Day summary
- Eilish McColgan won gold in the women’s 10,000m, emulating her mother Liz.
- Katarina Johnson-Thompson took gold in the women’s heptathlon.
- Elaine Thompson-Herah won gold in the women’s 100m. Ferdinand Omanyala of Kenya won the men’s 100m.
- In the pool, Duncan Scott won the 4x100m individual medley, while Ben Proud took gold in the 50m freestyle. There was more gold too for Australia’s Ariarne Titmus.
- England’s Emily Campbell took gold in the women’s 87kg+ weightlifting, setting a Commonwealth Games record in the process.
- Evie Richards won women’s mountain biking gold for England, while New Zealand’s Sam Gaze defended his men’s cross-country cycling title.
- Emma Reid and Jamal Petgrave won judo gold, as did Scotland’s Sarah Adlington, while Wales’s Natalie Powell picked up a silver.
- England cricket captain Heather Knight is out of the Games with a hip injury.
- And here’s the medal table.
That’s it from me, thanks for your emails and tweets. Be sure to stick around on site for further reports and join us again tomorrow for more live action, but for now cheerio!
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Here’s one of the gold winners this evening, Katarina Johnson-Thompson, speaking to the BBC: “It feels amazing, I’ve had a tough couple of years so I hope this is the start of my next new career.”
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Gold for Elaine Thompson-Herah in the women's 100m
Athletics: It’s gold for the favourite. Elaine Thompson-Herah cruises clear to win it. Julien Alfred got silver, with Neita picking up bronze. Neita will be kicking herself though – she got a horrible start and Thompson-Herah’s winning time was slower than Neita’s semi-final time.
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Athletics: So here comes the women’s 100m. It’s Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson-Herah v England’s Daryll Neita for gold, though surely Thompson-Herah has been holding something back in the competition so far. Julien Alfred of St Lucia should also be in the mix for a medal.
Athletics: Aled Davies has bagged gold in the men’s F42-44/61-64 discus. There was a lovely moment as Sri Lanka’s Palitha Halgahawela Gedara, who won silver, ran over to his compatriot Abeykoon and the pair embraced.
Omanyala bags the gold but the bigger story is Yupun Abeykoon clinching the 100m bronze! Abeykoon has won Sri Lanka's first athletics medal in 24 years. 🇱🇰
— Shyam Vasudevan (@JesuisShyam) August 3, 2022
He was able to participate at #CWG2022 after the SL cricket team helped fund the contingent amidst the economic crisis. pic.twitter.com/sfSSzUMaGA
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Athletics: 10.02sec was the winning time, with clear daylight between Omanyala and the rest. Mitchell-Blake limped home after picking up an injury, while Wales’s Jeremiah Azu was just 0.05sec outside the medals in fifth.
Ferdinand Omanyala wins men's 100m gold
Athletics: Ferdinand Omanyala, the reigning African champion, powers away to win it for Kenya! Akani Simbine of South Africa took silver, with Yupun Abeykoon of Sri Lanka the bronze. But it’s disappointment for Australia’s Rohan Browning, who finishes in sixth place, 0.06 seconds off a bronze medal.
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Athletics: The men emerge for the 100m final. England’s Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake gets a huge roar as he emerges from the tunnel.
Athletics: Back to the track where Australia’s Evan O’Hanlon has stormed to gold in the men’s T37/38 100m final.
Swimming: And that’s that for the action in the pool – the swimming action at least – for this Commonwealth Games.
Swimming: In the women’s 4x100m relay medley it’s gold for Australia, silver for Canada and bronze for England.
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Athletics: We’ve still got the men’s and women’s 100m finals to come but this is surely the story of the night on the track: what a run it was.
36 years apart. Mother and Daughter. Liz and Eilish.
— Birmingham 2022 (@birminghamcg22) August 3, 2022
Edinburgh 1986 x Birmingham 2022
Two home Commonwealth Games to remember. One incredible story🙌 @team_scotland / @EilishMccolgan
#CommonwealthGames pic.twitter.com/RdyCM8KtdU
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Athletics: Hamish Kerr has won gold for New Zealand in the men’s high jump.
Swimming: Back to the pool and the final two events: the men’s and women’s 4x100m relay finals. The men are first up … and it’s a terrific race, with England, Australia and Scotland battling it out up front. It’s neck and neck down the final straight between England and Australia … and England and Tom Dean, ending his run of silvers, win the gold!
Athletics: O’Connor hung on to silver for Northern Ireland, while England’s Jade O’Dowda picked up the bronze.
Gold for Katarina Johnson-Thompson in the heptathlon
Athletics: KJT stays on the shoulder of O’Connor for a while then eases past on the second lap. O’Connor fights back but Johnson-Thompson could have walked the final 50m and still picked up gold.
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Athletics: Time for the final event of the women’s heptathlon. Katarina Johnson-Thompson has a 136-point lead over Northern Ireland Kate O’Connor – that works out at about eight seconds over the 800m, so this should be a done deal really.
