Day two reports
That’s all the gold, silver and bronze handed out for Saturday and Australia top the medal table. They have 13 golds, seven silver and 11 bronze. That’s 31 medals in total.
New Zealand are second (7G, 4S, 2B) and England third (4G, 12S, 3B).
I’ll sign off for now but stay tuned for reports from around the day two action.
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Australia take gold in the men’s 4x100 freestyle realy - the 10th and concluding final of tonight’s swimming. England have a very narrow edge at halfway but Australia give Kyle Chalmers a lead going into the final leg and he’s the fastest of their quartet. Tom Dean does his best to hunt Chalmers down but the Englishman has to settle for a second silver of the night as Australia set a new Games record of 3min 11.12secs. Canada take the bronze.
Gold for England in the women's team gymnastics
England’s women match the men and win the team event! This was always nip and tuck against the Australians but Ondine Achampong’s superb vault which scores 14.150 is enough to seal gold. Well done to Achampong, Georgia-Mae Fenton, Claudia Fragapane, Alice Kinsella and Kelly Sim. Canada take bronze.
Australia take gold in the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay. The quartet of Madison Wilson, Shayna Jack, Mollie O’Callaghan and Emma McKeown are a mile clear and are less than a second outside the world record as they win in 3min 30.64secs. England (Anna Hopkin, Abbie Wood, Bella Hindley and Freya Anderson) take silver, edging out Canada who take bronze.
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A few more quotes from Adam Peaty after he qualified quickest for Sunday night’s 100m breaststroke final in a time of 59.02secs.
“The front end of the swim felt a bit more rusty than it normally would in a championship. It’s about giving the crowd a show, and I couldn’t give a shit what time I go.
“When you take the swimming away, you start to think ‘oh, am I still going to be the best?’. Being the best swimmer in the world isn’t just something that is given, and now I’m just fighting my way back.
“If that takes another year, another two…you know Paris [2024 Olympics] is always the goal and that is the pinnacle of the sport.”
Gymnastics: It’s a right old battle for gold between England and Australia going into the final apparatus (Floor) of the women’s team final. Watch this space. Meanwhile, let’s go back to the pool for two more finals: the men’s and women’s 4x100m freestyle relays.
Rugby sevens: Fiji ran out 34-7 winners over Scotland in the first of the men’s quarters. There was also a convincing 33-0 win for South Africa over Canada, the Springboks’ second try scored by Christie Grobbelaar. Not heard that name for a while. No relation to Bruce as far as I can see.
Pieter Coetze of South Africa wins men’s 100m backstroke gold, pipping England’s Brodie Williams. BBC co-commentator Adrian Moorhouse said pre-race that this looked the most wide-open event of the night, with any result possible. Coetzee turns in front but it’s a blanket finish and Williams may even have had the edge 10m out. But Coetzee touches first, edging out Williams by 0.13secs. Bradley Woodward of Australia takes third. Just 0.85secs covers the full eight-man field.
“Happy with that. Happy with a PB, first senior medal as well. Can’t believe it really,” says Williams, who also goes in the 200m backstroke later in the week.
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Maggie MacNeil of Canada bags gold in the women’s 100m butterfly, just holding off Australia’s Emma McKeon, who was closing with every stroke. Just two-hundredths in it as MacNeil touches in a Commonwealth Games record of 56.36secs. Australian Brianna Throssell takes bronze.
Bronze for Duncan Scott in the 400m individual medley as Lewis Clareburt of New Zealand takes gold! Scott is a little off the pace in the first 50m of the butterfly and is fourth as they begin the backstroke, ending it in third. Now the breaststroke and Scott starts to move into second place behind Clareburt although Brendon Smith surges into second as they go into the closing freestyle. Scott gives it everything but has to settle for bronze, the trio well clear. Clareburt wins with a new Commonwealth record of 4min 08.70secs, Smith clocking 4min 10.15.
“Really tough double,” says Scott, who was sidelined by Covid earlier this year. “I’m glad it was 400 metres and not any more. I’m absolutely done!” Not a bad night’s work though: a gold and a bronze.
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Swimming: Back to the pool and Duncan Scott goes for glory again, this time in the 400m individual medley final. We’re just an hour on from his 200m freestyle gold. Too much to ask? He’s in Lane 1 and was only the seventh fastest qualifier but who knows?
Women’s T20 cricket: England ease to a five-wicket win over Sri Lanka in their Group B match at Edgbaston. Sophie Ecclestone’s 3-25 and Alice Capsey’s run-a-ball 44 were the notable contributions.
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Rugby sevens: Fiji must be one of the most enjoyable sporting teams to watch on the planet. Although Scotland fans might not be so generous in their assessment. Current score: Fiji 34-0 Scotland.
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Swimming: Don’t be thinking that’s the watery action over for the night. Oh no. There are still five golds to be handed out in a packed hour starting at 8.49pm. Stay tuned folks.
Rugby sevens: Delight for Australia’s women in the semis earlier as they edged out great rivals New Zealand 17-12 in a match that most expected to be the final. Fiji eased past Canada 24-7 in the other women’s last-four clash.
We’re now into the first of the men’s quarters and Fiji lead Scotland 12-0. Kaminieli Rusaku kisses the ball just before touching down for their second try. “This guy’s got a core like a nuclear reactor,” says the Beeb co-commentator in a fine Accidental Partridge moment.
