MULTI-TALENTED AND STILL THE GOLDEN GIRLS
AUSTRALIA Gold claimed overall honours at the Gold Coast MultiNations bowls event yesterday on the back of a three gold medal performance by their women players.
All five women walked away with a gold medal around their neck, or in Karen Murphy and Lynsey Clarke’s case, two gold medals.
The duo recorded their first gold alongside each other in the women’s pairs, where they defeated Scotland 21-5 more than a decade after they united for success at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
Murphy backed up her performance yesterday afternoon in the women’s singles, where she beat New Zealand’s fellow multiple world champion Jo Edwards 21-14.
The remainder of the women’s players notched gold in the women’s fours, where Clarke leading for Bolivia Millerick, Natasha Ryan and Kelsey Cottrell upstaged their Australian Green rivals by one shot on an extra end, 12-11. The Australia Gold men’s triples and fours teams fell at the final hurdle of their gold medal encounters, losing to Australia Green and the Kiwis respectively. The Australian Gold team finished on 37 points after claiming three gold, two silver and two bronze medals. They were three points ahead of Australia Green, who ended up with three gold, one silver and three bronze. In a stunning performance, Australia lost only one game to another country on the final day of the sevennation event, in the men’s fours, where New Zealand beat Australia Gold. Australia also enjoyed success in the para-sport section, which was a qualifying event for the Commonwealth Games.