TASSIE’S BEST SHINING ON
TASMANIA’S Eddie Ockenden and Josh Beltz have once again steered the Kookaburras to victory at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
The unbeaten Kookaburras continued their strong run of form with a 7-0 defeat of Pakistan to finish the group stage of the tournament as the undeniable favourites for gold.
The Kookaburras will now face England in the semi-final on Saturday while India and South Africa will play in the second semi-final clash.
With the Kookaburras claiming gold at every Commonwealth Games since hockey was introduced in 1998, another gold medal looks set to be added to what’s been one of Australia’s most successful Games.
The gold medal match is scheduled for Monday.
Despite her fifth-place finish, Hobart diver Emily Meaney says being able to compete for her country at the Commonwealth Games was a dream come true.
In her maiden Games, the 25-yearold survived a high-pressure final dive in qualification to reach the 10m individual platform final where she rose to the occasion, recording her best dives to finish as the highest of three Aussies in front of a packed crowd at Sandwell Aquatics Centre.
“I think if you’d told a nine-yearold Em that I was competing in a Commonwealth Games I wouldn’t have believed you,” Meaney said.
“It’s been a massive goal of mine since I was really young so to be here is awesome.”
Meaney began her diving career in Tasmania before moving to Brisbane at age 12 following the state’s diving program being shut down.
“I was about seven or eight when I picked it up at the local aquatic centre and was hooked from then,” Meaney said.
“I was put in the elite program when I was about 10 and when I was 12 unfortunately due to low numbers in Tassie the diving program was shut down.”
After getting a taste of her first Commonwealth Games, the former Fahan School student has her eyes now firmly set on the Olympics.
“I would love to go to Paris in 2024. I have not been to an Olympics so that would be my goal,” Meaney said.
Launceston’s Rebecca Van Asch had her Birmingham medal hopes shattered with the women’s triples lawn bowls team eliminated in the quarter-final while Georgia Baker also missed out on the opportunity at another gold, with the cyclist finishing fourth in the women’s road time trial. The 27-year-old has produced a stellar campaign in Birmingham, winning gold in the team pursuit and the points race but couldn’t make ground after clocking in as the seventh fastest rider at the race’s first time check.
Friday will see our remaining Tasmanian athletes take a well-earned rest day before Jack Hale and Jacob Despard (4x100m heats), Nicola Carey (T20 semi-finals) and Eddie Ockenden and Josh Beltz (hockey semi-finals) compete on Saturday.