That’s followed by:
South Africa v Canada
New Zealand v Kenya
Australia v Samoa
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Gymnastics: England won the men’s team event yesterday and their women have a narrow lead over Australia after two of the four rotations.
Duncan Scott receives his gold medal and thoroughly enjoys belting out Flower of Scotland along with his country men and women in the crowd. He’ll pop the gold medal in his locker and then prepare for the 400m individual medley in just under half an hour!
Women’s T20 cricket: Shall we check back in at Edgbaston? Yes, why not. England restricted Sri Lanka to 106-9 and are 59-3 in reply after nine overs of their Group B match.
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Here comes Adam Peaty and he wins his semi in style! The Olympic champion reacts quickly to the gun and powers down the first length in 27.15, half a second down on his world record. He ties up a little but wins in 59.02secs, nearly a full second faster than he was this morning. Excellent stuff and Peaty gives a little nod as if to acknowledge that he’s happy with his performance. Zac Stubblety-Cook comes home in second, with Russ Murdoch in third.
“Not bad for four weeks’ training, is it?! I enjoyed that a lot,” says Peaty. Surely a certain gold for England in that men’s 100m breaststroke final but where will the other medals go?
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The action comes thick and fast in the pool and next up are the two men’s 100m breaststroke semis. The first is won by England’s James Wilby as he sees off Aussie pair Sam Williamson and Joshua Young. All three break 60 seconds, Wilby winning in 59.85secs. Adam Peaty goes in the second semi.
“Happy with that; sets me up nicely for tomorrow,” says Wilby.
Katja Dedekind wins gold for Australia in the women’s 50m freestyle S13 final. And it’s in a world record time! The first WR of the meet, achieved in a time of 26.56secs. Hannah Russell gives England another silver while Australian Kirralee Hayes bags bronze.
“I was really happy with that performance,” says runner-up Russell, who clocked 27.67secs.
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Gold for Canada’s Nicolas Turbide in the men’s 50m freestyle S13 final - by 0.01secs from Scotland’s Stephen Clegg! Wow, what a race. Jacob Templeton of Australia takes bronze in the category for visually impaired swimmers.
“I didn’t know it was that close,” says Clegg, who still seems pretty delighted with his effort.
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Duncan Scott wins gold for Scotland in the men's 200m freestyle final
It’s revenge for Scott! Olympic champion Dean is out quickest and makes the first turn in front. But Scott tracks him down and then turns on the turbo chargers to come home first in 1min 45.02, 0.39secs ahead of the Englishman, who pipped him in Tokyo last summer. Elijah Winnington of Australia takes bronze.
No rest for the wicked though and Scott will be back in action for the men’s 400m individual medley later this evening.
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Coming up... the men’s 200m freestyle final. It’s being billed as a shootout between England’s Tom Dean and Scotland’s Duncan Scott although Elijah Winnington of Australia was fastest in qualifying. That said, Dean and Scott both had plenty in the tank when easing through qualification. England’s Joe Litchfield and Wales duo Matthew Richards and Calum Jarvis will also be fighting it out.
Ben Proud marches back out for the medal ceremony and is awarded his gold medal. He becomes one of just four men to regain Commonwealth gold in the pool as he adds to his victory in Glasgow eight years ago. And he still has the 50m freestyle to come.
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Women’s 50m freestyle: Australia’s Shayna Jack is the fastest qualifier from the two semi-finals, coming home in 24.33secs. Compatriots Meg Harris and Emma McKeon are second and third quickest, suggesting we’re looking at an Australian 1-2-3 in the final. England’s Anna Hopkin is fourth fastest in 24.66secs.
Gold for Lara van Niekerk in the women’s 50m breaststroke! The South African takes gold, just pipping England’s Imogen Clark, who had a stormer and led at the halfway mark. Van Niekerk wins in a Games record of 29.73secs, with Clark setting a British record of 30.02secs. Chelsea Hodges of Australia takes bronze.
“What a race. I’ve never experienced anything like this before. Absolutely incredible,” says Clark.
Ben Proud wins gold in the men's 50m butterfly final
Proud takes England’s first gold of these Games in the pool in a time of 22.81secs. A brilliant final 25 secures the win. Tzen Wei Teong of Singapore grabs silver, 0.40secs back, and Cameron Gray of New Zealand lands the bronze.
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Swimming: The focus now is the Sandwell Aquatics Centre. First up, the men’s 50m butterfly where Ben Proud of England was the fastest qualifier.
The big game is tomorrow of course but in the men’s traditional curtain-raiser Liverpool have beaten Manchester City 3-1 in the Community Shield.
Boxing: Jude Gallagher of Northern Ireland earns a unanimous 5-0 points decision against Zweli Comfort Dlamini of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland). “A very good display of all-round boxing,” says the BBC’s Roland McIntosh after watching over their Round of 32 featherweight clash.
Swimming: It’s going to be a big night in the pool and we’re 20 minutes away from the opening race: the men’s 50m butterfly final. The big one - Tom Dean v Duncan Scott in the 200m freestyle final - is scheduled for 7.43pm.
Women’s T20 cricket: A quick glance over to the action at Edgbaston and Sri Lanka are 56-3 in the 10th over in their game against England.
