/news/gold-coast-2018/rss 九一星空无限 From April 4 until 15, more than 71 nations and territories will converge on Australia’s Gold Coast for the XXI Commonwealth Games, and Radio Sport will be Fri, 31 Jan 2025 15:49:26 Z en /news/gold-coast-2018/athletes-who-disappeared-at-comm-games-turn-up-in-sydney/ /news/gold-coast-2018/athletes-who-disappeared-at-comm-games-turn-up-in-sydney/ A group of African athletes who went on the run during the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast have turned up in Sydney seeking legal advice on how to stay in Australia. The sportsmen and women are consulting with the Refugee Advice and Casework Service in Randwick, in the city's eastern suburbs, The Daily Telegraph revealed. They have until Tuesday at midnight until their visas run out and will face detention or deportation unless they have a new application in progress. Up to 19 athletes disappeared during the Games last month, including a third of the Cameroonian team, sparking a nationwide search. Others hailed from Uganda, Rwanda and Sierra Leone. Their teammates flew home after their competitions without the missing group. A handful of officials also did a disappearing act: like Rwanda's weightlifting coach, who excused himself to go to the toilet before his team competed — and never came back. Now it appears some of them are in Sydney, making efforts to find a legal way to stay in Australia. Officials said they walked out of the athletes' village in "three waves" in the middle of the night, and did not seem likely to return. The Cameroon team's press attache Simon Molombe said he had "no idea" where the athletes were heading. "They just left in the night," he said. "When we got up in the morning, they were not there. It's very, very disappointing and very, very embarrassing for Cameroon. He told news.com.au he "doesn't think they'll come back". Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton — who is expected to comment on the athletes' reappearance today — warned: "If they don't want to be held in detention or locked up at the local watch house, they'd better jump on a plane before the 15th (of May)." Cameroon's chef de mission — having heard nothing from the eight missing members of his 24-strong team — said the matter was now in the hands of police and the Australian Government. Victor Agbor Nso told the BBC "the authorities are very disappointed with the deserters — some did not even compete". While police have not yet been looking for the athletes because they still have valid visas, Mr Nso said the Cameroon team had filed an official complaint. Cameroonian weightlifters Olivier Matam, Arcangeline Fouodji Sonkbou and Mikoumba Petit David and boxers Ndzie Tchoyi and Simplice Fotsala, Fokou Arsene, Christelle Ndiang and Yombo Ulrich are among those missing. A Rwandan athlete, two squash players from Sierra Leone and two athletes from Uganda later also disappeared. In 2006, at Melbourne's Commonwealth Games, more than 40 athletes or officials either overstayed, or sought asylum. The Sydney 2000 Olympics and London 2012 Olympics were also hit by stories of athletes overstaying their visas, with some applying for asylum. Ian Natherson, a migration consultant based on the Gold Coast, said he received more than 40 calls during the 2018 Commonwealth Games — mostly from African team members — looking for legal ways to stay in Australia afterwards. "Just walking down the street [here] the freedom you have — you cannot do that in a lot of African countries," he told the ABC. "I come from South Africa myself, where I would not walk the streets after dark. "I am sure a lot of them did do that here and just thoroughly enjoyed the freedom." Gold Coast 2018 organising corporation chairman Peter Beattie stressed the athletes remain within their visas and are free to travel within Australia. However, the situation has been deemed serious enough for Border Force to be contacted. Mr Beattie said it was up to the Cameroon team to monitor the situation up until the point the athletes break the conditions of the visas. "It happens at every Games. It's not a surprise," he said. "I don't want to be too blase, but I don't get too excited about this because I know there is a system to deal with it." Commonwealth Games Federation chief executive David Grevemberg stressed the athletes remained guests in Australia until midnight on May 15. "It's obviously disappointing that some of the athletes who've come didn't compete as they were scheduled to compete," he said. "These athletes are guests here in Australia at this time. They're still within their visas. They have the right to travel freely, but this is obviously an issue that team Cameroon is monitoring closely and until it becomes a real issue in terms of visas and so forth we would obviously have to take that very seriously." Gaining asylum depends on being able to convince authorities there is a threat to your life if you return to your home country. But the athletes may be eligible for special skills visas to allow them to live in Australia and compete professionally. For some, the risk of emerging from hiding and being sent home may be judged too great, and they may choose to stay under the radar, with no legal documents, living as best they can through menial jobs.   Mon, 14 May 2018 21:08:56 Z /news/gold-coast-2018/aussies-explain-cassie-staples-brain-explosion-that-helped-nz-win-sevens-gold/ /news/gold-coast-2018/aussies-explain-cassie-staples-brain-explosion-that-helped-nz-win-sevens-gold/ The Australian women's sevens team have rallied around 'distraught' rookie Cassie Staples following her embarrassing mistake that helped New Zealand claim gold at the Commonwealth Games. A 'miscommunication in the heat of the moment' was the explanation given for Staples decision to punt the ball into the stands on the regular time siren with the scores locked at 12-12. Australia came back from 12-0 down at halftime to lock the scores up at 12-12 in the closing stages with a conversion close to the posts. However, Aussie player Emma Sykes missed the conversion which would have given the hosts a 14-12 lead. Then, when Australia stole possession from New Zealand with time up on the clock Staples decided to kick the ball out instead of launch an attack. The kick forced the game to extra time where the Kiwis exacted revenge for their Rio Olympics final loss with Kelly Brazier streaking away for an 80m try to give New Zealand the gold. Australian captain Shannon Parry told media that Staples was distraught about her mistake. "I was on the bench but I have spoken to Cassie and a few of the players and they were saying 'have a crack, have a crack'," Parry said. "That got misinterpreted to kick out. Just a bit of miscommunication, that crowd could have been a factor as well. "But that's no reason for the loss. We were 12-all and still in with a shot. That's not a reason or an excuse. We will rally around each other, we won a silver medal which we are very proud of." As the incident unfolded Staples' teammates couldn't believe what they were seeing as the ball flew over the touchline. Staples quickly realised her mistake and the mortified look on her face said it all. Australian coach Tim Walsh said there were other mistakes in the final that counted more than Staples' blunder. "There was many mistakes in that game, that was one of them," Walsh said. "Things in sport and life go wrong. You've just got to park them and learn off them later." "They're pretty shattered. They gave it everything and didn't get the result. Very disappointed. "We had our chances, that's probably the biggest thing. So did the New Zealanders, and they were the last ones to get over and score the try." Mon, 16 Apr 2018 01:09:46 Z /news/gold-coast-2018/comm-games-success-raises-possibility-of-nz-hosting/ /news/gold-coast-2018/comm-games-success-raises-possibility-of-nz-hosting/ A successful Commonwealth Games came to a close last night. The Kiwi team finished with 15 golds and 46 medals overall - one more than Glasgow four years ago. Sport and Recreation Minister Grant Robertson says the Games were the most successful we've had outside of the two we've hosted. Robertson says you can't buy the pride of watching Sevens player Kelly Brazier's winning try to claim gold last night. "You can never measure the benefit of that, it's just part of who we are as New Zealanders, it's part of our national identity and something to be celebrated," he said. Robertson said it's amazing to see our athletes fight for and win medals at the pinnacle of their discipline. We put a decent amount of money into sport at all levels, he says, and seeing the result of the investment is satisfying for the athletes and the taxpayer. "These are the people who are the heroes for the next generation coming through, encouraging them to be fit and to be healthy and to engage in sport, and making them proud of their country." New Zealand finished fifth on the medal table, placing them just