Swimming: Back in the pool, Ariarne Titmus has won the women’s 400m freestyle. It’s her seventh Commonwealth gold, in addition to two Olympic golds and two world titles. And she’s just 21.
Athletics: I think readers in the UK should be able to watch that final 200m from McColgan here:
Eilish McColgan has done it! The Scot has secured her first major title! 🎉
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) August 3, 2022
A games record, a gold medal & the Commonwealth title - what a performance! 🥇#BBCCWG #BBCAthletics pic.twitter.com/GASpo9qMYE
Athletics: New Zealand’s Hamish Kerr and Australia’s Brandon Starc have both gone clear at 2.25m in the men’s high jump. Tejaswin Shankar (India), Donald Thomas (Bahamas) and Joel Clarke-Khan (England) are also still in the hunt.
Swimming: While that was all going on, Australia’s Sam Short did indeed win the 1500m freestyle in the pool. Daniel Wiffen of Northern Ireland picked up the silver.
Athletics: What a run that was! Eilish, wrapped in a Saltire, runs to the crowd to hug her mum. They both look absolutely chuffed, as they should.
Athletics🎽 - A mother and child reunion for Scotland's most recent 🥇 in athletics at Commonwealth Games
— Gracenote Olympic (@GracenoteGold) August 3, 2022
2022 - 10000m - Eilish McColgan🏴 (👩👧)
1994 - 10000m - Yvonne Murray🏴
1990 - 10000m - Liz McColgan🏴 (👩👧)
1986 - 10000m - Liz McColgan🏴 (👩👧)#Birmingham2022 #CWG2022
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McColgan wins 10,000m gold!
Athletics: The pair are shoulder to shoulder as they come round the final bend, so it’s all on the kick down the final straight. Kiprotich kicks first but McColgan digs in, then powers past over the final 60m. She has emulated her mum Liz, who won Commonwealth gold in 1986 and 1990.
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Athletics: There’s the bell! One lap to go.
Athletics: Kiprotich has picked up an injury and drops back so it’s a two-horse race over two laps: McColgan v Cheptai.
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Athletics: Four laps to go in the 10,000m and it’s as-you-were. It’s a three-horse race over the final 1,600m.
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Athletics: That move from the Kenyan pair has cut the lead group down further. Only McColgan is able to live with the pace, with England’s Jess Judd and Uganda’s Stella Chesang, the defending champion, losing touch.
Athletics: McColgan’s pace has whittled the lead group down to six in the women’s 10,000m. The two Kenyans, Irine Cheptai and Sheila Kiprotich, have taken over at the front.
Swimming: Another distance event – the men’s 1500m freestyle – is next up in the pool. Australia’s Sam Short was the fastest qualifier by more than 20 seconds.
Athletics: The pack is down to eight athletes in the 10,000m as we head towards the halfway stage.
Athletics: We’re down to the last six in the men’s high jump. Australia’s Brandon Starc, fresh from being the Three Eyed Raven and the King of Westeros, is the latest to clear 2.19m.
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Athletics: A very, very gentle first few laps in the 10,000m. McColgan is setting the pace but the pack is tightly bunched behind her.
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Athletics: The women’s 10,000m is next on the track. Scotland’s Eilish McColgan has every chance in this one.
Swimming: The women’s 50m backstroke final is next up in the pool. The entire field is in a line as they enter the final 10 metres and Canada’s Kylie Masse just gets the nod for gold.
Athletics: So the women’s 100m final on the track has been lined up – Neita was comfortably the fastest through, her 10.90sec a personal best. The final is at 9.45pm BST.
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Ben Proud wins 50m freestyle gold
Swimming: Proud dominates the race to take gold, while England’s Lewis Burras takes the silver.
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Athletics: Over on the track England’s Daryll Neita has stormed into the women’s 100m final.
Swimming: Back in the pool it’s the men’s 50m freestyle final next up, the fastest event in water (you know, without using a boat or paddle of some sort). England’s Ben Proud is the favourite for gold.
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Athletics: Elaine Thompson-Herah cruises through her 100m semi-final, coasting from the 50m mark.
Athletics: Katarina Johnson-Thompson has just set a lifetime best of 44.33m in the javelin. She has held on to the lead through one of her weakest events – just the 800m to come later on.
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Athletics: The men’s 100m semi-finals have been completed during that flurry of action in the pool. Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala is the fastest qualifier, with Wales’s Jeremiah Azu and England’s Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake also into the showpiece.
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Swimming: Canada’s Nicholas Bennett, just 18, takes gold in the men’s S14 200m freestyle, with Australia picking up silver and bronze. England’s Reece Dunn, a Paralympic champion last year, was down in fifth.
Squash: It’s gold for Georgina Kennedy in the women’s singles – she holds off Hollie Naughton to win 3-1, a terrific result for the 25-year-old from Beckenham.
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Swimming: Firth takes the gold for Northern Ireland. Jessica-Jane Applegate picks up silver for England.
Swimming: The women’s S14 200m freestyle has just started. Bethany Firth, a gold medal winner at the Paralympics last year, is aiming to win Northern Ireland’s first gold of the Games in the pool.