Emma Finucane of Wales takes bronze in the women’s sprint! The 19-year-old lost the first race but captures the next two, swinging off the final bend to hunt down England’s Sophie Capewell on the line in the decider. It’s a second bronze of the Games for Finucane, a name to look out for in future Olympics.
🥉 EFYDD / BRONZE
— Team Wales 🏴 Tîm Cymru (@TeamWales) July 30, 2022
Ysbrydolaeth! It's medal number three in track cycling, this time for Emma Finucane in the Women's Sprint
Gorau nod, uchelgais
The summit of our aspirations#tîmcymru | #teamwales pic.twitter.com/fuLNndC1zW
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Gold for Nicholas Paul in the Men’s Keirin! What a performance! “Nobody could live with him,” says an impressed Chris Boardman as the Trinidad & Tobago rider accelerates away from the field and wins easily. Scotland’s Jack Carlin wins the race for silver, 0.46secs back, while Shah Sahrom of Malaysia takes bronze.
It’s Trinidad & Tobago’s first gold on the track since 1966.
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Gold for New Zealand’s Ellesse Andrews in the women’t sprint! She takes down Olympic champion Kelsey Mitchell of Canada in straight rides to secure her second gold of the Games. It’s been quite a night on the track for the New Zealanders. Andrews inched the first race but just looked the stronger rider in the second. “A huge surprise,” says Chris Hoy as Mitchell was a big favourite coming into the event.
🥇GOLD🥇for Ellesse Andrews - you are brilliant !!!!!
— The New Zealand Team (@TheNZTeam) July 30, 2022
A fantastic race and well deserved medal 🔥
Well and truly #EARNED 🌿#KoTātauTeKapaAotearoa#WeAreTheNZTeam @CyclingNZL pic.twitter.com/BDonZMM78R
Meanwhile, Emma Finucane of Wales wins the second race against England’s Sophie Capewell to take their bronze medal contest to a decider.
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Women’s hockey: England have completed a 12-0 win over Ghana in their Pool A contest. Hat-tricks for Hannah Martin and Grace Balsdon.
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Women’s T20 cricket: England’s Group B clash against Sri Lanka at Edgbaston is in play. Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat but have lost an early wicket and are 6-1 in the third over. Katherine Brunt trapped Vishmi Gunarathne leg before for a duck.
The BBC’s Jill Douglas, live from trackside, says Joe Truman has a “suspected broken collar bone”. A sobering moment for everyone. Back in the studio, Chris Hoy says in Japan, riders use lots of protective clothing to guard against such incidents although it slows down the aerodynamics. Hoy also says it’s “such a rare thing” to see a crash like that.
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Women’s sprint cycling: Now for the first of three races in the gold and bronze medal contests.
First up is the bronze duel between England’s Sophie Capewell and Emma Finucane of Wales. Capewell controls the opener to put herself one win away from a medal.
For gold, it’s Kelsey Mitchell of Canada against New Zealand’s Ellesse Andrews, who already has a Team Sprint gold in the bag. Mitchell, the gold medallist from Tokyo, looks favourite but Andrews nicks the first three-lapper on the line.
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Thanks Niall. A very nasty moment there but hopefully Joe Truman is OK. The track is cleared and now we’re into the next heat. Three riders go through to the final and it’s Nicholas Paul of Trinidad & Tobago who leads from the front and hangs on. Callum Saunders of New Zealand is 0.172secs back in second while Matthew Richardson takes the final slot. England’s Hamish Turnbull finishes back in sixth.
Joe Truman is now sitting in a wheelchair and responsive, receiving oxygen before being helped off the track. It was a horrible crash, very glad that he seems to be OK. Time to hand back to David now, who will guide you through the rest of the evening’s sport.
We’ve just seen a very heavy crash in the men’s keirin second round. England’s Joe Truman collided with Australia’s Matt Glaetzer – he was unresponsive for a few very anxious moments, but is now sitting up and receiving treatment. Glaetzer also seems to be OK. I’m not sure if the result will stand – it feels secondary just now – but there’ll be a delay to clear the track.
Men’s 4,000m gold for New Zealand’s Aaron Gate! Gate starts closing the gap slowly, but the pendulum really starts swinging with 1,000m to go. He starts taking big chunks of time from his compatriot, and once he got in front he put the hammer down to win by more than four seconds.
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It’s an all-NZ affair in the final, with Aaron Gate taking on Tom Sexton. It’s the latter rider who starts the stronger, leading by 1.7 seconds at halfway. Gate clearly pacing himself, but has he left too much to do?
Men’s 4,000m bronze for Australia’s Conor Leahy! In the bronze-medal race, Leahy ekes out a second advantage over the 2018 champion, England’s Charlie Tanfield, with 1,000m to go. The Australian can’t build on that lead but Tanfield has nothing left in the tank, and Leahy coasts home for bronze. The gold medal match is up next ...
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We’re back live on BBC One, with a song that always make you glad its Saturday. Some big track cycling finals coming up, starting with the men’s 4,000m pursuit. In the women’s hockey, England lead Ghana 8-0 with the fourth quarter still to come.
