Richards takes 200m gold after Zharnel disqualified
GOLD COAST: Trinidad and Tobago’s Jereem Richards was handed 200m gold when Zharnel Hughes was disqualified for catching his rival with a flailing arm on a dramatic night of athletics at the Commonwealth Games on Thursday.
There was no controversy in the women’s halflap race as Bahamian Shaunae MillerUibo held off Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson to take the gold in 22.09sec. Olympic champion Elaine Thompson trailed in fourth to miss out on a medal.
Kenya’s Wycliffe Kinyamal held off surging Kyle Langford to win the 800m title in another thrilling finish, while 400m hurdles prodigy Kyron McMaster gave the British Virgin Islands its first Commonwealth Games gold medal in 48.25sec.
Another packed house enjoyed more Australian field success through Kurtis Marschall in the pole vault and Dani Stevens in the women’s discus but for drama, it was hard to beat the penultimate race of the evening on the track.
England’s Hughes won a photofinish by the slimmest of margins — both were awarded times of 20.12 — and had just completed his lap of honour when he was told that he had been scratched from the race for hitting Richards over the last few metres.
Richards was awarded the gold with Canada’s Aaron Brown second, while Northern Ireland’s Leon Reid was elevated to bronze, collapsing to the floor in emotion when he heard the news.
‘‘Coming down the home straight, he was ahead, and when I started to catch him, his hand came across and he hit me,’’ said Richards.
‘‘I think I was strong enough down the straight. I was closing on him really fast but when I got hit, that knocked me back a bit.’’
England appealed the disqualification but it was dismissed. — Reuters