Athletics: Katarina Johnson-Thompson, with a narrow lead going into the final two events of the heptathlon, has slung her javelin out to 36.19m with her first attempt.
Swimming: Dean now has a slightly ridiculous six silvers from these Games – he was just 0.13sec off the gold.
Duncan Scott wins gold!
Swimming: Scott holds on by a whisker to beat Dean into silver, with New Zealand’s Lewis Clareburt taking bronze.
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Swimming: First up as we turn our attention to the day’s main events in the pool and on the track, it’s the men’s 200m individual medley final. Scotland’s Duncan Scott and England’s Tom Dean, both Olympic champions, are the favourites and emerge into a febrile atmosphere at the Sandwell Aquatics Centre.
Gold for Scotland's Sarah Adlington in judo
Judo: With the final minute approaching, Adlington scores an ippon and takes the gold! There are emotional scenes as she picks up her second Commonwealth medal.
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Judo: The 35-year-old Adlington made her Commonwealth Games debut back in 2014, when she won gold. She’s fallen behind here, though, with 90 seconds left on the clock.
Judo: Sarah Adlington gets a huge ovation as she emerges into the Coventry Arena. She faces Tulika Maan in the women’s +78kg gold medal match.
Squash: Georgina Kennedy has won the first game of her gold medal match against Canada’s Hollie Naughton.
Still to come this evening:
- Now Judo – Scotland’s Sarah Adlington goes for gold.
- Now Squash – singles gold medal matches, featuring England’s Georgina Kennedy in the women’s and Wales’s Joel Makin in the men’s.
- 7pm Athletics – a big night of track and field featuring KJT and the men’s and women’s 100m finals.
- 7pm Swimming – the final session in the swimming pool featuring a plethora (El Guapo!) of top talent including Australia’s Ariarne Titmus.
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Summary so far
It’s been a busy old Wednesday:
- England’s Emily Campbell took gold in the women’s 87kg+ weightlifting, setting a Commonwealth Games record in the process.
- Evie Richards won women’s mountain biking gold for England, while New Zealand’s Sam Gaze defended his men’s cross-country cycling title.
- Emma Reid and Jamal Petgrave have won judo gold, while Wales’s Natalie Powell picked up a silver. Scotland’s Sarah Adlington goes for gold soon.
- England cricket captain Heather Knight is out of the Games with a hip injury.
- And here’s the medal table.
Hello again everyone. Kyle Reyes’s efforts in defeating Arnie in the original Terminator film have caught up with him and he has to settle for silver. Shady Elnahas stands up to take the gold.
Very touching moments in a post-match interview with Ghosal, who used to be coached by his defeated opponent’s late father, Malcolm Willstrop. “He’s made me the player I am,” says the bronze medallist.
With that, John is back refreshed to take you through some more JUDO JUDO JUDO.
Squash: Ghosal is bouncing around the University of Birmingham arena, having left a deflated-looking Willstrop in his wake, cantering to the bronze medal – India’s first medal in singles at the Commonwealth Games. He took the match 3-0: 11-6, 11-1, 11-4.
Judo: Lovell-Hewitt takes charge against Ozcicek-Takagi, putting his opponent on the back foot. The Australian can’t help but rack up three shido penalties, which all appeared to be for naughty gripping within Lovell-Hewitt’s sleeve to try and restrict the scope of his attacks. That adds up to a disqualification, which is a damp squib of a way to lose a medal, but hey that’s judo.
Squash: Willstrop is well down in the third game against Ghosal. Looks only a matter of time for this one, with the English player looking unlikely to add to his Commonwealth Games haul here. The Indian is visibly snappier into his shots, and appears much fresher around the court.
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Judo: As always amid the multi-sport mayhem, the judo action keeps on coming – next up … Kayhan Ozcicek-Takagi of Australia v England’s Harry Lovell-Hewitt in the other -100kg bronze medal match.
Judo: Even early stages between Takayawa and Thompson … but the Englishman takes the initiative, the win and the bronze medal with ippon via a splendid hip throw.
Greetings all and cheers Mr Ashdown. In the squash, England’s Willstrop is struggling against India’s Ghosal – he’s already two games down, trailing 11-6, 11-1 in the best-of-five game match.
More judo medal bouts are on the way. Next up: Tevita Takayawa of Fiji takes on England’s Rhys Thompson in the bronze medal affair in the -100kg category.
Stuart Goodwin will be your guide for the next short bit, while I pop for a cuppa.
Gold for Emma Reid in women’s -78kg judo
Judo: Next up it’s the gold medal match in the women’s -78kg competition: Wales’s Natalie Powell v England Emma Reid. Reid takes the lead against Powell, the reigning champion, and clings on to her slender advantage, looking to run down the clock. Powell is the aggressor but can’t quite get the points she needs to turn things around … and Reid hangs on to spring an upset!
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Judo: Scotland’s Rachel Tytler is taking on Canada’s Coralie Godbout for a bronze in the women’s -78kg competition. And she seals a very swift victory to take the medal. That was over in the blink of an eye.