Comedy of Erics: Kiptanui forced to miss marathon
One of the leading contenders for the men’s marathon was forced to watch the event from the sidelines after Kenyan officials apparently entered the wrong Eric for the event. Eric Kiptanui, who has named in the Kenyan squad on May 21, was supposed to compete but when he arrived at the start line, he found that somehow 21-year-old Eric Kiplagat Sang had been entered instead.
Sang, who has never competed in a marathon, wasn’t on the team or even in Birmingham, so didn’t start. Kiptanui, whose personal best of 2hr 5min 47sec would have made him the third fastest man in the field, was ready to run but by the time the mistake was discovered it was too late to change the paperwork. He ended up watching the race from the other side of the barriers.
The race was eventually won by Uganda’s Victor Kiplangat in 2hr 10min 55sec, despite the fact he took a wrong turn while trying to navigate his way around a bus lane and had to double back on himself for 30m. He was still a minute-and-a-half ahead of Alphonce Simbu from Tanzania, who won silver. Kiptanui’s Kenyan teammate Michael Githae was third.
There was more Kenyan confusion in the women’s race, where Margaret Muriuki ended up competing on her own even though her teammates Stella Barsosio and Purity Changwony had been picked to run with her. The race was won Australia’s Jessica Stenson with Muriuki third behind Namibia’s Helalia Johannes.
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Thanks, David. In case you’re just joining us, here are some of Saturday’s headlines:
- England’s Jonboy Smith won the men’s wheelchair marathon after David Weir suffered a late puncture.
- Cyclist Sophie Unwin has received an apology for Friday’s medal mix-up, but will not get a bronze.
- Adam Peaty qualified fastest for the 100m breaststroke semi-finals in his return to action.
- England beat Malawi 66-41 in their second netball match as Australia defeated Scotland 83-30.
- Wales have begun their men’s hockey campaign with an impressive 5-1 victory over Canada.
Women’s hockey: England are 5-0 up against Ghana after the second quarter of their Pool A clash. Grace Balsdon has scored twice.
With that, I’ll hand you over to Niall McVeigh for a little while.
Gold for New Zealand in the Women's 3000 Individual Pursuit
Cycling: Bryony Botha takes gold with a brilliant ride! She opens up a 2.618secs lead at halfway, pulls further away and almost catches rival Maeve Plouffe at the finish. The New Zealander smashes her own Commonwealth record in a final time of 3min 18.45secs, nearly nine seconds ahead of her Australian opponent. A first gold medal for Botha.
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Cycling: It’s bronze for Scotland’s Neah Evans in the Women’s 3000 Individual Pursuit as she has too much for Australia’s Sarah Roy. Evans wins in 3min 25.05secs.
Evans, a former vet, says: “I’ll be honest, after about halfway, I was just like get your your head down and keep going. Pretty simple tactics! I’m delighted.”
Now for the final: Bryony Botha of New Zealand v Australian Maeve Plouffe.
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Women’s T20 cricket: England are due to play Sr Lanka at 6pm but the covers are on at Edgbaston right now. It’s possibly precautionary though. As the nice lady in my local bakery said this morning: “The weather can’t make its mind up.” One of those British summer days.
Beach Volleyball: England won the opening match earlier and now Rwanda have scored a 2-0 win over South Africa. I’ll level with you, I’m not sure if that’s a shock or not. Hang on a moment... I’ve just checked some world rankings and it appears it went to form. Good work from Venuste Gatsinzi and Olivier Ntagengwa.
What a way to kick off beach volleyball at @birminghamcg22! 🎉
— Volleyball England (@VballEngland) July 30, 2022
🏐 @TeamBelloVolley powered through their match against Tuvalu, finishing 2-0 (21-10; 21-12).
Congratulations Javier and Joaquin! 👏
📸 Steve Smith@TeamEngland #B2022 #BeachB22 #beachvolleyball pic.twitter.com/yARWbfpoeq
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Cycling: The first round of the men’s Keirin is underway at the Lee Valley VeloPark (in London). Always an enjoyable watch. The medal races are this evening at 6.27pm. Three other golds will be handed out this evening: the women’s 3000m Individual Pursuit, the men’s 4000m Individual Pursuit and the Women’s Sprint.
Back to the Keirin and there’s a brilliant finish from England’s Hamish Turnbull who comes from nowhere to snatch victory in Heat 3. “Remarkable”, says Chris Boardman in the BBC commentary box.
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Badminton: England have lost to Singapore after suffering defeat in the first three games of their five-match encounter in Group B. Marcus Ellis & Lauren Smith (doubles), Toby Penty (men’s singles) and Freya Redfearn (women’s singles) all lost 2-0.
Swimming: Olympic champion Tom Dean described the men’s 200m freestyle as the ‘blue riband’ event in the pool this week and his duel with Duncan Scott tonight could be a classic. England’s Dean beat Scotland’s, erm, Scott by just 0.04secs at last summer’s Olympics in Tokyo as the duo became the first British male swimmers to share the podium since the 1908 Games.
Set your alarms for around 7pm as there are 10 gold medals to be dished out in the pool tonight. Dean v Scott is scheduled for 7.43pm while Adam Peaty goes in the men’s 100m breaststroke semis at 8.28pm. The action at the Sandwell Aquatics Centre starts at 7.07pm.
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Rugby sevens: England’s men’s and women’s teams won’t be on the podium after defeats to New Zealand today. A disappointment given that both won bronze in 2018.
