GOLDEN NAIL-BITER
‘WINNING GOLD IS BETTER THAN LOOKING AT TEETH ALL DAY LONG’
WINNING a gold medal is a bit more of a thrill than looking at people’s teeth all day and Adelaide dentist Paul Burnett would know — he’s just claimed the Commonwealth Games beach volleyball gold.
“Dentistry is something I’m keeping in my back pocket for now,” he said. “It’s hard to get feelings like this from looking at people’s teeth.”
Burnett watched Chris McHugh win the gold for Australia at the Gold Coast Games from his couch at home, but four years down the track the debutante paired up with the veteran of the sport to win a gold of his own in Birmingham.
By English standards, it was a scorcher for the final – and that’s to say nothing of the action on the court, which ended in a nailbiting third set with match point after match point.
Canada’s Sam Schachter and Daniel Dearing looked strong in the first set, winning 21-17, before Burnett and McHugh turned the tables to win by the same margin in the second.
By the electric third set, it was 40C on the sand.
Not quite Tokyo, where the mercury hit 51C, but hot enough that South African first referee Giovanni Bake succumbed.
He was comforted by both teams, with the score locked at 12-12, as he stepped down for a second referee, New Zealand’s Tim Cleaver.
He oversaw a thrilling back and forth between the teams.
With four match points, Australia had the game in their grasp before it was repeatedly snatched away by the determined Canadians. But eventually, McHugh and Burnett were too good.
They knew before anyone else, seeing up close where the ball had landed on the final match point.
It wasn’t until they started celebrating on court that the crowd realised the ball was out and Australia had secured the victory.
“I was a bit shaky in the start, but Paul was good – he played really well, he served really well,” McHugh said.
“To go back to back, and for him to have his first Commonwealth Games medal – we’re proud and super thankful to everyone at home for their support.”
Aside from everything else, McHugh said he was happy his two children would each have a gold medal from him now.
From the couch to the top of the podium, Burnett said the triumph only made him and McHugh hungry for more – with the pair preparing to qualify for Paris 2024 from January next year.
“We take a lot of confidence from what we’ve done here, we’re looking to build on it and do some damage,” Burnett said.
Canada’s Schacter had a concise take on Australia’s victory, tapping McHugh on the rear as he passed by in the media zone after the match.
“F … ers,” he said good-naturedly.