above South Africa and below Australia, England, India and Canada. It's the second best gold-medal haul after the 1990 Games in Auckland (17) and the total of 46 medals sit behind just the 1990 Games (58) and the 1950 Games (54), also in Auckland. The success of the games has opened up the tempting prospect of another New Zealand-hosted event. But Kiwi chef de mission Rob Waddell says it's important to look at the possibility properly. "I'd love to see us put our hand up, I'd love to see us have a look at it," the former Olympic rowing gold-medallist said. "It doesn't mean we have to commit - all it means is we open the books, we learn about it, and see what it would do for New Zealand." Waddell said the Commonwealth Games Federation's willingness to collaborate meant there was plenty of information available - economic benefit studies, infrastructure support and tourism information. "The ways of doing these partnerships means that governments don't have to write out really big cheques," Waddell said. "There's a lot of good that come from it. New buildings, low-cost housing, transport, you name it." Waddell said the Gold Coast Games medal tally showed that New Zealand sport was moving in the right direction, particularly given the targeted approach to funding. With 150 athletes from non-targeted sports in the 251-strong Kiwi team, Waddell said the results reinforced the benefits of the system. "I'd like to think that although funding is dispersed in different ways, we have got some good collaboration going on within the teams," Waddell said. "People are working together, sharing information, and the standard's getting higher." Kiwi Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Friday, meanwhile, that hosting a future Commonwealth Games event is "not currently on the table". Sun, 15 Apr 2018 19:17:58 Z /news/gold-coast-2018/double-commonwealth-gold-for-nz-rugby-sevens-team/ /news/gold-coast-2018/double-commonwealth-gold-for-nz-rugby-sevens-team/ It's double Commonwealth Games gold for the New Zealand rugby sevens team. The women's side clinched gold first in a thriller against Australia, winning 17-12 in extra time courtesy of a game-ending Kelly Brazier 80m try. The men followed shortly afterwards, stunning favourites Fiji 17-0. It was sweet revenge for the Black Ferns sevens team - two years after Australia's women left New Zealand heartbroken at the Rio Olympics, New Zealand returned the favour thanks to a stunning match-winning try from Kelly Brazier after the hooter in extra time. That they did it on Australian soil only magnifies the satisfaction. What an epic match this was, New Zealand claiming the first women's Commonwealth Games Sevens gold medal in the most dramatic fashion. New Zealand led 12-5 at the break but they couldn't be separated at full-time – Australia's Cassie Staples inexplicably kicking the ball out thinking her side had kicked a conversion to win it. How she will regret that costly moment. Though there were many defining instances in this gripping contest. In but one example Niall Williams pulled off a match-saving tackler at the death just before Brazier broke away. The 27,000-strong crowd traded chants of "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie" and "Kiwis, Kiwis" to form an amazing atmosphere at Robina Stadium. Australian country singer John Williamson sung "true blue" at the halftime break and it seemed to do the trick, inspiring a comeback to see the locals level 12-12 at the end of regulation. In punishing 31 degree heat, both teams were out on their feet, only for Brazier to step up with a piece of superb individual brilliance. Sun, 15 Apr 2018 06:15:36 Z /news/gold-coast-2018/live-updates-commonwealth-games-day-11-gold-coast/ /news/gold-coast-2018/live-updates-commonwealth-games-day-11-gold-coast/ Join us for live updates of the final day of the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast. Key events Rugby sevens, from 1.20pm Two semifinals and possibly to gold medal matches for the New Zealand sevens teams. The New Zealand women face England after cruising through pool play - scoring 18 tries and conceding just one. New Zealand are expected to win the semifinal and face Australia in a re-match of the Rio Olympics final. In the men's competition, the All Blacks sevens will also face England in the semifinals. Squash, 2pm Joelle King and Amanda Landers-Murphy face Indian pair Joshna Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal Karthik in the women's doubles gold medal match. King will capture her third medal of the Games - victory will mean her second gold while defeat will mean a nice sweep a gold, a silver and a bronze. Basketball, from 11am The Tall Blacks need to pick themselves up from a shocking performance in their semifinal defeat against Canada yesterday if they want to leave the Gold Coast with a medal. They face Scotland in the bronze medal game. The Scots beat England and India in pool play and Nigeria in the quarter-finals before a heavy defeat to Australia in the semifinals. Netball, from 1pm Another team who need to get up for a bronze game - the Silver Ferns. They were handily beaten by hosts Australia yesterday and today face Jamaica - a side they have lost to twice this year. A defeat would mean the first time at the Commonwealth Games that the Ferns will leave empty-handed Kiwis in action 11am – Basketball – Men's bronze game – NZ v Scotland1.02pm – Netball – Silver Ferns v Jamaica1.21pm – Rugby sevens – women's semifinal – NZ v England1.43pm - Rugby sevens –men's semifinal – NZ v England2pm – Squash – Women's doubles gold medal match – Joelle King/Amanda Landers-Murphy v India3.55pm - Rugby sevens – women's bronze final – if qualified4.17pm - Rugby sevens – men's bronze final – if qualified4.42pm - Rugby sevens – women's gold final – if qualified5.04pm - Rugby sevens – men's gold final – if qualified   Netball, from 1pm Another team who need to get up for a bronze game - the Silver Ferns. They were handily beaten by hosts Australia yesterday and today face Jamaica - a side they have lost to twice this year. A defeat would mean the first time at the Commonwealth Games that the Ferns will leave empty-handed. Sun, 15 Apr 2018 00:04:42 Z /news/gold-coast-2018/all-you-need-to-know-commonwealth-games-day-11/ /news/gold-coast-2018/all-you-need-to-know-commonwealth-games-day-11/ Key events Rugby sevens, from 1.20pm Two semifinals and possibly to gold medal matches for the New Zealand sevens teams. The New Zealand women face England after cruising through pool play - scoring 18 tries and conceding just one. New Zealand are expected to win the semifinal and face Australia in a re-match of the Rio Olympics final. In the men's competition, the All Blacks sevens will also face England in the semifinals. Squash, 2pm Joelle King and Amanda Landers-Murphy face Indian pair Joshna Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal Karthik in the women's doubles gold medal match. King will capture her third medal of the Games - victory will mean her second gold while defeat will mean a nice sweep a gold, a silver and a bronze. Basketball, from 11am The Tall Blacks need to pick themselves up from a shocking performance in their semifinal defeat against Canada yesterday if they want to leave the Gold Coast with a medal. They face Scotland in the bronze medal game. The Scots beat England and India in pool play and Nigeria in the quarter-finals before a heavy defeat to Australia in the semifinals. Netball, from 1pm Another team who need to get up for a bronze game - the Silver Ferns. They were handily beaten by hosts Australia yesterday and today face Jamaica - a side they have lost to twice this year. A defeat would mean the first time at the Commonwealth Games that the Ferns will leave empty-handed. Kiwis in actions 11am – Basketball – Men's bronze game – NZ v Scotland1.02pm – Netball – Silver Ferns v Jamaica1.21pm – Rugby sevens – women's semifinal – NZ v England1.43pm - Rugby sevens –men's semifinal – NZ v England2pm – Squash – Women's doubles gold medal match – Joelle King/Amanda Landers-Murphy v India3.55pm - Rugby sevens – women's bronze final – if qualified4.17pm - Rugby sevens – men's bronze final – if qualified4.42pm - Rugby sevens – women's gold final – if qualified5.04pm - Rugby sevens – men's gold final – if qualified Sat, 14 Apr 2018 21:41:23 Z /news/gold-coast-2018/live-updates-commonwealth-games-day-ten-gold-coast/ /news/gold-coast-2018/live-updates-commonwealth-games-day-ten-gold-coast/ Outclassed Black Sticks finish with silver The Commonwealth Games men's hockey final proved a step too far for New Zealand as they slumped to a 2-0 loss to Australia. Silver is still an outstanding performance within the context of the tournament. Coming in, New Zealand were ranked ninth in the world, and fourth in this event behind Australia, India and England. They have exceeded expectations. Silver Ferns to battle for bronze Mark this down as New Zealand netball's worst