England fly-half Alex Davis said of the men’s 20-0 loss: “Obviously we’re disappointed, but I definitely think we did what we set out to do, which was to make New Zealand work, we knew they were a really great side.
“We would obviously like to be in the knockout quarter-finals, but we’re not and now we just have to maximise the opportunities that we’ve got left and learn from what we can.”
Both will now contest the placement matches for the remainder of the tournament.
More on the Sophie Unwin story: Seems a fairly joyless enforcing of the rules. Guys, it’s a celebration of sport.
Beach Volleyball: Later today in the men’s, New Zealand take on Cyprus (in England’s Pool) while Australia face the Maldives. And we have some DJ news. Will he throw in any Ned’s Atomic Dustbin?
🚨 Exciting announcement 🚨
— Birmingham 2022 (@birminghamcg22) July 30, 2022
Today, Beach Volleyball fans will be treated to a set by DJ & producer, @JaxJones before the sporting action gets going.
Ticketholders for the 7pm session can enjoy the show at 6pm.
Be there: https://t.co/o1UAgZ1T0P pic.twitter.com/lXBH4eI96U
Netball: A tougher workout for England today but they’ve made it two wins out of two in Pool B with a 66-41 victory over an up and coming Malawi side. Next up for England, a showdown with Northern Ireland on Monday at 6pm. If all goes to plan, England will hope to contest the final on Sunday week.
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Squash: To the frustration of fans and those who play, squash isn’t an Olympic sport but it is part of the fun at the Commonwealth Games. A quick look at some of the round of 32 games played earlier today and there were wins for England’s Lucy Turmel and Scotland’s Georgia Adderley in the women’s event while in the men’s, Wales’s Emyr Evans, England’s Adrian Waller and Scotland’s Greg Lobban all advanced.
Women’s hockey: Four Pool matches today and, in the first, Australia are 7-0 up against Kenya. The Kenyans lost 16-0 to New Zealand on Friday. The three other matches:
4pm England v Ghana
7pm India v Wales
9pm New Zealand v Scotland
Don’t forget to support @HockeyWales women this evening!
— Team Wales 🏴 Tîm Cymru (@TeamWales) July 30, 2022
Mae nhw’n taro nôl am 7yh heno. pic.twitter.com/wWn7hGcfaF
Beach Volleyball: The Bello twins applaud the crowd as they give England a convincing 21-10, 21-12 win over Tuvalu in the opening match of the tournament. Entertaining stuff that and if you want more, they’ll be back in action against Cyprus on Monday (3.30pm). The Gold Medal match takes place a week on Sunday.
Netball: Defending champions England are in action against Malawi in Pool B. It’s 48-33 to England in the third quarter.
Here’s a reminder of how they won their opener against Trinidad & Tobago.
Earlier today, Scotland suffered a heavy 83-30 loss to Australia in Pool A.
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Athletics: Here’s the full story of that drama in the men’s T53/54 marathon when David Weir’s bid for gold was wrecked by a puncture.
Beach Volleyball: England took the first set against Tuvalu 21-10 and are 11-7 up in the second. The DJ playing to the Brummie crowd as Slade’s ‘Cum On Feel The Noize’ blares out.
Athletics: We’ve had action in the men’s and women’s marathons today. A reminder of the winners:
Men’s T53/54: Johnboy Smith (England)
Women’s T53/54: Madison de Rozario (Australia)
Men’s: Victor Kiplangat (Uganda)
Women’s: Jessie Stenson (Australia)
So, having had our appetites whetted by that and the recent World Championships in Eugene, when can we expect some track and field action here? A little patience is needed as it’s not until Tuesday morning when the heats of the 100m get underway.
By the way, Daley Thompson and Hannah Cockroft are enjoying birthdays today.
Beach Volleyball: Back at Smithfield, England (the Bello twins) are leading Tuvalu 13-8 at the first timeout. The spectators are currently enjoying some dancers throwing some shapes to Duran Duran’s Rio. Seems a good choice.
Her name is Rio and she dances on the sand
Just like that river twisting through a dusty land
And when she shines, she really shows you all she can
Oh Rio, Rio dance across the Rio Grande
The DJ now playing ‘Hey Ya’ by Outkast as England go 18-10 up.
Badminton: Scotland beat Uganda 4-1 in the group stages of the Mixed Team event this morning. Now it’s England’s turn and they’re currently 1-0 down to Singapore in their Group B match on the Show Court at the NEC.
Men’s rugby sevens: England are out after their 20-0 defeat to New Zealand, the defending champions, and we now know the quarter-final line-up. They take place tonight, starting at 8.26pm.
New Zealand v Kenya
Fiji v Scotland
Australia v Samoa
South Africa v Canada
Beach Volleyball: Birmingham is famous for its golden beaches and... okay that may not be correct. But Beach Volleyball does go ahead and it’s being held at Smithfield in Birmingham City Centre. England are represented by twin brothers Javier and Joaquin Bello, whose family moved from Spain when they were just 10. They’ve already won gold at the Commonwealth Youth Games so are a pair to look out for. They’re in action right now against Tuvalu. Which reminds me, I once went out with a folk singer who had been booked to do a tour of the Polynesian islands. She was stressed that the schedule was too heavy so I said skip Tuvalu my darling. Anyway, back to the sport. England 4-2 up early doors.