Gold for Jamal Petgrave in the men's -90kg judo
Judo: Jamal Petgrave picks up England’s fourth judo gold of the Games with a cagey victory over Feuillet.
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Squash: Next up on court is the men’s bronze medal match: India’s Saurav Ghosal against England’s James Willstrop (occasionally of this parish).
Squash: It’s all over and Sarah-Jane Perry has nabbed a bronze for England, after being two games down. The player from just down the road in Warwick storms into the crowd to celebrate, and picks up her son for a cuddle. Great scenes.
Judo: Elsewhere, England’s Jamal Petgrave is in gold medal action in the men’s -90kg final. Mauritius’s Remi Feuillet is his opponent.
Squash: Perry earns herself a match point but can’t close the deal and we’re back to 12-12.
Squash: Another match point for the New Zealander … and another epic rally that ends with a let as the players collide again. But Perry saves it again to take us to 11-11.
Squash: Perry saves match point at 10-9! It’s 10-10 in the last, with victory needing to be secured by two points.
Squash: There’ll be judo contests later this afternoon less physical and aggressive than this final set. With the score at 8-7, a remarkably long rally leaves both players on the deck as King runs into the back of Perry. Despite the intensity there’s a helping hand from the New Zealander as the pair get back to their feet.
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Squash: It’s 6-6 in the decider between Perry and King. There aren’t many sports that look more like medieval torture than squash, to my mind. It’s exhausting just to watch.
Squash: There’s a thrilling bronze-medal match in progress in the women’s singles. New Zealand’s Joelle King went 2-0 up in the first-to-three contest, but England’s Sarah-Jane Perry has won the next two and we’re into a decider.
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Cricket: Some disappointing news from the England camp: Heather Knight out of Commonwealth Games, and also the forthcoming Hundred, due to her hip injury.
Right, so after all that excitement what’s next? I’ll tell you what’s next, it’s this gallery of the day’s best images from Birmingham:
Weightlifting: Campbell gets some warm congratulations from Precious McKenzie, mentioned by my colleague David Tindall earlier. It’s quite an image backstage at the NEC – the 86-year-old McKenzie is 4ft 9in (at least, according to The Internet he is) and has to reach quite a distance to give Campbell a congratulatory pat on the shoulder.
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Weightlifting: Campbell aims for a PB at 162kg … and nails it, of course she does. What a fantastic performance. She swings her weight belt around her head (echoes of the Ultimate Warrior at SummerSlam 89, wrestle fans) and the NEC erupts in celebration. Her final score of 286kg is three kilograms heavier than her Olympic score last year.
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Weightlifting: Campbell, England’s flagbearer at the opening ceremony (always feels like that must add a bit of extra pressure when it comes to actually competing), hoists 157kg with aplomb. One attempt to go before she can concentrate on the celebrations.
Gold for Emily Campbell in the women's weightlifting!
Weightlifting: Stowers fails with her first attempt at 152kg … and with her second. That confirms gold for Campbell! She’s already broken the Games record so she’ll carry on to see how far she can go.
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Weightlifting: Stowers, the defending champion, actually comes in at 147kg and just gets it up. Campbell has opted to come in at 152kg … and pops it above her head like she’s lifting a couple of pints of milk. That keeps her in the box seat.
Weightlifting: Australia’s Charisma Amoe Tarrant has bagged the bronze, so the competition now comes down to Campbell and Stowers. Amoe Tarrant’s biggest lift was 139kg – the top two aren’t even entering the competition until 150kg.
Weightlifting: While we’re talking weighlifting, here’s a fascinating piece with Bangladesh’s Mabia Aktar from my colleague Jessica Murray.
Weightlifting: The athlete in bronze position after the snatch competition, Kuinini Manumua of Tonga, enters the clean and jerk at 121kg and looks fairly untroubled by the weight (if you can look untroubled while hoisting a large reindeer above your head). Campbell and Stowers are yet to enter the fray.
Weightlifting: Huge cheers in the NEC Arena for Malta’s Elisia Scicluna as she nails 105kg in the clean and jerk. She’ll finish last in this final but looks delighted with her effort, as well she should.
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Weightlifting: Campbell lifted two kilograms more in the snatch today than she did in Tokyo last year on her way to a silver, the first ever Olympic medal for a British female weightlifter. She hit 161kg in the clean-and-jerk in Tokyo – she starts with 155kg today. Here’s an interview we did with her back in December:
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Evie Richards takes mountain bike gold
England’s Richards takes gold at Cannock Chase, Cuthbert rolls in 47 seconds later for silver and Lill celebrates gold. What a moment for Richards after such a miserable season.
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Weightlifting: Emily Campbell has made a strong (ahem) start in the women’s 87kg+ final. After the snatch half of the competition she is three kilograms ahead of her nearest rival, Samoa’s Feagaiga Stowers, with a Games record lift of 124kg. A huge ovation echoes around the arena after her third and final successful lift.
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Cross-country cycling: Richards completes the sixth of her seven laps and she has recovered well from that minor scare. Richards’ lead over Zoe Cuthbert, now clear in second, is back up to 41 seconds.
