Golden girls add to our medal tally
Double the Games fun for Baker, Titmus
ARIARNE Titmus produced a stunning anchor leg to drive home a world record in the 4x200m women’s freestyle relay on another golden day for Australia at the Commonwealth Games.
The Launceston-born swimmer notched her second gold medal of the Birmingham Games on Day 3 of competition, while Tasmanian track cyclist Georgia Baker also became a dual gold medallist at the Games when she dominated the 25km points race.
Having won all three medals in the 200m freestyle, Australia was hot favourite to add the relay and Madison Wilson, Kiah Melverton and Mollie O’Callaghan established a comfortable lead before handing over to Titmus.
The 21-year-old hit the water 1.44sec behind China’s world record and produced a brilliant anchor leg to establish a new benchmark of 7min 39.29sec.
Australia was 12.69sec ahead of second placed-Canada, with England third. Titmus’s anchor split of 1min 52.82sec was the fastest of all time.
Elsewhere at the Games, veteran Tasmanian triathlete Hayden Armstrong described his pride in helping triple Paralympian Gerrard Gosens finish his career at the Commonwealth Games.
Armstrong, 43, was a guide for the 52-year-old Queenslander and the duo finished sixth in a field of nine in the vision-impaired para triathlon. They completed the 750m swim, 20km ride and 5km run in 1hr 08min 41sec, 11:02min behind British winner David Ellis and his guide Luke Pollard.
“It was a great experience,” Armstrong said. “Gerrard did an amazing job at 52 years of age.”
“To be his eyes and ears for the race and paint that picture of how things are unfolding and get him through to the finish line and get him to work as hard as I can, it’s a proud moment for me to get that done.”
Kingston’s Erica Burleigh recorded a sixth-place finish in the women’s vision-impaired para triathlon.
After finishing in 1hr 26min 49sec, the 39-year-old heaped praise on her 19-year-old Queensland guide Felicity Cradick.
“That was really tough, especially the run course. That’s probably my slowest leg so I struggled with that but Felicity got me through,” she said.
”I trust Felicity, she’s a great rider and guide. I’ve got to put all my trust in Felicity. I promised her before we started that I would do anything she said, and that’s what I
did.”
Twenty-two years after losing most of her eyesight due to contracting meningococcal disease, the former Channel Christian School student qualified for Birmingham on the back of second-place finishes at the Oceania Triathlon Para Cup in Devonport in February and the Oceania Triathlon Para Championships in Stockton two weeks later.
Burleigh, who works as a quality and safeguards commissioner with the National Disability Insurance Scheme, said she was yet to decide whether she will attempt to compete at the Paralympics in Paris in 2024.
Jake Birtwhistle helped Australia to a bronze medal in the mixed relay team triathlon, completing a perfect set of Commonwealth Games medals with first, second, third and fourth-placed finishes from his four races over two Games.
“I’ve got the full set of colours now,” he said. “It’s awesome and I couldn’t be more proud of the team,” he said.
Two days after finishing fourth in the individual triathlon, the Launceston 27-yearold was a surprise choice for the opening leg of the event in which each team member swam 300m, rode 5km and ran 2km.
Sixth after the swim and seventh after the ride, Birtwhistle produced a superb run to hand over to Natalie van Coevorden in third. In the final leg, Sophie Linn brought Australia home behind winners England and three seconds after silver medallist Wales.
Eddie Ockenden, Josh Beltz and their teammates made a strong start to the Kookaburras’ Commonwealth Games campaign with a 12-0 demolition of Scotland in their Pool A opener. Ockenden captained the side which fired in six goals in each half.