Commonwealth Games. Three losses on the Gold Coast, the latest to Australia in the semifinal, and yet the Silver Ferns somehow remain in contention for an unlikely bronze. Even that looks a long way off after Jamaica pushed England all the way in the other semi. Setting aside the mediocrity the Ferns fight for bronze, even that colour medal would fall well short of expectations for a team that's claimed two golds and three silver medals previously. Losing to Australia, defending champions, is no surprise on the back of defeats to Malawi and England in pool play. But the fact a pasting is now a formality has rendered a once mighty rivalry tenuous. Under Janine Southby, the Ferns have now lost nine of their past 11 against Australia. This was merely the latest in Southby's fast unravelling tenure – all sense says she has one game left before the SOS is sent to Noeline Taurua, if it hasn't already. Tall Ferns earn bronze The Tall Ferns coasted to a 2018 Commonwealth Games bronze medal with their 74-58 defeat of Canada. Hours after their male Tall Blacks counterparts were upset by the Canadians in their semi-final, the Ferns made no such mistake. They raced out to an early 16-12 first-quarter lead, with Micaela Cocks dictating proceedings, and stretched their lead to eight by half-time.Their third quarter was even more dominant, as Cocks made space for Natalie Taylor to drain several three-pointers and help her side to a 57-39 advantage. From that point, victory - and Games bronze - was a mere formality, despite a late Canadian surge to come within 10 points of New Zealand. The 35-year-old Taylor notched 18 points by the match's end, all of which from behind the three-point line, while Cocks earned 16. Charlisse Leger-Walker also chipped in with 18 points late on.Kalani Purcell dominated the boards for seven defensive rebounds, getting her side out of jail against Canada's tall centres, particularly Ruth Hamblin. The Kiwis made 28 defensive rebounds in total. Another medal for King and Coll Kiwi squash stars Joelle King and Paul Coll nabbed a Commonwealth Games bronze medal in the mixed doubles. The pair, who earned gold and silver respectively in the singles stakes, were dumped out of Friday's semi-final but cruised in Saturday's play-off. They crunched English pairing Alison Waters and Daryl Selby 11-6 11-6 in just 27 minutes, dominating from first point to last. They'll now pick up the bronze medal - following on the 29-year-old King's mixed doubles silver medal at the 2010 New Delhi Games. It's Coll's first squash doubles medal at the Games. Earlier in the day, King and women's doubles partner Amanda Landers-Murphy kept themselves in the gold-medal hunt by winning their semi-final. King and Landers-Murphy dispatched Australians Donna Urquhart and Rachael Grinham 11-9 11-5, cruising through in 20 minutes, and will be favourites against India's Joshna Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal Karthik in the final. Cui fails to make a splash Kiwi diver Elizabeth Cui has finished last in the final of the Commonwealth Games women's 3m springboard event. Cui could only manage a score of 247.10 from her five dives on Saturday evening, her best a first-round back two-and-a-half somersault. She finished 12th in the 12-strong final field, with Canadian Jennifer Abel taking out the gold medal with a score of 366.95. She had qualified on Saturday morning in 10th position, scoring 241.20. Fri, 13 Apr 2018 22:44:45 Z /news/gold-coast-2018/all-you-need-to-know-commonwealth-games-day-10/ /news/gold-coast-2018/all-you-need-to-know-commonwealth-games-day-10/ Key events Hockey, from 2.45pm Two gold medal matches for New Zealand hockey fans today. The women earned a spot in the gold medal match after a dramatic penalty shoot-out win over England. New Zealand have never won a hockey gold at the Games with Australia winning the last three. However, the Black Sticks are ranked ahead of the Aussies in the FIH world rankings, fourth vs fifth, and will have a huge amount of confidence they can make some history after breaking their penalty shootout drought in the semifinals. The men edged India to make the gold medal match for just the second time. Their gold medal match begins at 11.15pm. Netball, 7.02pm It wouldn't be a major netball tournament without a clash between these two teams - but it's a rarity that it isn't in a final. Due to the Silver Ferns poor run of form they face the hosts in tonight's semifinal. New Zealand have beaten Australia just twice in their 11 attempts and haven't looked like a side capable of matching the defending champs shot for shot, let alone cause a surprise. This rivalry has produced so many classic encounters in the past - here's hoping there's another one on the cards tonight. Cycling, from 9.45am New Zealand will send six men and six women into their respective road races, and it's frankly impossible to predict whether any of them will get a medal. The women's race has just 49 competitors, and the race will be dominated by the 18 Kiwi, Australian, and English riders. The women do six laps of the 18.7km course, which has a punchy short climb at the end which could create gaps. If it ends in a bunch sprint, Sharlotte Lucas is New Zealand's best shout, while Georgia Williams is a definite threat to attack from distance. The men's race starts at 2.30pm and takes in nine laps of the course, with a bigger field of 116 riders. Shane Archbold will be New Zealand's man for a sprint, while Jack Bauer will be a medal chance if he's fully recovered from racing in Paris Roubaix. England's Adam Blythe and Australia's Alex Edmondson are the favourites. Sam Gaze is also racing, so he'll be sure to sportingly stop to assist every rider who has a puncture or a crash. Rugby sevens, from 12.37pm The men's tournament begins with Glasgow silver medallists New Zealand facing Zambia in their opening pool game before games against Kenya and Canada. The women also have their final pool game against Canada which sure be a tight affair and decide which side will advance as top side in pool A. Basketball, 2.30pm The Tall Blacks are looking to reach the gold medal match for a second time with basketball only previously appearing the Commonwealth Games 12 years ago in Melbourne. Mika Vikuna was part of that team in Melbourne. Kiwis in action 9.45am – Cycling - Women's road race – Rushlee Buchnanan, Kate McIlroy, Linda Villumsen, Georgia Williams, Bryony Botha, Sharlotte Lucas. 11am – Shooting – Men's trap qualification day 2 – Myles Browne-Cole, Owen Robinson 12.07pm – Diving - Women's Springboard preliminary – Elizabeth Cui 12.36pm – Wrestling - Women's freestyle 62kg – Tayla Ford v Michaell Fazzari (Canada) 12.37pm – Rugby sevens – Men's – NZ v Zambia 1.18pm – Wrestling – Men's freestyle 86kg ¼ final – Toby Fitzpatrick v TBC 1.18pm - Wrestling - Women's freestyle 62kg – Tayla Ford v Etane Ngolle (Cameroon) 1.48pm - Wrestling - Women's freestyle 62kg – Tayla Ford v Aminat Adeniyi (Nigeria) 2.30pm – Cycling - Men's road race – Shane Archbold, Jack Bauer, James Oram, Hayden McCormick, Sam Gaze, Jason Christie 2.30pm – Basketball – Men's semifinal – NZ v Canada 2.45pm – Hockey – Women's gold medal match – NZ v Australia 2.49pm – Rugby sevens – Women – NZ v Canada 3.32pm – Boxing – Men's 91kg gold medal bout – David Nyika v Jason Whateley 4pm – Squash – Women's doubles semifinal – Joelle King/Amanda Landers-Murphy v Australia 4.17pm - Rugby sevens – Men's – NZ v Kenya 4.35pm – Athletics – Men's javelin final – Ben Langton-Burnell 5.20pm – Athletics – Women's 5000 final – Camille Buscomb 7.02pm – Netball – Semifinal – NZ v Australia 7.06pm - Wrestling - Women's freestyle 62kg – Tayla Ford v Sakshi Malik (India) 8pm – Squash – Mixed doubles bronze medal – Joelle King and Paul Coll v England 8pm - Basketball - Women's bronze medal game - NZ v Canada 10.49pm – Rugby sevens – Men's pool game – NZ v Canada 11.15pm - Hockey - men's gold medal match - NZ v Australia Fri, 13 Apr 2018 21:59:26 Z /news/gold-coast-2018/valerie-adams-finishes-second-in-shot-put-final/ /news/gold-coast-2018/valerie-adams-finishes-second-in-shot-put-final/ Dame Valerie Adams attempted to glide, throw and conquer last night on the Gold Coast. The 33-year-old shot putter was trying to become the first female track and field athlete and the first New Zealander to win gold medals at four Commonwealth Games. She took silver. Her best throw of 18.70m was achieved in front of her family in Carrara Stadium, including husband Gabriel, mother-in-law Noma, and six-month-old daughter Kimoana. Jamaican Danniel Thomas-Dodd triumphed with a personal best 19.36m in the fifth round. She had been the best Commonwealth thrower this year with a 19.22m put at the world indoor championships in Birmingham on March 2. "I went over and congratulated her," Adams said of their embrace in the in-field. "She threw phenomenally well, I knew she was in shape and it would take over 19m to win."She said 'thank you' for being