Cross-country cycling: Yikes! Richards is close to crashing on the grass section at the end of lap five. The gap back to Cuthbert and Lill (Isla Short having fallen away a touch) comes down to 26 seconds as a result. Two laps to go.
Weightlifting: The women’s 87kg+ final is about to get under way, half an hour later than scheduled. England’s Emily Campbell, Tokyo 2020 silver medal winner, is the favourite.
Cross-country cycling: This is a seriously impressive ride from Richards – her lead has reached 40 seconds at the end of the third lap. She’s had a miserable time of it with injury – a back problem has been a constant (and literal) pain – and she contracted Covid last month. But Ricahrds – who grew up in Malvern, barely 50 miles away from today’s course – looks the class of the field today and is all set to add Commonwealth gold to the world championship already on her palmares.
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Cross-country cycling: Two laps into the seven-lap race England’s Evie Richards has extended her lead out over 30 seconds. She’ll take gold if she stays upright and the bike behaves itself. The battle for silver and bronze is a triple header between Isla Short (Sco), Zoe Cuthbert (Aus) and Candice Lill (SA).
Cricket: Australia have comfortably beaten Pakistan by 44 runs. That seals their spot in the semi-finals.
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Cross-country cycling: England’s Evie Richards is tearing things up over at Cannock Chase Forest. She’s opened up a 13 second lead over Scotland’s Isla Short in second.
Thanks David and hello everyone. Can anyone else not hear the word plethora without thinking of the Three Amigos? “Yes El Guapo! You have a plethora …” Anyway, here’s what’s coming up this afternoon and evening (all times BST):
Now Cross-country cycling
Now Weightlifting finals
4pm Squash finals
5pm Judo finals
7pm Athletics, featuring KJT and the men’s and women’s 100m finals
7pm Swimming, featuring a plethora (El Guapo!) of top talent including Australia’s Ariarne Titmus
They’re underway in the women’s cross-country cycling - just eight riders taking part - and for coverage of that and a plethora of other sports I’ll hand you over to John Ashdown.
A quick round-up of the highlights so far...
- England’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson has a 122-point lead heading into the final two events (javelin and 800m) of the heptathlon later this evening.
- Victoria Ohuruogu of England was the fastest qualifier in the women’s 400m heats.
- Wolverhampton local, Matthew Hudson-Smith, a bronze medallist in last month’s world championships, won his heat to qualify for the semis of the men’s 400m.
- New Zealand’s Sam Gaze defended his men’s cross-country cycling title.
- Weightlifter Junior Periclex Ngadja Nyabeyeu of Cameroon won the first gold medal of the day after taking victory in the men’s 109kg category.
Swimming: The BBC now showing some morning highlights from the pool.
England’s Tom Dean and Scotland’s Duncan Scott also resume their fierce but friendly rivalry in the final of the men’s 200m Individual Medley this evening (7.07pm). However, Brendon Smith of Australia was quickest in qualification.
In the men’s 4x100 medley relay, Australia qualified fastest in front of England and Scotland.
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Women’s cross-country cycling: There won’t be a New Zealand rider wining gold in the women’s event which starts at 2pm. That’s not a wild/snotty prediction from me; there aren’t any Kiwis in it.
If I’m reading this right, only eight riders are taking part. They include Evie Richards of England and Scotland’s Isla Short. Jersey duo Emily Bridson and Lisa Mansell also go for glory.
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Women’s T20 cricket: Pakistan now 60-5 in the 13th over as they try and chase down Australia’s total of 160-2. Looking very unlikely it has to be said.
Men’s 400m: A round-up of those seven heats and Muzala Samukonga does indeed qualify fastest for the semis in 44.89sec. No prizes for that although the PB is nice. Jamaican duo Nathon Allen and Anthony Cox are second and third quickest in 45.18 and 45.51 respectively and those two could be the biggest threats to Matthew Hudson-Smith.
Athletics men’s 400m heats: An easy qualification for local hero Matthew Hudson-Smith, a bronze medallist at the world championships last month. The Englishman wins his heat in 46.26sec. Dube Amene of Nigeria and Joe Brier of Wales bank the other two qualification spots.
Hudson Smith, from nearby Wolverhampton, says: “I’ve been [running] here since I was 10 years old. I know the lay of the land. I’d be a fool if I didn’t feel confident. I’ve come to win.”
There’s what BBC commentator Andrew Cotter calls “youthful exuberance” as 19-year-old Muzala Samukonga of Zambia runs his heat as if it’s the final, collapsing in a heap after straining every sinew to win in a PB of 44.89sec. It’s a good time but he still has the semis and final to run!
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Thanks Martin. You’ve caught me googling Precious McKenzie. Must be the fact that the two golds awarded so far have been a weightlifting one and another won by a New Zealander.
McKenzie won Commonwealth titles representing both England and New Zealand. And, of course, he was namechecked by Half Man Half Biscuit.
“Precious McKenzie, boy I remember you well
Gob full of tapioca, I would sit and I’d watch you excel...
