Another big night for Australia; Le Clos
There was yet more gold for Australia on the final night of swimming at the Commonwealth Games, along with personal milestones for South African Chad le Clos and Canadian teenager Taylor Ruck.
Australia added six more gold medals Tuesday: Ariarne Titmus won the women’s 400-metre freestyle, adding to her 800 title, Emily Seebohm took the 50 backstroke, Mitch Larkin the 200 individual medley and Jack McLoughlin the 1,500 ahead of last-lap Australian victories in the medley relays.
Australia finished with 73 swim medals — 28 gold, 21 silver and 24 bronze.
In the only other final on Tuesday, England’s Benjamin Proud won gold in the men’s 50 freestyle.
Titmus, 17, was dominant in her race, winning by 4.5 seconds in 4 minutes, 00.98 seconds. She nearly cost her coach, Dean Boxall, a serious haircut.
“Dean said if I won, he would get his hair in braids, so I’m really excited,” Titmus said. “He said if I went under four minutes, he would shave his head. Maybe we will save that for another time.”
Ahead of Tuesday night’s competition, le Clos won gold in all three butterfly distances — the 50, 100 and 200, and had a silver in the 100 freestyle. Those four medals had increased his career Commonwealth Games total to 16, a record for a swimmer, and two fewer than the record 18 overall held by two shooters.
Le Clos made it 17 when South Africa won bronze in the medley relay.
The 17-year-old Ruck finished with eight medals at these Games, breaking a 52-year-old Canadian women’s record. Canadian Elaine Tanner won seven medals (four gold and three silver) at the 1966 edition in Kingston, Jamaica.
Ruck had one gold, five silver and two bronze medals on the Gold Coast, picking up her eighth medal on Tuesday night when Canada finished second in the medley relay.
Games officials also said that Ruck’s eight medals equaled a single games record, in all sports. Australian swimmer Susie O’Neill and Seebohm had done it previously.
Meanwhile, Heena Sidhu picked up India’s third gold medal in shooting at the ongoing Commonwealth Games, finishing on top in the women’s 25m pistol event and also breaking a Games record in the process, in Gold Coast on Tuesday.
The 28-year-old Sidhu shot a final score of 38, two of the series being perfect fives, to claim the top honours ahead of Australian Elena Galiabovitch (35).
The bronze medal went to Malaysia’s Alia Azahari (26). This was Sidhu’s second medal at the ongoing Games after having claimed a silver in the 10m air pistol event behind 16-year-old compatriot Manu Bhaker. Incidentally, this is her first major medal in the 25m pistol event with most of her other podium finishes being in 10m air pistol.
“I am exhausted, those are my thoughts on today’s (Tuesday’s) performance,” Sidhu quipped while speaking to PTI after her gold.
Annuraj Singh finished sixth after being eliminated in the second stage of the same event. Her final score was a disappointing 15.
Sidhu, however, was in terrific form after qualifying third with a score of 579 despite admitting to struggling with her trigger finger owing to a nerve problem.
“Thankfully, my trigger which has been giving me some trouble because of a tingling sensation was alright today. I didn’t feel that tingling too much,” Sidhu said.