Boxing: English heavyweight Lewis Williams has just come through his round of 16 bout with Pakistan’s Nazeer Ullah Khan. An impressive display and he deservedly earns a unanimous decision to book his place in the quarters. Nice to hear the voices of Richie Woodhall and Roland McIntosh talking us through that one.
Record breakers: Ticket sales have been excellent.
With more than 1.3m tickets already sold, #B2022 will be the most attended edition of the Commonwealth Games ever to take place in the United Kingdom! 🎉
— Birmingham 2022 (@birminghamcg22) July 30, 2022
Limited tickets are still on sale, so make sure you don't miss out. Visit https://t.co/HczklAOMRA to secure your seat now! pic.twitter.com/YXqiuxeS3T
Women’s T20 Cricket: Two games today at Edgbaston and New Zealand have beaten South Africa by 13 runs in the first. Suzie Bates hit 91 not out off 64 balls to guide the Kiwis to 167-2 off their 20 overs and the South Africans could only manage 154-7 in reply.
In the other Group B match today, England are in action against Sri Lanka. That one starts at 6pm. A nice way to spend the evening for the Birmingham crowds. Talking of which...
Thanks Luke. Baton received. So, where shall we go first? I know, the cricket...
I’m off for a sandwich, or something similar. I’ll hand you over to my colleague David Tindall. Bye for now.
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“The Tandem Para-Cycling pair [Unwin and Holt] maintain that they were not told that a Bronze medal would not be awarded. If that is the case, then it is grossly unfair, and should be rescinded,” emails Chris Page.
It’s a confusing situation, that’s for sure. Apparently they were displayed as bronze-medal winners on the screens in the velodrome. It sounds as if conversations are ongoing between the UCI and the team, so we’ll see if anything comes of those.
Track cycling: The crowd in the velodrome is being treated to some cracking racing this afternoon. Ellesse Andrews moves into the semi-finals of the women’s sprint with a commanding win against Lauriane Genest of Canada ...
Women’s rugby sevens: England fell to a 38-7 defeat by New Zealand earlier today in Pool A, while Canada thrashed Sri Lanka 74-0.
In Pool B, Scotland beat South Africa 33-12 and Fiji defeated Australia 19-12.
The semi-final lineup, as a result, is:
New Zealand v Australia (7.42pm tonight)
Fiji v Canada (8.04pm)
England are in action later in what they call the ‘5-8 semi-final’, against South Africa, while Scotland v Sri Lanka is the other match among eliminated teams.
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Women’s netball: It’s all coming up Australia again today ... they have just pulled off an 83-30 destruction of Scotland in Pool A.
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The BBC report that Sophie Unwin of England has been fined by the UCI after a ‘protest’ against the lack of a bronze medal in the tandem B sprint.
The event had four entries, meaning only gold and silver medals were awarded. According to the BBC, the para-cyclist Unwin and pilot Georgia Holt borrowed bronze medals from teammates Laura Kenny and Josie Knight and posed for photographs on the podium at Lee Valley Velodrome, and were fined 200 Swiss francs as a result.
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Kasdan wins 55kg weightlifting gold for Malaysia
In weightlifting news from a little earlier today, Aniq Kasdan of Malaysia claimed the gold medal in the men’s 55kg weightlifting final. The 20-year-old took it with a Games record combined total of 249kg.
India’s Sanket Sargar won silver medal, Dilanka Isuru Kumara of Sri Lanka won bronze while the Englishman Ben Hickling placed fourth.
Gold for Jessica Stenson in the women's marathon!
That was a truly amazing run. She just ground her opponents down one by one and was too strong for the defending champion, Johannes, who dropped off the pace a long time ago.
Stenson says “Thank you” twice to the cheering crowd as she nears the finish line ... and she has the energy to punch the air as she crosses it. A tremendous effort, and yet more success for Australia.
Muriuki comes in second, and is congratulated by Stenson, and here comes Johannes for the bronze.
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Women’s marathon: Inside the final 2km and Stenson has taken off her sunglasses ... she’s previously won two bronze medals in the marathon at the Commonwealth Games. She is closing in on gold, with a lead of 20secs or so. The spectators along the route urge her onwards. She heads up the final steep uphill section.
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Men’s rugby sevens: Scotland fell to a 34-0 defeat by South Africa, in Pool B, but their wins against Tonga and Malaysia yesterday mean they will go through to the quarter-finals.
Women’s marathon: This is an incredible run by Stenson. Muriuki now drops away and the Australian looks to be speeding away to the gold medal, if she can maintain this for the final couple of kilometres.
Women’s marathon: Johannes, the defending champion, is dropped by Stenson and Muriuki! Stenson powers on at the front, Muriuki managing to stay with her.
Women’s netball: Australia currently Scotland 35-16 in their Pool B match.
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Women’s marathon: Stenson leads her rivals, Johannes and Muriuki, as they move into the city centre: they have covered 36km now so have another 7km or so to go ...
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Australia dominated in the pool last night, and enjoyed a stellar start to these Games all round. If you missed any of our coverage last night, read on:
Women’s marathon: Stenson, Johannes and Muriuki of Kenya have now forged decisively ahead and it looks as if they will fight it out for the podium positions. There’s no current data on screen about how much ground they have covered, but they’ve been racing for 1 hr 56 mins.