an inspiration for many years. I congratulated her on a national record and PB [personal best]. She is the future, it was a beautiful moment." Canadian Brittany Crew took bronze with 18.32m. Fans may have witnessed Adams' last major performance. The challenge was one of her biggest in a storied 16-year run. She had returned from a Caesarian section after giving birth in October, and only started full training in January. Adams first represented New Zealand at a Games as a 17-year-old in Manchester 2002, where she secured silver. Victories followed in Melbourne, Delhi and Glasgow. She threw a season best 18.70m with her first attempt. She backed up with 18.65m, 18.03m, a foul throw, 18.40m and 18.55m. "I cannot ask for more than that, it wouldn't have been possible," Adams said. "I didn't know what I was getting into when signing up for this, but I have total respect for every mother out there. "I was given the opportunity to chase these Commonwealth Games by my family. Having my child brought to me [afterwards] brought so much emotion. I'm doing this for her. It touched my heart, and I drew motivation." Adams remains alongside fellow thrower Val Young (1958, 1962 and 1966), shooter Stephen Petterson (1990, 1994 and 1998), rugby sevens player Amasio Valence (1998, 2002 and 2006) and lawn bowler Jo Edwards (2002, 2014, 2018) with three gold medals at separate editions of the event. She paid tribute to her mother-in-law who took a term's leave from her job as a teacher aide at Sutton Park School in Mangere East to help look after Kimoana during work days.That sacrifice enabled her daughter-in-law to train. "She's been the most important person by allowing me to do this, and taking care of my child," Adams said. "I didn't know what being a mother would be like, the dynamics of it, and how I was going to juggle training fulltime. But she made that choice possible by stepping up and taking care of baby. "I was totally overcome with emotion when they handed her to me after competition. That gave me perspective on life and how important it is to build one around a sporting career." Only Adams will know if this represents her final campaign. Priorities have changed for the world's most dominant female shot putter of any era. She could be ready to set her horizons elsewhere, having achieved everything but the world record. Whatever she decides, her career will be worthy of celebration after mesmerising the public at an elite level for half her life. Chances are an exit strategy will be given serious thought. Time will be required to mull over her options, so don't expect a decision after this meet. A departure seems more likely, once the spotlight has come off her compatriots' feats on the Gold Coast. Fri, 13 Apr 2018 18:27:12 Z /news/gold-coast-2018/live-updates-commonwealth-games-day-nine-gold-coast/ /news/gold-coast-2018/live-updates-commonwealth-games-day-nine-gold-coast/ Join us for live updates of day nine of the Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast. (function(d, s, id) {var js,ijs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(d.getElementById(id))return;js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//embed.scribblelive.com/widgets/embed.js";ijs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, ijs);}(document, 'script', 'scrbbl-js')); Key events Athletics, from 1.10pm Two of New Zealand's biggest names competing on the Gold Coast both go for gold at Carrara Stadium tonight. Dame Valerie Adams is out to claim the Commonwealth Games shot put title for a fourth straight time. In qualifying yesterday her one throw was more than a metre further than the next best competitor. The final begins at 10.40pm. Rio bronze medallist Eliza McCartney will be in action 80 minutes earlier. McCartney goes into the pole vault with the highest PB of all competitors at 4.82m but her season's best of 4.75 is slightly lower than England's Holly Bradshaw. Expect a battle between the Kiwi, Bradshaw, two Canadians Alysha Newman and Anika Newell along with Aussie Nina Kennedy. Kiwi runner Jake Robertson is another medal chance in the 10,000m final. Robertson finished seventh in the seventh at the Glasgow Games. Boxing, from 2.30pm New Zealand could win four boxing medals today. But that would be a bad thing since all fig. Four Kiwis are competing in semifinals from 2.32pm when Troy Garton squares off against Anja Stridsman (Australia) in the women's 60kg semifinals. She's followed by Glasgow gold medalist David Nyika in the 91kg semifinal against Cheavon Clarke (England). Alexis Prichard is in the 57kg semifinals against Michaela Walsh (England) with Men's +91kg boxer Patrick Mailata up against Frazer Clarke (England) in the last fight of the night, Shooting, from 11am Olympic silver medallist Natalie Rooney will look to get one over Australian Catherine Skinner who pipped her for gold at the Rio Olympics two years ago. Rooney finished fourth in Glasgow four years ago and was third at the Commonwealth championships last year. Qualification begins at 11am with the final set to begin just before 6pm. Rugby sevens, from 6.53pm The women's rugby sevens competition makes its debut at the Commonwealth Games with New Zealand beginning day one with pool matches against Kenya and South Africa. Basketball, from 11pm The Tall Ferns face a tall order to beat Australia and reach the gold medal match. The Opals have four WNBA players on their roster and one former WNBA champion. Hockey from 9.30pm The men's Black Sticks are looking to reach just their second ever gold medal match at the Commonwealth Games. That was back in 2002 when there were defeated by Australia. Kiwis in action Potential medals in bold 11am – Shooting - Women's trap qualification – Natalie Rooney11.30am – Shooting - Men's trap qualification day 1 – Myles Browne-Cole, Owen Robinson12.07pm – Synchronised swimming - Women's 1m Springboard preliminary – Shaye Boddington, Elizabeth Cui12.30pm – Wrestling - Men's freestyle 97kg 1/8 final – Samuel Belkin v Martin Erasmus (South Africa)12.30pm – Wrestling - Women's freestyle 57kg group B – Ana Moceyawa v Emily Schaefer (Canada)12.30pm – Wrestling - Women's freestyle 57kg group B - Ana Moceyawa v Pooja Dhanda (India)1pm – Squash - Women's doubles quarter-final – Joelle King/Amanda Landers-Murphy v England 1.10pm – Athletics - Men's javelin qualifying round – Ben Langton Burnell 1.22pm – Wrestling - Men's freestyle 65kg 1/8 final – Brahm Richards v Bajrang (India)2.32pm - Boxing – Women's 60kg semifinal – Troy Garton v Anja Stridsman (Australia) – defeat means bronze5.17pm – Boxing – Men's 91kg semifinal – David Nyika v Cheavon Clarke (England) – defeat means bronze5.55pm – Shooting - Women's trap final – Natalie Rooney – if qualified6.53pm – Rugby sevens - Women's pool game – New Zealand v Kenya7pm - Wrestling - Men's freestyle 65kg gold medal match - Brahm Richards – if qualified7pm - Wrestling - Women's freestyle 57kg gold medal match - Ana Moceyawa – if qualified7pm - Wrestling - Men's freestyle 97kg gold medal match – Samuel Belkin – if qualified 8pm - Mixed doubles semifinal - Joelle King/Paul Coll v India8.32pm – Boxing – Women's 57kg semifinal – Alexis Prichard v Michaela Walsh (England) – defeat means bronze9.07pm - Synchronised swimming -Women's 1m Springboard final – Shaye Boddington, Elizabeth Cui - if qualified9.25pm – Athletics - Women's pole vault final – Eliza McCartney, Olivia McTaggart9.30pm - Hockey - Men's semifinal – New Zealand v India9.33pm - Rugby sevens - Women's pool game – New Zealand v South Africa10.40pm – Athletics - Women's shot put final – Valerie Adams11pm - Basketball – Women's semifinal – New Zealand v Australia11.10pm – Athletics - Men's 10,000 final – Jake Robertson11.47pm – Boxing – Men's +91kg semifinal – Patrick Mailata v Frazer Clarke (England) – defeat means bronze Thu, 12 Apr 2018 23:30:13 Z /news/gold-coast-2018/feud-spoils-mountain-biking-success/ /news/gold-coast-2018/feud-spoils-mountain-biking-success/ A clash of New Zealand personalities has overshadowed the country's gold-silver result in the men's mountain bike race on the Gold Coast. Sam Gaze and Anton Cooper have completed a repeat one-two finish at the Commonwealth Games, reversing the order from the last Games in Glasgow. Gaze delivered a blistering final lap after a puncture, as Cooper looked set to defend his title in the dramatic denouement. Gaze called on all his will to elbow past Cooper and avenge his silver from four years ago. However, the win came with rancour. "There's good sportsmanship and there's not, and I felt like that wasn't there today," Gaze said. "It's a bit of a shame really. I have the utmost respect for the guy, even with that move and before the finish. That's racing, you can't get along with everyone. The good guys always win." "The sprint at the top was quite a drag before the last downhill," Cooper said. "I knew that would be crucial, that was kind of the finish line and he managed to sneak around me there. I