Men’s cross-country cycling: The bronze medal goes to Alex Miller of Namibia, a stunning achievement for the 21-year-old who made a late attack to pass Blackmore and Orr who had been in a group contesting third place for most of the race but both finish empty-handed.
And now I will hand you back to David Tindall. I’ll see you tomorrow.
Gold for Samuel Gaze of New Zealand in the men's cross-country cycling!
Men’s cross-country cycling: Samuel Gaze of New Zealand, pre-race favourite as soon as his team-mate Anton Cooper dropped out with a positive Covid test, is nailed on for gold unless he falls off his bike. Which, now I’ve mentioned it, is a distinct possibility if my previous coverage of this race is anything to go by …
But he doesn’t.
He crosses the line and wins!
It is going to be a New Zealand one-two with Ben Oliver set for silver.
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Men’s cross-country cycling: Miller looks to have secured bronze here with an attack on the last lap.
Men’s cross-country cycling: They are on the last lap here, and Miller of Namibia has staged a brilliant late attack and has bridged the gap to Orr and Blackmore, four seconds separate them and there is just one bronze medal available. The New Zealand pair still lead, Samuel Gaze is still in pole position for gold.
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Women’s hockey: It looks like my “live” stream of Canada and India was a little bit behind, and I can confirm that India have indeed won that match 3-2, which means they progress at Canada’s expense. It was becoming a very niggly affair with several lengthy video reviews, none of which were being helped by me shouting my scant knowledge of the rules of the game at the telly. England and India progress from Pool A. Canada rue their luck.
Athletics men’s 400m: There are a series of heats for this event going on on the athletics stadium, with people taking it pretty easy to be honest on their way into the semi-finals. The top three from each heat qualify. Grenada’s Michael Francois has been an exception to the rule, putting in a personal best to finish third in the third heat and progress.
Men’s cross-country cycling: Sam Gaze has opened up a 25 second lead now over teammate Ben Oliver as they grind their way towards this one-two. Orr has edged in front of Blackmore. They are 1:25 behind.
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Women’s T20 cricket: Australia posted a total of 160-2 for their innings in their match against Pakistan. The latter have nothing to play for but pride, and they are currently one wicket down for no runs after four balls.
Women’s hockey: This vital match between Canada and India is tightly poised still at 2-2 as they approach the end of the third quarter.
Men’s cross-country cycling: I regret to report that the curse of the live blogger has struck, and having described this race as a bit boring, Scotland’s Charlie Aldridge promptly lost control of his bike, had a brief fall, but he’s managed to knacker his bike in the process, and he is currently trying to effect running repairs so that he can at least freewheel where possible down to the tech area. He’s out of contention.
So, we should still be on for a New Zealand one-two, but bronze looks to be between Joseph Blackmore of England and Cameron Orr of Northern Ireland. At times Orr was appearing to struggle to hang in the group of three, so you would back the Englishman here.
And then at the front, Samuel Gaze has struck out, leaving Ben Oliver behind. Oliver will probably have to be content with silver. But now Oliver is alone, and Blackmore and Orr could be working together …
Gold for Cameroon’s Junior Periclex Ngadja Nyabeye in the weightlifting
Weightlifting: Cameroon’s Junior Periclex Ngadja Nyabeyeu has taken the -109kg Commonwealth Games title in the weightlifting, with a combined total of 361kg, which I always think sounds like a lot of things to lift. That is, I think I am right in saying, Cameroon’s first medal in Birmingham.
Hitile Opeloge of Samoa came second, with India’s Singh Lovepreet.
Men’s cross-country cycling: Don’t say it too loudly, but this race hasn’t actually been as exciting as I thought it would be, such is the domination of New Zealand’s Samuel Gaze and Ben Oliver, who are now just about a minute ahead of the chasing group, as we have gone past the halfway mark.
Aldridge, Blackmore and Orr, representing three of the home nations, are still bunched together. But they are neither working well enough together to close the gap, nor working well enough individually to stage their own solo attempt to secure the medal. It is a bit of a stalemate.
Women’s hockey: Earlier today Australia secured a semi-final berth and broke Scottish hearts with a 2-0 victory that dashed Scotland’s hopes of progressing from Pool B.
Currently India are leading Canada 2-1 in Pool A, as they are approaching half-time. England are already through from this group with three wins from three. India must win today if they are to progress, as both Canada and India have won two and lost one so far, but Canada have the superior goal difference.
Netball: South Africa and Wales have traded early points and it is 3-3 in their pool match which started at noon. Like the women’s T20 cricket this morning, there’s not much at stake here unfortunately.
Neither side can progress, but they are placed 3rd and 4th in the group, so whoever comes out on top of this will most likely end up in the 5th/6th place play-off, with the losers looking at a 7th/8th place classification match at best.
Men’s cross-country cycling. Oliver and Gaze of New Zealand are still way ahead here at Cannock Chase, with a 33 second lead over what is now a group of three. England’s Joseph Blackmore has managed to bridge the gap and is now sandwiched between Aldridge and Orr fighting it out for bronze. Alexander Miller of Namibia is 50 seconds back from the leaders in sixth place.