Stenson smiles as she runs alongside from cheering fans ... it might be half smile/half grimace given the effort she is putting in. On commentary for the BBC, Steve Cram reckons Johannes doesn’t look ‘completely comfortable’ today.
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Squash: The women’s singles is getting under way at the University of Birmingham.
Results so far today:
Joelle King (NZ) 3-0 Leungo Katse (Botswana)
Amity Alarcos 0-3 Lucy Turmel (England)
Emma Keane (Bermuda) 0-3 Georgia Adderley (Scotland)
Jess Turnbull (Australia) v Colette Sultana (Malta) is the match currently on court.
Women’s marathon: After 1 hr 40 min of the race, a group of five - which now looks likely to become four – is off the front. Failuna Matanga of Tanzania looked ready to drop away, but fights back in touch with the group that includes Jessica Stenson and Eloise Wellings of Australia. Namibia’s Helalia Johannes, the title holder, is up there too, along with Margaret Muriuki of Kenya.
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Swimming: After safely moving into the men’s 200m freestyle final, Tom Dean of England has a chat with the BBC: “We could see what everyone else did ... I knew it wouldn’t take an insanely quick swim to make it back (for the final) ... [I was] able to control it slightly more ... it’s always a little bit cagey when there’s no semis.”
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Men’s rugby sevens: England will not be progressing into the last eight: they’ve been beaten 20-0 by New Zealand and that, combined with yesterday’s 34-0 defeat by Samoa, means it’s the end of the road. NZ and Samoa will go into the quarter-finals.
Track cycling: Down at Lee Valley Velodrome, Lowri Thomas of Wales just took a heavy fall in the women’s sprint, in a coming-together with her teammate Rhian Edmunds. She stays down for a while, but is sensibly taking her time after a nasty fall, and it’s Edmunds that looks more upset by it all when they head back to track centre ... “I’m fine,” she tells her teammate, and gives her a hug.
The women’s sprint is through to the quarter-final stage.
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Men’s hockey: Gareth Furlong has registered a hat-trick for Wales against Canada, and they lead 3-0 at half-time in that Pool B encounter.
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Peaty speaks after qualifying for the semi-finals of the 100m breaststroke: “I had no idea where I’m at. Still don’t really, because I’m still blowing out the cobwebs. I’ve been at two races this year so it’s a little bit different. Yeah, felt all right. The foot [that he broke 10 weeks ago] feels all right in the water. It’s just literally now, go through the rounds .. we’ll see how we improve for the semis.
“It’s a very home Games for me, I grew up about 50 minutes away ... it’s great to see the crowd, and hopefully tonight will be even better.”
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Swimming: Adam Peaty wins his 100m breaststroke heat in a time of 59.92secs – a commanding performance and the fastest man in the heatsw. The broken foot that he suffered in the gym 10 weeks ago does not seem to be hindering him, which is good news. Sam Williamson of Australia is second in that heat with a time of 1min 0.16secs, with Brenden G Crawford third in 1min 01.11sec.
James Wilby and Greg Butler (England), plus Archie Goodburn, Ross Murdoch and Craig Benson (Scotland) also head through to the semi-finals.
Swimming: James Wilby wins the fourth heat of the men’s 100m breaststroke, and now here comes Peaty ...
Swimming: Zac Stubblety-Cook wins heat three of the men’s 100m breaststroke, as expected, but he is pushed hard by Archie Goodburn of Scotland, and Craig Benson, also of Scotland, places third.
Thank you Barry and hello, everyone. We are fast approaching what the BBC’s Jason Mohammad just called “Peaty Time”.
He is in heat five of the men’s 100m breaststroke, and we’re already on to heat three.
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Time to pass the baton: That’s all from me - I have a stage of the Tour de France Femmes to go and cover but Luke McLaughlin is primed to take over our Commonwealth Games coverage. Over to you, Luke ...
Victor Kiplangat wins the men's marathon
Have very briefly taken the wrong course through absolutely no fault of his own before cutting back on to the correct one, the 22-year-old runner takes gold for Uganda in Victoria Square, where he receives an extremely warm welcome from a very sizeable crowd of locals. He stops the clock at 2hr 10min 55sec.
Finishing 1min 34sec behind, Tanzania’s Alphonce Simbu takes silver. Michael Githae, who only came to Birmingham as a travelling reserve, finishes third, 2min 21sec behind the winner. Australia’s Liam Adams finishes fourth.
Men’s marathon: The Ugandan runner Victor Kiplangat has less than a mile to run and is looking home and hosed barring some sort of disaster. In the silver medal position, Alphonce Simbu is way behind and out of contention for the gold but he is well ahead of Kenya’s Michael Githae, who is looking good for the bronze.
Men’s swimming: England’s Olympic champion Tom Dean has qualified for tonight’s final of the men’s 200m freestyle final.
Scottish swimmer Duncan Scott, a silver medallist behind Dean in Tokyo is also through to the final, along with England’s Joe Litchfield and the Welsh duo Matthew Richards and Calum Jarvis.
Men’s marathon: After 35 kilometres (21.7 miles), Victor Kiplangat has pulled 18 seconds clear of Alphonce Simbu with Michael Githae a further minute back in third.
