World champion Kelsey-Lee Barber has delivered when it mattered most, claiming the Commonwealth Games gold medal in the women's javelin with her final throw.
Australian teammate Mackenzie Little had led the competition into the sixth and final round after producing a personal best of 64.27 metres with her fifth effort.
But Barber — who was struck down by COVID-19 on the eve of the Commonwealth Games — showed cool nerves to unleash the winning throw of 64.43m with her final attempt.
"It is really nice to know I have the confidence I can keep lifting through a competition and I can find something in that last round," Barber said.
"It's really easy to get caught up chasing and Mackenzie put it out there and I chased it in round two and it's a reminder you can't force the javelin.
"It's a nice card to have going into competitions."
Little took the silver medal only a fortnight after she finished fifth behind Barber at the world championships in Eugene.
She had set what was a personal best of 64.03m with her first attempt in the Birmingham final.
"I gave it my best and that's all I can do," Little said.
"We always know [Kelsey-Lee] is there. She's not out until the last round so I knew I had to be there too."
Barber's win in Eugene was her second world championship, while she was a bronze medallist at the Tokyo Olympics.
The 30-year-old now has the full set of Commonwealth Games medals, having won bronze in 2014 and silver in 2018.
The bronze in Birmingham went to India's Annu Rani with 60.00m.
In other events, Australia's Declan Tingay was overtaken by Canadian veteran Evan Dunfee in the final lap of the men's 10,000m walk and had to settle for silver.
Dunfee clocked a winning time of 38 minutes and 36.37 seconds ahead of Tingay in 38:42.33.
Australian Michelle Jenneke produced another fast time but it proved only good enough for fifth in a red-hot 100m hurdles final.
World record holder Tobi Amusan from Nigeria blew the field away with a winning time of 12.30, smashing the 16-year-old Games record of 12.65 in the process.
Jenneke's fellow Australian Celeste Mucci was seventh in 13.03.
Muzala Samukonga (44.66) won Zambia's first gold medal of the Birmingham Games, storming home over the top of local hope Matthew Hudson-Smith (44.81) in the men's 400m final.
Australian Steve Solomon was seventh in 46.22, ending another injury-blighted season.
ABC/AAP