Judo: It has been a busy morning of Judo, and there are some people through and guaranteed medals in tonight’s session.
In the men’s -90kg category, it will be England’s Jamal Petgrave against Remi Feuillet of Mauritius.
The women’s -78kg will be an all-UK affair, with Natalie Powell of Wales facing England’s Emma Reid.
Canada have dominated the -100kg men’s category and Shady Elnahas and Kyle Rees will take both gold and silver back across the Atlantic with them.
There are still spots in the women’s +78kg category and the men’s +100kg grouping up for grabs.
The evening sessions starts at 5pm.
Men’s cross-country cycling: This race is being dominated so far by Samuel Gaze and Ben Oliver of New Zealand who are out in front. They are 17 seconds in front of Charlie Aldridge of Scotland and Northern Ireland’s Cameron Orr, suggesting that is already a contest for bronze, with a New Zealand one-two wrapped up. But we shall see.
Women’s T20 cricket: Australia are ticking along at 58-2 off 9.4 against Pakistan.
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Athletics men’s 800m: Australia’s Peter Bol won the second heat in 1:47.01, qualifying for the final alongside Boitumelo Masilo of Botswana. The third heat has also just finished, with England’s Ben Pattison closing that race out in 1:48.00 ahead of Kenya’s Wyclife Kinyamal. Alex Amankya of Ghana has grabbed a fastest qualifier slot. The final, as I mentioned just now, is on Sunday.
Heptathlon: The long jump has finished. Katarina Johnson-Thompson leads Jade O’Dowda by 122 points overall. KJT has 4718. Taneille Crase is poised nicely for Australia in third on 4,525, but England’s Holly Mills and Northern Ireland’s Kate O’Connor will also still reckon they are in reach of a potential podium place in 4th and 5th.
Next up for the women is the javelin, which is scheduled to start at precisely 7.08pm tonight. The 800m closes out the event at 9pm.
Men’s cross-country cycling: The men’s race is underway in Cannock Chase. There are 26 cyclists on the start-list. Australia’s Daniel McConnell is setting the early pace.
I’m getting a warm feeling of nostalgia because I used to date someone who lived in Cannock, so the last time I would have seen this scenery would have been for late night drinking and general young person’s misbehaviour.
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Athletics men’s 800m: We are now getting into the heats for the men’s 800m. England’s Jamie Webb will have hoped to benefit from a home crowd, as might Guy Learmouth of Scotland. And they end up being the two automatic qualifiers.
Elias Ngeny of Kenya was third in 1:49.53 and will be sweating on being a fastest finisher.
A quick shout out to Alex Beddoes of the Cook Islands, who finished seventh but posted a season’s best time.
Afterwards Webb said “I’ve not had the best of years, but you’ve got to take the opportunities when they come.”
The final isn’t until Sunday, and Learmouth and Webb joked about having a short holiday and a few beers before coming back at the weekend. Sounds good, lads.
Heptathlon: England’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson has improved her best in the final round of the long jump, and now has 6.33m. Team mate Jade O’Dowda went for a massive leap, but it was a foul. She’ll have to settle for the lifetime best of 6.52m she posted in the second round.
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Women’s T20 cricket: The Group A match between Australia and Pakistan is underway over at Edgbaston. Australia find themselves 11-1 after 3.2 overs. It is a bit of a dead rubber to be honest. Australia are already qualified for the semi-finals, and Pakistan are without a win so far and unable to progress.
Heptathlon: England’s Jade O’Dowda has the longest jump after the second round, at 6.52m. That would give her a whopping 1014 points. KJT is 106 points ahead of her in the combined standings. There is another round of long jump to go.
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Hello, Martin Belam here. Katarina Johnson-Thompson has just posted 6.28m in her second jump and is back out in front overall.
I’m looking forward to the mountain bikes today, and on my watch we will also get some T20 cricket, netball, squash, weightlifting medals. It’s all good stuff today.
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Righty, that’s it from me to now. I’ll pass the baton to Martin Belam.
Women’s 400m heats: A slightly bizarre fourth and final race as favourite Mary Moraa just jogs round in 59.51, finishing way last. She’s clearly saving herself for the 800m but that was still a bit odd; as if she was racing against her will.
England’s Ama Pipi takes advantage to win in 52.46. It means, Ohuruogu is the fastest qualifier.
Heptathlon: Katarina Johnson-Thompson is about to take her opening leap in the Long Jump. A reminder that she has a lead of 109 points over Northern Ireland’s Kate O’Conner.
It’s a very modest opener for KJT, just 5.61m. She’ll need much more than that and is now deep in conversation with coach Aston Moore.
For context, Johnson-Thompson’s PB is 6.92m and her season’s best 6.37m.
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Women’s 400m heats: The action continues and Kyra Constantine of Canada takes the second heat in 52.03. Nicole Yeargin of Scotland comes through in third with 52.52 and that books her spot in the semis. Post-race, Yeargin tells the BBC’s trackside reporter, Jeanette Kwayke, that she was “battling Covid last week”.