Men’s marathon: After 30 kilometres (18.64 miles), Uganda’s Victor Kiplangat has a clear lead over Alphonce Felix Simbu from Tanzania. The Kenyans Michael Mugo Githae and Jonathan Kipleting Korir are third and fourth with a three second lead over Australia’s Liam Adams. The leader’s time at the 30 kilometre mark was 1hor 32min 45sec.
Men’s marathon: With less than 10 kilomtres to go, Victor Kiplangat (Uganda) and Alphonce Felix Simbu (Tanzania) have pulled well clear and look set to duke it out for the gold medal, while Australia’s Liam Adams is currently winning the race for bronze.
The women’s marathon has begun! Namibia’s Helaria Johannes, the reigning champion, is in Birmingham to defend her title.
Men’s marathon: Having led from the start, the Aussie Liam Adams seems to have shot his bolt. Kiplangat, Githae and Simbu are now out on their own in front with 1hr 25min on the clock. No sooner do I type that sentence than Adams and Misai rally to reattach themselves to the lead group, which is now a quintet.
Men’s marathon: Whether it’s one of the “benefits” of Brexit or down to some other reason, the course is marked out in kilometres rather than miles, which seems a bit daft considering everyone on the planet knows a marathon is 26 miles long in old money, with a bit of change. For those who may not know, including me until about two minutes ago, a marathon is 42.195 kilometres long.
After 25 kilometres (15.53 miles), a group of six runners have opened a sizeable lead on the rest of the field. Liam Adams (Australia) continues to lead, with Michael Mugo Githae (Kenya), Victor Kiplangat (Uganda), Alphonce Felix Simbu (Tanzania), Jonathan Kipleting Korir (Kenya) and Hamisi Athumani Misai (Tanzania) in close attendance.
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Elsewhere this morning: As the men’s marathon continues, there are track cycling qualifying heats taking place in the Lee Valley velodrome, whgile Engtland’s women are taking on New Zealand in the women’s rugby sevens. The women’s artistic gymnastics also continues throughout the morning. With the men already out on the course, the women’s marathon is scheduled to start in a little under 10 minutes.
David Weir speaks: In a post wheelchair marathon with the BBC, the Londoner refelcts on his bad luck after puncturing while well clear in a race that was eventually won by his compatriot Johnboy Smith.
“I have had problems with my chair since [the Olympic Games in] Tokyo,” he says. “I went back to my old chair, I got it rebuilt and it has been fantastic.
“Since I have been back in this chair I just felt really comfortable and flying. It’s just been a bit annoying. Since May the training has been through the roof. I have just felt 10 years younger, so it’s just frustrating.
“If I didn’t have my mates in the last 4km running beside me I probably would have stopped. I probably would have just pulled over and given up. From where I am from, on a council estate, you don’t give up - in anything.”
Weir also explains that, in an unprecedented move, he had considered bringing a spare wheel with him but eventually decided against it in the end. He suggests his wife may have talked him out of it because he’d never needed one before, so things could be tense in the Weir household tonight!
Men’s marathon: Australia’s Liam Adams leads at the 10km mark with a time of 31min 06 but can feel the warm breath of Tanzania’s Alphonce Felix Simbu on his neck. Simbu’s teammate Hamisi Athumani Misai is close by in third, with Uganda’s Victor Kiplangat in fourth. The Kenyans Jonathan Kipleting Korir and Michael Mugo Githae occupy the next two places but at this early stage you could throw a blanket over the front runners.
England secure men’s team gymnastics gold: For the third Commonwealth Games in a row England are gold medallists in the men’s team competition, this time triumphing by 13.350 points. Tumaini Carayol was at the Arena Birmingham yesterday to see them romp to victory ...
Birmingham's bonanza of sport
The start of the Commonwealth Games was blessed with warm weather, but some commuters were not impressed. Andy Bull reports from Leamington Spa and Birmingham ...
The men's marathon is under way ...
Alphonce Felix Simbu from Tanzania, who took bronze at the 2017 World Championships, has posted the quickest time of all the participants this season, while Northern Ireland’s Kevin Seaward will be hoping to improve upon his fourth place finish in the last Commonwealth Games. Kenya’s Jonathan Kipleting has the best PB in the field and could duke it out for the gold medal with his compatriot Philemon Kacheran.
Women's T53/54 Marathon
Gold for Australia! Two-times Paralympic champion Madison De Rozario was first to roll across the line in the women’s wheelchair marathon, finishing in a time of 1min 56min 00sec. She beat Englishwoman Eden Rainbow-Cooper by 3min 45sec, with another Englishwoman, Shelly Oxley-Woods, a further four minutes back in third.
Commonwealth Games: day two ...live!
Welcome one and all to the second day of our live Commonwealth Games coverage. There are no fewer than 23 gold medals up for grabs on Saturday and one of them has already been claimed by England’s Johnboy Smith in the Men’s T53/54 wheelchair marathon in a time of 1hr 41min 15sec. Smith finished 4min 34sec ahead of Scotland’s Sean Frame, while Scotland’s Simon Lawson was a further 10 seconds back in third.
In an extremely gracious victiroy speech, Smith acknowledged that he was extremely lucky to win and would have to settle for silver if race favourite David Weir had not punctured while in the lead. Weir finished the race with a flat tyre, coming in seventh, a little over two minutes behind the winner.
