GEM’S A CUT ABOVE THE REST

World champ Gemili is ready to shine on the Gold Coast

IN his last major race Adam Gemili beat Usain Bolt to become a world champion.

A packed Olympic Stadium acclaimed Britain’s sprint relay quartet and Gemili could not imagine life getting any better.

Eight months on and he is at the Commonwealth Games, an event lacking the prestige of London’s global spectacular.

Many ask whether these Games retain any relevance or are just a relic of Britain’s colonial past.

But not Australia, a nation desperate for honest sporting success to erase their cricket shame.

And not Gemili, 24, who warmed up for his tilt at the 100 metres crown by insisting this title absolutely matters to him. “I’m not a young athlete any more,” he said. “I’m not coming into championships to make up the numbers or fill the lanes.

“It’s not about making the final, you have to be challenging for medals in your career. That’s what you are judged on. So I’m here to get a medal, I’m here to win.

“Winning the relay last year was fantastic, but athletes should always look to compete as an individual first.”

In Glasgow four years ago England topped the medal table for the first time since 1986. It is a feat they have yet to achieve in the southern hemisphere, but a 390-strong team gives them a fighting chance.

But the Aussies are wounded, bent on redemption.

“Cricket has damaged our national standing, but the Commonwealth Games will restore it, very simply,” said Games boss Peter Beattie.