Heat three goes to an easing down Sada Williams of Barbados in 51.67sec (she’s run 49.75 this season). Zoey Clark of Scotland and England’s Jodie Williams grab the other two automatic qualification spots.
Athletics: Time for the women’s 400m heats and Vicki Ohuruogu - younger sister of Christine - comes through to win the opener in 51.34sec. A fine run and continues her strong season. Junelle Bromfield of Jamaica and Asimenye Simwaka of Malaysia are the other two automatic qualifiers.
“The stadium makes so much of a difference. I feel a bit rusty but I think I judged it quite well,” says Ohuruogu.
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Commonwealth Games in pictures: Some great photos here from yesterday.
Hockey: A brave effort by Scotland but they end up losing 2-0 to Pool A leaders Australia. No disgrace in that. They had to win to have any chance of progressing but it wasn’t to be.
T20 cricket: Two games at Edgbaston today, starting with Australia v Pakistan at 11am. That’s followed by India v Barbados at 6pm.
The Aussies have won two out of two in Group A so far while India and Barbados have a win apiece from their first two matches. Pakistan have lost both games so can’t progress.
In Group B, England and New Zealand are already into the semis with a game to spare after winning their opening two matches.
Athletics: The action in the Alexander Stadium begins at 10.30am with the women’s 400m heats.
Eight gold medals will be dished out tonight. Here are the timings if you want to plan your evening:
7pm: men’s high jump
8pm: women’s 10,000m final
8.05pm: women’s shot put final
8.45pm: women’s discus F42-44/61-64 final
9.20pm: men’s T37/38 100m final
9.30pm: men’s 100m final
9.45pm: women’s 100m final
The official list doesn’t appear to include the heptathlon although that comes to a conclusion too. The schedule says the javelin starts at 7.18pm and the concluding 800m at 9pm. So that’s eight gold medals in my book!
Hockey: The BBC’s focus right now is on the Pool B match between Scotland and Australia. Grace Stewart’s goal for the Aussies in the second quarter separates the teams as the match goes into the final 15 minutes.
As I write this, Shanea Tonkin makes it 2-0.
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Judo: Another sport I always enjoy watching in Olympics/Commonwealth Games. It was quite a day for England yesterday as Daniel Powell and Lachlan Moorhead took gold. The action continues this morning.
👏 Another one in the bag 👏
— Team England (@TeamEngland) August 3, 2022
🥇 Lachlan Moorhead 🥇
What a day to remember for our Judo team!#BringItHome | #Birmingham2022 | #B2022 pic.twitter.com/lOuJ9aXNYc
Weightlifting: Checking the schedule and there is just one gold medal to be handed out this morning. It comes in the men’s 109kg final of the weightlifting. It started at 9.30am so we’ll keep an eye on that. England’s Andy Griffiths is the home hope.
It’s been an incredible few days for England gymnast Jake Jarman. Tumaini Carayol gives you the story of his four gold medals.
Ian Reid, the chief executive officer for Birmingham 2022, says some of the stayaway stars will regret missing out on glory. Four world champions from Eugene have swerved the Games: women’s 100m gold medallist, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, 200m champion, Shericka Jackson, 400m world champion, Shaunae Miller-Uibo, and 1500m gold medallist Faith Kipyegon.
“We can’t make people come here but, if Shelly-Ann was here earlier and saw the atmosphere and the full stadium, she probably regrets it,” he said. “To have 30,000 people in Alexander Stadium for every session of athletics, the atmosphere it’s created, I can’t think of anywhere for these athletes to be.”
If you didn’t manage to watch any of the 3x3 basketball, make a point of doing so next time. Here’s Tumaini Carayol’s report on a dramatic win for England over Australia in a sport he rightly describes as “frenetic” and “hyperactive”.
Let’s catch up with some of last night’s action. Here’s Sean Ingle on that golden swim from Adam Peaty.
Preamble
Welcome to day six of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham!
After his shock defeat in the 100m breaststroke, Adam Peaty put the world back on its axis last night by doing what he does best and blitzing the field in the 50m. That helped England take its tally of gold medals to 31 although Australia still lead the way with 42.
The action comes thick and fast again today and another of the home nation’s top stars, Katarina Johnson-Thompson, continues her bid for gold in the heptathlon. She ended the first day leading by 109 points from Northern Ireland’s Kate O’Connor. The defending champion from Liverpool was only 11pts clear after the shot put but ran a 23.70sec 200m to take control. The final three disciplines take place today, starting with the Long Jump which begins at 10.50am. Also on the track today, we have the men’s 100m final at 9.30pm.
There are also nine gold medals to be dished out in the pool while the other raft of sports on offer include badminton, boxing, T20 cricket, hockey, judo and squash. Ooh, and for all you cycling fans out there, it’s the men’s cross-country at 11.30am and the women’s cross-country at 2pm. Those races take place at Channock Chase Forest if you’re near enough to pop along.
So, sit back and enjoy!
