded in the final stages to miss out on a shot at the world record. Olympic and world men’s 200m breaststroke champion Stubblety-Cook was put under immense pressure by England’s defending champion James Wilby but powered down the home straight to win in 2:08.07.Canada’s Summer McIntosh, just 15 years old, destroyed the field in the women’s 400m individual medley. She recorded a new Games record of 4:29.01 -- more than three seconds quicker than her winning time at the recent world championships. Breaking her own world junior record, she finished nearly eight seconds clear of second-placed Australian Kiah Melverton.
In the cycling events, taking place in London, Australia won the women’s 4,000 metres team pursuit and New Zealand won the men’s event. Much of the focus was on England’s Laura Kenny, who took an emotional bronze medal in the women’s race. The 30-year-old has endured a torrid time since last year’s Covid-delayed Tokyo Olympics, suffering a miscarriage and an ectopic pregnancy.
Flora Duffy -- Bermuda’s first-ever Olympic champion -- became the first triathlete to win two Commonwealth Games titles with a dominant display in Sutton Park. The 34-year-old finished the sprint-distance event in 55min 25sec. That was 41 seconds clear of England’s Georgia Taylor-Brown, who also took silver behind Duffy in Tokyo last year.
England’s Alex Yee won the men’s event in a time of 50min 34sec. Australia beat India by three wickets in the first-ever Commonwealth Games women’s cricket match, with Ash Gardner scoring 52 not out and Jess Jonassen taking 4-22 in the Twenty20 match.
In the later match, also at Edgbaston, Barbados beat Pakistan by 15 runs. England became the first team to win three successive Commonwealth Games team gymnastics golds with victory for the men.
Pakistan, South Africa opener ends in a 2-2 draw in CWG 2022
Pakistan and South Africa hockey teams settled for a thrilling 2-2 draw in their opening match of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
In the first quarter, South Africa took the lead in the 14th minute when Connor Beauchamp converted a penalty corner. In the 25th minute, Pakistan got their first penalty corner and levelled the match superbly through Rizwan Ali to end the first half at 1-1.
South Africa, however, remained the dominant side with more shots, circle entries and penalty corners but Pakistan’s defensive unit managed to thwart their moves. In the third quarter, the two teams were a little wasteful in possession, not making the most of their possession.
Pakistan got their second penalty corner of the match but the South Africans kept it at bay and the game remained even. With just a few seconds left on the clock, Pakistan got a close chance but could not execute their plans. Thus, the third quarter ended without a goal.
Guise-Brown took the stroke to make it 2-1 with six minutes remaining on the clock. Pakistan dominated the proceedings in the last few minutes. They got a penalty corner in the dying moments of the match. With just 20 seconds left Afraz put the ball in the back of the net to level the match.
Meanwhile, Barbados women handed a 15-run defeat to Pakistan women in their opening match of the Commonwealth Games. Chasing 145 to win, Pakistan lost four wickets with 49 runs on the board. Iram Javed (first-ball duck), Muneeba Ali (17, 19b, three fours), Omaima Sohail (10, 14b, two fours) and Bismah Maroof (12, 28b, one four) were all back in the hut in the 11th over but Nida Dar’s (50*) half-century kept Pakistan in the run-chase.
Earlier, Barbados women scored 144-4 in 20 overs with Kycia Knight (62*), Hayley Matthews (51) batting strongly. Fatima Sana bagged 2 for 41. Pakistan athletes failed to impress in boxing, badminton and swimming on the first day of the Commonwealth Games.
The only win for Pakistan was Nasir Iqbal’s 3-0 win over Jamaica’s James Morrison in the round-of-64 of the men’s singles squash event. Nasir overwhelmed his opponent 11-5, 11-4, 11-3. In in the round-of-16 he will compete against compatriot Tayyab Aslam.
