Gold medal for King, silver to Coll
GOLD COAST: Kiwi squash star Joelle King has earned 2018 Commonwealth Games gold, but fellow Kiwi Paul Coll was forced to settle for silver.
World No.4 King beat Englishwoman SarahJane Perry 1614 118 611 1113 118 last night in the women’s singles, dominating the clutch moments.
She took a 50 decidinggame lead and, with the energetic Perry breathing down her neck, took three straight points to win the game 118.
But in the men’s singles final, Coll couldn’t repeat King’s heroics, outclassed 119 114 116 by veteran Englishman James Willstrop.
Greymouthborn Coll was never in the hunt, appearing spent after his five game heroics in Sunday’s semifinal win over Wales’ Joel Makin.
King’s win meant she had won her first Games singles gold medal, after taking bronze at the 2014 Glasgow Games and a gold in the 2010 women’s doubles.
But she will have to wait until Birmingham 2022 for another singles crack.
‘‘It’s been quite a week,’’ said 29yearold King.
‘‘I’m just really over the moon, it was such a tough battle.
‘‘She never went away — we played all through juniors and she’s a hell of a player, [but] I think we put on some good squash tonight.’’
King pushed Perry around the court intelligently from beginning to end and outwitted the world No 8 in the early stages.
She raced out to a twogame lead before losing her touch in the third to go down 116, before a protracted fourth game armwrestle.
Down 73 in the fourth, King raced back to earn a 97 lead, followed by a gold medal point at 109 — only to lose the game.
Perry (27) took all the momentum into the fifth game but King kept the calmer head. She earned her lead, kept focused and took out the win.
King had also beaten Perry in their two previous matchups. .—AAP