didn't close the door early enough. I couldn't have drifted any harder across because that wouldn't have been fair." Entering the final lap, Gaze was leading but decided to pull off to get air in his back tyre. A mechanic blasted a CO2 cannister into the valve in the hope it would last until the finish. Cooper pounced on the advantage. Shortly afterwards, Gaze was ushered through by second-placed South African Alan Hatherly to continue duelling with his compatriot. He came from an estimated 28s back to regather the lead in an elbow-to-elbow passing manoeuvre, creating one of the Games' most thrilling moments. "I had the motivation from four years ago where I felt a bit robbed," Gaze said. "Today I wasn't accepting anything other than a win. "I've built the sort of perseverance to handle something like that [a flat tyre] over the past 12 months. If it had happened before then, my race would've been done. "I had a small problem on the back wheel but I was able to get back into the race." Cooper said he couldn't think of anything he would've done to change the result. "I might look back later and think I could've done something. Even on the last lap I don't know what happened to Sam, I saw he stopped. When he came through the tyre looked fine and it's not my job to sit around and ask. I kept on riding. "I thought at that point it was me and the South African heading up the hill, so I attacked, then saw Sam 15-20m behind. Earlier, the pair worked alongside Hatherly to build a lock on the podium. Fellow Kiwi Ben Oliver was fourth. According to news.com.au, fans and experts picked up on the "civil war", with Aussie cycling great and Channel 7 commentator Scott McGrory calling it "awkward". As Gaze crossed the line he held his index finger to his mouth trying to silence either his critics or his teammate. He was earlier seen flipping the bird - presumably at Cooper. "There will not be happy beers for the Kiwi club tonight, not too happy whatsoever," McGrory said. "There's no love lost between them here. "No hugs between the Kiwis. Gold and silver medals but certainly no big embracing hugs. "They are fired up, the New Zealanders." "There was no love lost whatsoever between the men who finished three seconds apart four years ago and the clock not actually separating them here," Channel 7's Basil Zempilas added. "This is the incident that has got the New Zealanders up and about, you saw the arm come out there, that was interesting from Samuel gaze." Zempilas said Cooper might think about launching an official protest. "Can't believe there's contact from his teammate like that," Zempilas said. "I wonder if we have not heard the end of this yet. The sprint to the finish was pretty clean but it was that contact back about 300m or 400m from the end, he silences his teammate, his finger goes up first, is there more to be written?" No official protest was made. Thu, 12 Apr 2018 08:27:27 Z /news/gold-coast-2018/live-updates-commonwealth-games-day-eight-gold-coast/ /news/gold-coast-2018/live-updates-commonwealth-games-day-eight-gold-coast/ All the sporting news that happened overnight. Black Sticks end shootout curse Finally, the Black Sticks win a penalty shootout. And what a time to do it. Black Sticks captain Stacey Michelson, Samantha Harrison and keeper Grace O'Hanlon, with a heroic effort, proved match winners as New Zealand snuck past England in their Commonwealth Games semifinal to progress to contest gold against host Australia tomorrow. Nightmares must have been flooding back for the Black Sticks. Penalty shootouts are not their thing at major events. Four years ago in Glasgow, the Black Sticks lost a penalty shootout against England at this same stage after being locked 1-1 at fulltime. Two years prior it was a similar story, the Black Sticks losing a shootout to the Netherlands in the semifinal of the 2012 London Olympics. Not this time. They refused to let history and heartbreak repeat. Another 'heart-breaking' fourth Discus thrower Siositina Hakeai was robbed of a Commonwealth Games bronze in the final round at the athletics field last night. Hakeai was sitting in third place with a best effort of 57.16 but ended up finishing fourth for the second straight Commonwealth Games after Indian competitor Navjeet Dhillon bettered the Kiwi by just 37 centimetres with her sixth and final effort. "Finishing fourth on my last round…it's heart-breaking. But there's nothing I can do. I can only come back stronger," Hakeai said. "I was really happy with the distance considering there was no wind but I know I'm much better than what did today. It's just heart-breaking." Kiwi runner Brad Mathas finished strong to run a personal best and claim a fifth placing in the 800m final, won by Wycliffe Kinyamal of Kenya. Mathas said it was a stepping stone towards the Tokyo Olympics. He also noted he couldn't wait to eat some food in the athletes' village. "I love food. I've been looking at the food in the dining hall and I'm going to smash it when I've finished this. They've got these little profiteroles things, I'm going to make a pyramid of those and start eating." More success for squash players Joelle King and Paul Coll advanced to the squash mixed doubles semifinals after a hard fought 11-10, 11-10 win over Indian pair Joshna Chinappa and Harinder Pal Sandhu. They will now face another India duo Saurav Ghosal and Dipika Pallikal Karthik today for a spot in the gold medal match. Coll backed that up with a straight sets win in the men's doubles round of 16 clash with Campbell Grayson to advance to the quarter-finals. More athletes go walkabout A men's squash pairing from Sierra Leone and a Rwandan para-powerlifting coach are the latest African absentees to go missing from the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. Hours after Australian Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton warned athletes who breached their visa conditions they'd be tracked down, locked up and deported, Sierra Leone's Ernest Jombla and Yusif Mansaray did not appear for their men's doubles match on Thursday morning. It means Jombla and Mansaray failed to appear for either of their matches on the Gold Coast after skipping Tuesday's clash with Welsh pair Peter Creed and Joel Makin. Despite the pair not making their matches, Sierra Leone officials insisted both were still at the village and had merely confused the times of their events.   Wed, 11 Apr 2018 23:01:07 Z /news/gold-coast-2018/commonwealth-games-all-you-need-to-know-day-eight/ /news/gold-coast-2018/commonwealth-games-all-you-need-to-know-day-eight/ Key events Mountain biking, from 12.31pm One of the ever-lasting images for New Zealand at the Commonwealth Games four years ago was cross-country rider Anton Cooper leading teammate Sam Gaze across the finish line in a one-two finish. The two return in today's cross country event alongside teammate Ben Oliver. The men's race, at 3.31pm, will follow the women's event at 12.31pm which features New Zealand's Samara Sheppard. Athletics, from 2.15pm A first for Valerie Adams, competing at a Commonwealth Games as a Dame. Adams is out to claim the Commonwealth Games shot put title for a fourth straight time as she appears in qualifying today. She returns to the field for her first major competition since giving birth to daughter Kimoana in October. Also in athletics morning session, runner Angela Petty competes in the 800m heats. In the night session, Nicholas South features in the pole vault final, Sositina Hakeai in the women's discus and Brad Mathas in the 800m final. Lawn bowls, from 2.30pm The open triples B6/B7/B8 lawn bowls team of Barry Wynks, Bruce Wakefield and Mark Noble will play for a gold medal today. They easily saw of England to advance to the gold medal match where they will face Australia. In other events, Shannon McIlroy looks to book a spot in the singles semifinals while the men's fours also have knock-out matches. Beach volleyball, from 5.30pm Brothers Sam and Ben O'Dea play for a bronze medal on the golden sands of the Gold Coast. After losing their semifinal to a Canadian duo last night, the Bay of Plenty pair will face England's Chris Gregory and Jake Sheaf in the bronze medal match - who they beat 2-1 in pool play. Hockey, from 9pm The Black Sticks women's side face England for a spot in the gold medal match. New Zealand have only made the final once at the Commonwealth Games, in 2010 when they lost a shoot-out to Australia. England and New Zealand clashed in the same stage four years ago with England winning, in a shootout. In the other semifinal hosts Australia play India. Kiwis in action Possible medals in bold 11am – Lawn bowls - Men's fours section play - NZ v Wales11am – Lawn bowls - Men's singles quarter-final – Shannon McIlroy v Robert Paxton (England)12pm – Shooting - Queen's prize individual – day 2 – Brian Carter and John Snowden 12.07pm – Diving - Men's 3m springboard preliminary – Anton Down-Jenkins, Liam Stone12.31pm - Wrestling - Men's 74kg - Akash Khullar1pm - Badminton – Mixed doubles round of 16 – Oliver Leydon-Davis/Susannah Leydon-Davis12.31 – Mountain biking - Women's cross country – Samara Sheppard 1.50pm – Squash - Men's doubles pool game - Lance Beddoes/Evan Williams v St Vincent and Grenadines 2.15pm – Athletics - Women's shot put qualifying - Valerie Adams 2.20pm – Athletics - Women's 800m heat – Angela Petty 2.30pm - Open triples B6/B7/B8 bronze or gold medal match v Australia2.30pm – Lawn bowls - Men's fours quarter-final v TBC3.31pm - Mountain biking - Men's cross country – Anton Cooper, Sam Gaze, Ben Oliver4pm - Shooting - Women's 50m rifle prone - Janet Hunt, Sally Johnston5.30pm - Beach volleyball - Bronze medal match - Ben O'Dea/Sam O'Dea v England7.30pm – Lawn bowls - Men's fours semifinal – if qualified9pm – Hockey - Semifinal - Women's Black Sticks v England9.07pm - Diving - Men's 3m springboard final - Anton Down-Jenkins - if qualified9.25pm – Athletics - Men's pole vault final – Nicholas Southgate 10.40pm – Athletics - Women's discus final – Sositina Hakeai12.13am – Athletics - Men's 800m final – Brad Mathas Wed, 11 Apr 2018 18:26:36 Z /news/gold-coast-2018/katrina-grant-reduced-to-tears-in-post-match-interview/ /news/gold-coast-2018/katrina-grant-reduced-to-tears-in-post-match-interview/ Silver Ferns captain Katrina Grant hit back at suggestions the team lacked pride after falling to their worst ever loss against England at the Commonwealth Games on Wednesday. After a shock loss to Malawi earlier in their campaign, with New Zealand side were beaten by England, who's 54-45 win was their first over the Kiwi side in a major medal tournament. READ MORE: Silver Ferns slip to heaviest-ever defeat to England In a television interview after the match, Grant was reduced to tears at suggestions the struggling team lacked pride, but set the record straight on the matter. "Of course we have pride in this black dress. It means a lot to every single one of us," Grant said. "We were little kids, you know younger girls growing up playing netball, and this is all we wanted. There's a lot of pride in this dress and it's a lot to take." New Zealand Netball team manager Esther Malloy comforts Katrina Grant as she leaves the court after losing to England. (Photo / Greg Bowker) The loss meant the Ferns had to play a waiting game to see if they progressed from the pool stages of the Games. If Uganda beat Scotland by 38 goals or Malawi beat Wales by 79 goals, the Ferns would fall short of the semifinals. Should the New Zealand side qualify for the semifinals, they'll likely be matched up against gold-medal favourites Australia. The Diamonds meet Jamaica later tonight to finalise the standings in pool A - with both teams currently unbeaten with four wins. The winner will play the second-placed team from pool B in the semifinals - possibly New Zealand - while the loser will meet England. Wed, 11 Apr 2018 03:51:29 Z /news/gold-coast-2018/england-hand-silver-ferns-second-loss-of-commonwealth-games/ /news/gold-coast-2018/england-hand-silver-ferns-second-loss-of-commonwealth-games/ Vastly improved but, on their day of reckoning, still not nearly good enough. The Silver Ferns' hopes of progressing to the Commonwealth Games semifinals are out of their hands after a 54-45 final pool loss England on the Gold Coast. Despite two pool losses, the Ferns are still in the box seat to make the last four and contest a bronze medal due to their superior goal differential. While Malawi shocked the Ferns on Sunday, their loss to Uganda leaves those three teams with two defeats each in Pool B. The Ferns started this match with a 47 goal advantage (27.5 percentage points) but now have to wait until Uganda takes on Scotland later tonight to learn their fate. For context, the Ferns defeated Scotland by 31 goals so any outcome remains possible. Given in five previous Games the Ferns won two gold and three silver medals, this tournament represents a failure to get anywhere near expected standards. Should the Ferns not make it out of their pool it would be a truly embarrassing state of affairs for all involved. Winning five of their past 16 games also puts Janine Southby's role as head coach under major scrutiny. Not so long ago it would be inconceivable for the Ferns to start underdogs against England but after the Malawi meltdown and the Red Roses' unbeaten run at the Games, the tables had turned. Today the Ferns at least showed spirit. In truth this was probably their best performance in the past year. Their defensive especially could do no more. Katrina Grant and the tenacious Temalisi Fakahokotau forced turnovers and contested rebounds. Unfortunately for them, too many of the 11 intercepts were squandered. Maria Folau (30/39) did her best to drop long bombs but 73 per cent shooting from the Ferns was not good enough. Te Paea Selby-Rickit (12/19) felt the pressure and Bailey Mes' brief introduction did not have the desired impact. Elsewhere Grace Kara struggled to hit her mark in the midcourt. Four years ago in Glasgow, England capitulated in final stages of their semifinal against the Ferns. The final quarter here featured a string of wayward passes, missed shots and errors as both teams hit panic mode, doing their best to throw victory away. This time, though, England held their nerve for their first Games win over the Ferns. They progress top of Pool B and will meet the loser of the Australia-Jamaica game today. The anguish on Grant's face as a replay ball call went against her near the finish told the story of this sorry campaign. Now the Ferns wait. Wed, 11 Apr 2018 00:57:22 Z /news/gold-coast-2018/live-updates-commonwealth-games-day-seven/ /news/gold-coast-2018/live-updates-commonwealth-games-day-seven/ As it happened: Day seven of the Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast. (function(d, s, id) {var js,ijs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(d.getElementById(id))return;js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//embed.scribblelive.com/widgets/embed.js";ijs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, ijs);}(document, 'script', 'scrbbl-js')); Key events Netball from 11am If the Silver Ferns want to prove they a worthy of another Commonwealth Games medal then a victory over England in their final pool match would go a long way. Following their shock defeat to Malawi, New Zealand need a win to secure a spot in the semifinals. That however means they will likely face Australia in the semifinals. The hosts face Jamaica in the final group game at 11pm, 12 hours after the SIlver Ferns v England clash. Boxing from 2.17pm Kiwi boxer Tamsyn Benny is already guranteed a bronze medal having reached the semifinals of the 45-48kg event. She faces Northern Ireland's Kristina O'Hara for a spot in the final and a shot at the gold medal. There are two more boxers in quarter-final action with Troy Garton looking to secure at least a bronze with quarter-final victory against Botswana's Aratwa Kasemang. While Ryan Scaife faces Seyu Ntsengue (Cameroon) in the men's 75kg quarter-finals. Hockey from 6.30pm The Black Sticks men's side look face a big task against hosts and defending Commonwealth Games champions Australia. Both sides go into the game with three wins and a points difference of 13. A win would make New Zealand gold medal favourites. Athletics from 11.06pm It will be a bit of a wait to see the one Kiwi in action on the track with Joseph Millar competing in the men's 200m semifinal heats. There will be medals handed out in the women's javelin, men's high jump, men's long jump, men's F38 shot put, the women's 3000m steeplechase, women's T35 100m and the women's 400m. Beach Volleyball, from 7pm Brothers Ben and Sam O'Dea can book a spot in the gold medal match with a victory over Canadian duo Samuel Pedlow and Sam Schachter. The Canadians haven't dropped a set at all on the Gold Coast. Kiwis in action Potential medals in bold 11am – Netball - Silver Ferns v England pool play 11am – Lawn bowls -Men's singles section play – Shannon McIlroy v India11am – Lawn bowls - Women's pairs section play – Jo Edwards/Val Smith v Canada11am – Shooting - 50m pistol men's qualification – Yue Zhao11am – Shooting - Men's double trap qualification – Scott Wilson11am – Badminton - Mixed doubles round of 32 – Oliver and Susannah Leydon-Davis v Jamaica 12pm - Shooting - Queen's prize individual – day 1 – Brian Carter and John Snowden 12.07pm – Diving – Men's 1m springboard preliminary – Liam Stone1pm – Squash - Women's doubles – Joelle King/Amanda Landers-Murphy v Australia1pm – Squash - Men's doubles – Paul Coll/Campbell Grayson v Malta2pm - Lawn bowls - Women's pairs section play – Jo Edwards/Val Smith v Norfolk Island2pm - Shooting - 50m pistol men's finals – if qualified2.07pm – Diving – Women's 3m synchro springboard – Elizabeth Cui, Yu Qian Goh2.17pm – Boxing - Women's 45-48kg semifinal – Tamsyn Benny v Kristina O'Hara (N Ireland)2.47pm – Boxing - Women's 69kg quarter-final – Troy Garton v Aratwa Kasemang (Botswana)3pm - Rhythmic Gymnastics - Stella Ebert3.15pm – Squash - Mixed doubles – Joelle King/Paul Coll v Malta 5.02pm – Boxing - Men's 75kg quarter-final – Ryan Scaife v Seyu Ntsengue (Cameroon)5.45pm - Shooting - Men's double trap final – if qualified6pm – Lawn bowls - Women's triples section play – Mandy Boyd/Katelyn Inch/Tayla Bruce v Wales6pm – Lawn bowls - Men's fours section play v Papua New Guinea6.30pm – Lawn bowls - Open B6/B7/B8 Triples semifinal v England6.30pm – Hockey - Black Sticks men v Australia, pool play7pm – Beach Volleyball - Men's semifinal – Ben O'Dea/Sam O'Dea v Canada9pm – Lawn bowls - Men's fours section play v Canada9.07pm – Diving – Men's 1m springboard final – Liam Stone - if qualified9.30pm – Squash - Men's doubles - Lance Beddoes/Evan Williams v Malaysia11.06pm – Athletics - Men's 200m semifinal – Joseph Millar TBC – Beach Volleyball - Women's semifinal – Shaunna Polley/Kelsie Wills – if qualified    Tue, 10 Apr 2018 23:01:05 Z /news/gold-coast-2018/julia-ratcliffe-claims-superb-gold-in-hammer-throw/ /news/gold-coast-2018/julia-ratcliffe-claims-superb-gold-in-hammer-throw/ A stunned Julia Ratcliffe has gone a step further than in 2014, claiming a brilliant Commonwealth Games gold medal in the hammer throw. Ratcliffe overcome an "absolutely abysmal" warm-up to put on a supremely consistent display of throwing at Carrara Stadium, pouncing when her main rivals failed, to claim gold with a best throw of 69.94 metres. The 24-year-old had claimed silver in Glasgow, with a best throw of 69.96, but she produced a top display in wet conditions to win New Zealand's first ever gold medal in the discipline. "I wasn't expecting it," admitted Ratcliffe. "This competition, I've wanted to win it more than any other. It was probably one of the best series of my life out there. Even though it wasn't the biggest distances, it was the most consistent." Why was her consistency important? Well, as she reeled off six consecutive throws between 66 and 70 metres, her main rivals – Canada's Jillian Weir and Olympic bronze medalist Sophie Hitchon of England - both failed to record a legitimate throw on their first three attempts. As a result, they were stunningly eliminated from the competition when the field was culled to eight halfway through the event. All of a sudden, Ratcliffe was the woman to beat, a fact she soon realised while watching on. "I saw Sophie's foul, and Jillian had already left, and I was sitting there thinking "I could win a gold medal right now" - it was just so incredible." It was also a significant contrast to her warm-up; a horror beginning to a day which looked like it could end up in disaster for the Hamiltonian. "I had an absolutely abysmal warmup, honestly, I thought I was going to lose it, completely, but I managed to pull it back together. "It honestly looked like someone had been picked out of the crowd and said "Have a toss" - I don't know what happened. I'm proud I managed to get it back cause I was a bit scared for a second." It ultimately had no impact on her performance when it mattered, with Ratcliffe setting a strong early standard. Her second throw of 68.60 was nearly matched by her fourth attempt of 68.56 – both throws better than anything her competitors could muster. Her early efforts gave her a 60 centimetre lead over Australia's Alexandra Hulley, and Hulley proved to be her only remaining rival as the event ticked down to a thrilling conclusion. There, Ratcliffe found a new level, with her penultimate throw of 69.94 metres giving her breathing room. She ultimately didn't need it, with Hulley failing to fire on her last two attempts, and Ratcliffe taking home a stunning gold. Tue, 10 Apr 2018 18:12:00 Z /news/gold-coast-2018/all-you-need-to-know-todays-comm-games-action-day-7/ /news/gold-coast-2018/all-you-need-to-know-todays-comm-games-action-day-7/ Key events Netball from 11am If the Silver Ferns want to prove they a worthy of another Commonwealth Games medal then a victory over England in their final pool match would go a long way. Following their shock defeat to Malawi, New Zealand need a win to secure a spot in the semifinals. That however means they will likely face Australia in the semifinals. The hosts face Jamaica in the final group game at 11pm, 12 hours after the Silver Ferns v England clash. Boxing from 2.17pm Kiwi boxer Tamsyn Berry is already guaranteed a bronze medal having reached the semifinals of the 45-48kg event. She faces Northern Ireland's Kristina O'Hara for a spot in the final and a shot at the gold medal. There are two more boxers in quarter-final action with Troy Garton looking to secure at least a bronze with quarter-final victory against Botswana's Aratwa Kasemang. While Ryan Scaife faces Seyu Ntsengue (Cameroon) in the men's 75kg quarter-finals. Hockey from 6.30pm The Black Sticks men's side look to face a big task against hosts and defending Commonwealth Games champions Australia. Both sides go into the game with three wins and a points difference of 13. A win would make New Zealand gold medal favourites. Athletics from 11.06pm It will be a bit of a wait to see the one Kiwi in action on the track with Joseph Millar competing in the men's 200m semifinal heats. There will be medals handed out in the women's javelin, men's high jump, men's long jump, men's F38 shot put, the women's 3000m steeplechase, women's T35 100m and the women's 400m. Beach Volleyball, from 7pm Brothers Ben and Sam O'Dea can book a spot in the gold medal match with a victory over Canadian duo Samuel Pedlow and Sam Schachter. The Canadians haven't dropped a set at all on the Gold Coast. Kiwis in action Potential medals in bold 11am – Netball - Silver Ferns v England pool play 11am – Lawn bowls -Men's singles section play – Shannon McIlroy v India11am – Lawn bowls - Women's pairs section play – Jo Edwards/Val Smith v Canada11am – Shooting - 50m pistol men's qualification – Yue Zhao11am – Shooting - Men's double trap qualification – Scott Wilson11am – Badminton - Mixed doubles round of 32 – Oliver and Susannah Leydon-Davis v Jamaica 12pm - Shooting - Queen's prize individual – day 1 – Brian Carter and John Snowden 12.07pm – Diving – Men's 1m springboard preliminary – Liam Stone1pm – Squash - Women's doubles – Joelle King/Amanda Landers-Murphy v Australia1pm – Squash - Men's doubles – Paul Coll/Campbell Grayson v Malta2pm - Lawn bowls - Women's pairs section play – Jo Edwards/Val Smith v Norfolk Island2pm - Shooting - 50m pistol men's finals – if qualified2.07pm – Diving – Women's 3m synchro springboard – Elizabeth Cui, Yu Qian Goh2.17pm – Boxing - Women's 45-48kg semifinal – Tamsyn Berry v Kristina O'Hara (N Ireland)2.47pm – Boxing - Women's 69kg quarter-final – Troy Garton v Aratwa Kasemang (Botswana)3pm - Rhythmic Gymnastics - Stella Ebert3.15pm – Squash - Mixed doubles – Joelle King/Paul Coll v Malta 5.02pm – Boxing - Men's 75kg quarter-final – Ryan Scaife v Seyu Ntsengue (Cameroon)5.45pm - Shooting - Men's double trap final – if qualified6pm – Lawn bowls - Women's triples section play – Mandy Boyd/Katelyn Inch/Tayla Bruce v Wales6pm – Lawn bowls - Men's fours section play v Papua New Guinea6.30pm – Lawn bowls - Open B6/B7/B8 Triples semifinal v England6.30pm – Hockey - Black Sticks men v Australia, pool play7pm – Beach Volleyball - Men's semifinal – Ben O'Dea/Sam O'Dea v Canada9pm – Lawn bowls - Men's fours section play v Canada9.07pm – Diving – Men's 1m springboard final – Liam Stone - if qualified9.30pm – Squash - Men's doubles - Lance Beddoes/Evan Williams v Malaysia11.06pm – Athletics - Men's 200m semifinal – Joseph Millar TBC – Beach Volleyball - Women's semifinal – Shaunna Polley/Kelsie Wills – if qualified   Tue, 10 Apr 2018 17:50:25 Z /news/gold-coast-2018/villumsen-adds-silver-to-medal-collection/ /news/gold-coast-2018/villumsen-adds-silver-to-medal-collection/ Linda Villumsen has claimed her third Commonwealth Games medal in the time trial, adding silver to her collection after a solid ride on the Gold Coast. While the 33-year-old couldn't defend her Glasgow gold, she was hardly expected to, with Australia's Katrin Garfoot utterly dominating the entire field to romp to victory by 54.92 seconds. Instead, Villumsen rode well, complementing her silver medal from Delhi with a comfortable second-place showing in a race which largely went by the form guide for all the favourites. Villumsen saw off England's Hayley Simmonds by 19.08 seconds, with Simmonds comfortably claiming bronze in a diluted field lacking real contenders for the eventual trio of medalists. Scotland's Katie Archibald finished in fourth – two minutes down on Garfoot, while New Zealand's Rushlee Buchanan performed credibly to finish in fifth, 2.31 back from gold, and 1.17 down on the podium. With the race just 25.5 kilometres long, any early time gains proved pivotal, and Garfoot's gold was on the cards from the opening kilometres. She opened up a 14 second lead through the first 10 kilometres, and then