WorthAussie has the courselong wait edge
— Tom Boswell THE ATHLETICS: last time Australia hosted a Commonwealth Games in 2006, Rebecca Wiasak was a cadet journalist so envious of the competing athletes she took leave from work to cheer them on in Melbourne.
Last night the track cyclist completed a stunning rise in her sport by winning a silver medal on Games debut in the women’s 3km individual pursuit.
She broke the Commonwealth record in qualifying and led Scotland’s Katie Archibald early in their final but faded to miss the gold medal by just 1.5secs in a time of 3mins 27secs.
The bronze medal also went to Australia with Annette Edmondson holding off a brave challenge from teammate Ashlee Ankudinoff by 0.1 of a second with the time of 3: 30.9.
Wiasak’s story is also one of incredible resilience after she was the last rider in the squad cut for both the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games and 2016 Rio Olympics – despite winning back- to- back IP world titles in 2015 and 2016 – and only made her Games debut at the age of 33 this week.
Having finally made the Australian team for the Gold Coast Games, Wiasak was overlooked for a ride in the team pursuit and watched as her male and female teammates stormed to gold in record time on Thursday night.
But yesterday she got her chance in the individual pursuit and left nothing in the tank.
“It was bitterly disappoint- ing to miss out on the team pursuit but you have to draw strength and inspiration from those rides,” Wiasak said.
“Watching it in bed last night trying to rest up for today, I was so emotional for the girls.
“You were in tears seeing them on the podium knowing that could have been you.
“But I’ve been in that position so many times – the final rider cut – so when I was just sitting and waiting today to jump up on the track I said to myself ‘ you’ve been waiting so long for this moment’.
“I was the last rider cut for Glasgow and the fastest individual pursuiter at that point that season, and the last rider cut for Rio so I had to sit at home and watch as the nontravelling reserve so I know disappointment but it’s continued to drive me.”
Australia’s Jordan placed fourth in last 4km men’s pursuit. Kerby night’s ATHLETICS: Queensland farmer Matthew Denny has a homemade throwing circle in a field in Allora – and in the centre sits a solitary tree.
If he ever hits it with a thrown hammer, it will mean Denny, the national hammer throw and discus champion, is ready to unleash a world record in competition.
The 21- year- old believes he can take a medal from both the hammer and discus finals next week.
It’s an entree to, he hopes, one day taking out the Olympic gold medal in both events at the same Games.
Denny is the first Australian in 68 years to compete in the two field events in the same Commonwealth Games, following the not- so- beaten path of Keith Pardon at the 1950 Games, where Pardon won a silver medal in the hammer.
“When we had the circle at home the aim was always to hit the tree. It’s dead centre at 86m,” said Denny, who placed 19th in discus at the Rio Olympics.
“When I was throwing ( lighter) 5kg weights for younger athletes, I was getting the distance but I couldn’t get the accuracy down the middle.
“To begin with there was no cage. There’s a road to the left of us and a couple of times I put it up in the power lines – we have netting there now for safety. “If I ever hit it, I’m in world record shape.” Soviet athlete Yuriy Sedykh’s hammer world record of 86.74m has stood since 1988.
The men’s hammer throw is a straight final tomorrow afternoon. Denny, a pup in international throwing terms, is third in the Commonwealth this year for outdoor throws, recording 74.77m in Brisbane on March 22. — Paul Malone