Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
Australia won a total of 171 medals in Glasgow, but some were more momentous and magical than others.
SPRINT SENSATIONS
Lachie Kennedy and Torrie Lewis set national records when claiming silver and bronze respectively in their individual 100m races, with Kennedy ending a 64-year wait for a men’s sprint medal at the Games.
Kennedy and Lewis backed up to reach their 200m finals and Kennedy led the men’s 4x100m relay team to an unexpected gold medal in a stunning upset of Olympic champions Canada.
Bizarrely, successive protests meant the men’s relay team had to wait more than two hours for their medal ceremony, which took place in front of only a few dozen team staff and media long after fans had filed out of the stadium.
KING KYLE
Kyle Chalmers bouncing back to win the 50m butterfly and break Ian Thorpe’s record as the most bemedalled Ausstralian male swimmer in Games annals.
It came 24 hours after his proud record of never having lost to a compatriot in international 100m freestyle competition went up in smoke, when he was beaten by Flynn Southam.
Chalmers not only won his 10th gold but shared it with another of the sport’s rising stars, Ben Armbruster, with the pair unable to be split on the timings.
NETBALL NIGHTMARE
The Diamonds wrapped their arms around Sophie Dwyer after the Games debutant missed her after-the-siren shot in a nightmare semi-final defeat to Jamaica.
Previously unbeaten in Glasgow, Australia were widely expected to win gold again before their title defence went up in flames with a stunning upset by the Sunshine Girls.
New Zealand seized their chance to claim gold and the Diamonds’ consolation prize was what experienced defender Jo Weston described as a “bittersweet” bronze medal.
SLAMMIN’ SAM
Every Games has feel-good stories, but there was something particularly uplifting about Sam Williamson’s breaststroke triumphs in the pool.
Willamson’s four gold medals, including two relay triumphs, came just 15 months after he’d had a freak training accident and feared his career might be over as he struggled to re-learn how to walk.
Watching Williamson outpace the great Brit Adam Ramsay-Peaty with his blistering late surges in the 50m and 100m finals was hailed as something special by coach Rohan Taylor.
BOXING TANK
A shoutout to Jye Dixon, known as ‘The Tank’ to his mates in the Brendale gym where he trains in Queensland for his all-action, relentless style.
It was all in evidence as he produced a brilliant comeback display against India’s Jadumani Singh Mandengbam to lift the 55kg bantamweight crown.
He boxes with a touch of star quality and looks set to enjoy a lucrative pro career like his housemate Liam Wilson.
WEIGHT LIFTED
Australian weightlifter Eileen Cikamatana struggled through days when she wanted to give up and “be a baby in my mum’s arm” but found Commonwealth consolation after her Paris Olympics heartbreak.
The 26-year-old was a class above in the women’s 86kg event, nailing a 108kg snatch and a 140kg clean and jerk for a Games record total of 248kg.
Cikamatana was in tears after narrowly missing Olympic bronze and wept for joy as she declared “mission accomplished” in Glasgow.
MILE MAGIC
All eyes were on the mile at Scotstoun Stadium and Australia delivered in spades, as Abbey Caldwell led a clean sweep of the women’s race.
Jessica Hull and Claudia Hollingsworth filled the podium, while Cameron Myers claimed silver behind world record holder Josh Kerr in the men’s race.
Hull was also runner-up in the 5000m to compatriot Rose Davies, who added the 10,000m title in her historic double, as Australia claimed 12 athletics gold medals in total.
ROLLED GOLD
The oldest member Australia’s team in Glasgow, 76-year-old para bowls competitor Louise Hoskins, noted before the Games that Nelson Mandela was a similar age when he became president of South Africa.
Hoskins doesn’t have any plans to enter politics, but her gold medal triumph in the women’s pairs B6-B8 alongside Serena Bonnell saved Australia’s blushes in the rink.
It came on the final day of competition and was the country’s first bowls gold of the Games, inspiring men’s B6-B8 pair James Reynolds and Damien Delgado to also clinch gold.
BAKER’S HALF-DOZEN
Georgia Baker was awarded closing ceremony flag bearer honours after a record-equalling gold medal haul in Glasgow.
The 31-year-old Tasmanian rode in the victorious team pursuit and won the women’s scratch race, bringing her career tally to five gold medals after winning three events at Birmingham 2022.
Baker joined Anna Meares, Matt Glaetzer and Brad McGee as the only Australian cyclists to achieve the feat.
