Gold snatched from his grasp
Laugher on course for a hat-trick
A-game. To run a 22.2 in April, I am super happy. You want to win, but I’m delighted with that.”
Kyle Langford, meanwhile, bettered his 800m personal best with a surging finish to grab silver in 1min 45.16secs.
“With 200m to go I felt absolutely awesome, but I got stuck in a bit of traffic. Then they started to die,” said Langford, who was fended off by Kenyan Wycliffe Kinyamal.
“Every training session and run I envisage myself winning gold, so to come up short is gutting, but as an athlete you either win or you learn. By the Tokyo Olympics AT THE Nerang Mountain Bike Trails yesterday, Annie Last never trailed. She also contradicted her surname by conquering the rocky inclines and tricky descents to win a first gold for England in women’s mountain biking.
Eighth at London 2012 and fourth at Glasgow 2014, Last upgraded in stellar fashion here as the 27-year-old negotiated a tight cross-country course over 78 minutes.
“The race went really smoothly. My legs were good and it all just came together,” said Last, who last year became the first British woman to win a World Cup race.
Rising 21-year-old star Evie Richards crossed the line 48 seconds later to confirm an England it’s definitely going to be gold.” England’s Paralympic and world champion Sophie Hahn won the T38 100m gold with Wales’ Olivia Breen finishing third in 13.35.
There were also bronze medals for Shara Proctor in the long jump and Luke Cutts in the pole vault.
England’s Katarina JohnsonThompson should add another gold in the heptathlon today after ending a roller-coaster first day with a lead of 126 points.
She led after two rounds but dropped to third after a poor shot, only to regain the advantage after storming the 200m in 23.56secs. one-two and end Canada’s monopoly of the event.
On a tight course, Last decided to keep out in front, with Richards for company.
“I wanted to start out in the mix because a lot of it is single track, it’s hard to pass people,” said Last. “I wanted to see how everyone was going and pace myself. I didn’t mean to get out in the front so early.”
While her rivals were forced to step off the pedals as the Nerang rockery took hold, it proved no match for a controlled Last. “If you get it right, it’s smooth sailing and easy,” she said.
Richards, the Under-23 cyclo-cross world champion, admitted she was a “shaky nervous mess” at the start. “I made a few stupid mistakes but I was able to hold on and fix them,” she said. JACK LAUGHER sealed his second gold of the Games yesterday – and then watched girlfriend Lois Toulson win platform bronze.
Just 24 hours after winning the 1m springboard, the 23-year-old dominated his rivals to win the 3m event.
Laugher, below, was so far ahead going into the sixth and final dive that a medal had already been secured.
And he is not done yet – he competes with Chris Mears in today’s 3m synchro as they look to add the Commonwealth title to their Olympic success in Rio.
Laugher has been struggling with injuries but is hitting form ahead of the World Series and the European Championships in Glasgow this summer.
“I’m still behind where I need to be, so that score is brilliant and there’s still more in there,” he said. “I had a pretty dreadful fifth dive in qualifying so to go from that to leading from start to finish means so much.”
Npower is the Official Partner of Team England, visit npower. com/teamengland