England cyclist out of race after late entry at venue
GOLD COAST: While Team England has apologized, I’m still gutted not to have the opportunity to represent my country after all the hard miles I’ve put in. MELISSA LOWTHER, on latecoming
Somebody didn’t check the right boxes, and it cost England cyclist Melissa Lowther the chance to compete at the Commonwealth Games
Lowther was ruled out of the road time trial on Tuesday hours before it began because of an administrative error.
It meant Lowther wasn’t formally entered for the race. Team England lost an appeal to have Lowther included.
The blunder was hard for Lowther to take.
“While Team England has apologized, I’m still gutted not to have the opportunity to represent my country after all the hard miles I’ve put in,” said the 21-year-old Lowther, who will still be eligible to compete in Saturday’s road race.
“I can’t put into words how disappointed I am to have been missed off the start list due to an admin error.”
England’s chef de mission Sarah Winckless apologized to Lowther and the cycling coaches.
“Melissa has trained hard for and focused on this race and it should never be the case that an error on our part prevents an athlete showing what she can do,” Winckless said.
The Commonwealth Games Federation said there had been no chance of the decision being overturned.
“The rules are very strict,” CGF chief executive David Grevemberg said. “England has a very big team. These things happen.”
The women’s race was Tuesday afternoon. In the men’s time trial, Australian Cameron Meyer took gold over the 38.5-kilometer Currumbin course in 48 minutes, 13.04 seconds. He was 30.26 seconds ahead of England’s Harry Tanfield and 32.41 clear of New Zealander Hamish Bond, who took bronze.
THE DAY AFTER
The fastest man and woman at the Commonwealth Games admitted they’d had little sleep since winning their respective 100-meter titles on Monday night. Michelle-Lee Ahye, who won her first gold medal at a major international meet, was awaiting a call from the country’s president, Paula-Mae Weekes. Ahye hoped her high-profile win might help the country’s track and field program receive more government funding.
Akani Simbine, who upset Jamaican Yohan Blake to win the men’s title, was still having a tough time believing his win, 12 hours later. So was his mother, who took the day off work in South Africa to watch the race on TV and who Simbine said had a “next-level smile.”
The morning after Jamaica’s title drought in the Games women’s 100m was extended for at least another four years, Olympic dual sprint champion Elaine Thompson began her campaign on the Gold Coast in the heats of the 200m. Thompson won the 100200 double for Jamaica at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro but is only competing in the 200 here.