made the most of the course's difficult climb, taking 32 seconds on Villumsen over the next 10 kilometres. While Villumsen was never likely to hang with the Australian's time on the climb, she powered through on the flatter portions, riding home in second place, and adding another medal to her collection. Tue, 10 Apr 2018 06:19:23 Z /news/gold-coast-2018/hamish-bond-wins-bronze-in-mens-time-trial/ /news/gold-coast-2018/hamish-bond-wins-bronze-in-mens-time-trial/ Hamish Bond remains one of the miracles of this New Zealand sporting generation. The champion-rower-turned-elite-cyclist took bronze in the Commonwealth Games time trial on the Gold Coast after completing the 38.1km course in 48m 45.45s. Bond sat atop a lifesaver chair 'throne' under a shade sail on the Currumbin beachfront for 70 minutes, after taking the early lead. Australian Cam Meyer eventually took the win from the second bracket of riders, no doubt inspired by the "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie" spray-painted in canary yellow on the climb. Englishman Harry Tanfield was 30.26s back in second, with a further 2.15s to Bond. Fellow Kiwi James Oram was fifth, 55.27s adrift of his teammate. Bond said it was his best ride in competition. "I'm pleased with how I executed, there's not much more I could've done. My pacing was really good throughout the race. There were no flat patches when I was struggling. "I held it back nicely at the beginning, because I've been guilty of tapering for events and going out too hard thinking it's easy. Then it comes back to pay in the second half. "I intentionally dialed back in the first half of the race and kept my heart rate under control on those climbs." Bond is familiar with the terrain, having done his course reconnaissance 30-40 times. The 32-year-old started out with stealth as he built his cadence. He looked like a svelte locomotive carrying the goods down the main trunk line. Bond was 9.32s down on third-placed Brit Charlie Tanfield after 10.8km. Whispering pedals swished through the Gold Coast countryside and, by the 17.4km checkpoint, he had established a 15.03s lead. There was one awkward moment. "On the way out I caught up to one of the African riders and the [support] car didn't get out of the way. "That was a bit annoying. I had to get back into a rhythm, but I understand the Australian [Callum Scotson] had a puncture. "I'll take a wee bit on the brakes behind a car, rather than a puncture." Bond attacked the incline along the Currumbin Creek Rd with a perfect mix of grace and grunt as a fan taunted him with an Australian boxing kangaroo flag. The result was Bond flying down the other side and through to a 50.2s lead over Australia Callum Scotson who recovered from an early puncture with a swift change. He flew along the waterfront, presumably without too many tortuous sideways glances at the pristine waves rolling in. The temperature sat in the high 20s as the midday sun took hold. Bond knew Meyer was the man to watch. "He's ridden pro at the highest level, with gold medals aplenty. But I'm really pleased with how my bike performed. It was a good package today." Gordon McCauley is New Zealand's only other male medallist in the Commonwealth Games time trial with bronze at Melbourne in 2006. Linda Villumsen defends her Glasgow title from 5.03pm NZT. Tue, 10 Apr 2018 02:56:44 Z /news/gold-coast-2018/live-updates-commonwealth-games-day-six-gold-coast/ /news/gold-coast-2018/live-updates-commonwealth-games-day-six-gold-coast/ As it happened: Day six of the Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast. READ MORE:NZ soars up medal table after golden night (function(d, s, id) {var js,ijs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(d.getElementById(id))return;js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//embed.scribblelive.com/widgets/embed.js";ijs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, ijs);}(document, 'script', 'scrbbl-js')); Key events Road Cycling, from 12pm Hamish Bond is one of New Zealand's great Olympians having won two golds, but he's never claimed a Commonwealth Games medal due to the simple fact rowing is not part of the Games. But he has a chance to win one on his bike in today's individual time trial. Bond began road cycling post Rio Olympics and took out the New Zealand time trial national title earlier in the year making him one the favourites to earn a medal on the Gold Coast. In the women's event, defending champion Linda Villumsen is also expected to stand on the dias. She's aiming to claim a medal at three straight Commonwealth Games following a silver in Delhi followed by gold four years ago in Glasgow. Hockey, from 1.30pm The New Zealand men's side look to retain their unbeaten run in pool play when they face Scotland. The Scots go into the clash as underdogs having already lost to South Africa, Canada and Australia. It's expected to be another fairly easy win for the Black Sticks ahead of their crucial final pool match against the Aussies. Boxing, from 2.20pm Four Kiwi boxers are in quarter-finals today with victories guaranteeing at least bronze medals. Alexis Prichard is first up in the women's 57kg event where she enters the ring against Keshani Hansika of Sri Lanka. She's followed by Glasgow gold medallist David Nyika who faces Christian Ndzie Tsoye of Cameroon in their men's 91kg quarter-final. Men's 69kg fighter Leroy Hindley takes on Aidan Walsh of Northern Ireland followed by Patrick Mailata who is up against Northern Irishman Stephen McMonagle in the +91kg quarters. Basketball, from 11pm The Tall Ferns face Mozambique for a place in the semifinals. The African side finished last in group A following thrashings from Australia, Canada and England. Kiwis in action medal chances in bold 11am – Shooting - Men's 50m rifle prone qualification – Ryan Taylor11am – Lawn bowls - Men's singles section play – Shannon McIlroy v Cepha Kimwaki Kimani (Kenya)12pm – Road Cycling – Men's individual time trial – Hamish Bond, James Oram12pm – Shooting - Queen's Prize pairs day 2 – John Snowden and Brian Carter12.30pm - Athletics - Men's 800m heats – Brad Mathas12.45pm – Swimming - Women's 400m freestyle heat – Carina Doyle12.55pm – Swimming - Men's S9 100m backstroke heat – Jesse Reynolds, Chris Arbuthnott1.13pm – Swimming - Men's 200m individual medley heat – Lewis Clareburt1.17pm – Swimming - Men's 200m individual medley heat – Bradlee Ashby1.23pm – Athletics - Men's 400m hurdles heats – Cameron French1.30pm – Hockey - Men's pool game – New Zealand v Scotland1.45pm – Squash - Women's doubles pool game – Joelle King/Amanda Landers-Murphy v (Malaysia2pm – Lawn bowls - Men's singles section play – Shannon McIlroy v Robert Paxton (England)2pm – Lawn bowls - Women's pairs section play – Jo Edwards/Val Smith v Tonga2.02pm – Boxing- Women's 57kg quarter-final – Alexis Prichard v Keshani Hansika (Sri Lanka)2.30pm – Squash - Mixed doubles pool game – Amanda Landers-Murphy/ Zac Millar v England3.57pm – Athletics - Men's 200m heats – Joseph Miller4.45pm – Road cycling – Women's time trial – Linda Villumsen and Rushlee Buchanan5.23pm – Boxing- Men's 91kg quarter-final – David Nyika v Christian Ndzie Tsoye (Cameroon)7pm - Volleyball - Men's quarter-final – Ben O'Dea/Sam O'Dea v Trinidad and Tobago8pm - Squash - Mixed doubles pool game – Amanda Landers-Murphy/ Zac Millar v Malta9pm – Lawn bowls - Women's triples section play – Mandy Boyd/Katelyn Inch/Tayla Bruce v Jersey9.30pm – Squash - Men's doubles pool game – Paul Coll/Campbell Grayson v St Vincent and the Grenadines9.47pm – Boxing- Men's 69kg quarter-final – Leroy Hindley v Aidan Walsh (Northern Ireland)10.30pm – Volleyball – Women's quarter-final – Shaunna Polley/Kelsie Wills v Cyprus10.40pm – Athletics - Women's hammer throw final - Julia Ratcliffe 11pm – Basketball - Women's qualifying final – New Zealand v TBC11.17pm – Boxing- Men's +91kg quarter-final Patrick Mailata v Stephen McMonagle (Northern Ireland)11.43pm – Swimming – women's 4x100m relay final Mon, 09 Apr 2018 23:13:58 Z /news/gold-coast-2018/commonwealth-games-please-explain-squash-bowls-fans-irate-at-tvnz/ /news/gold-coast-2018/commonwealth-games-please-explain-squash-bowls-fans-irate-at-tvnz/ TVNZ's Commonwealth Games coverage is coming in for yet more criticism, with squash and bowls fans leading the charge. Bowler Joe Edwards' comeback victory for a gold medal against Laura Davies of Wales was streamed online instead of being played on traditional TV channels on Sunday night. Squash NZ felt compelled to alert viewers that finals involving Joelle King and Paul Coll would be online saying "We know this isn't going to be popular with some people. It is a TVNZ decision not Squash NZ." Someone at @tvnz night need to explain why a bout between two nations not New Zealand, which took place six hours ago is considered more worthy than Joelle King’s live squash final. — Eric Young (@RealEricYoung) April 9, 2018 TVNZ was already under fire for the avalanche of advertisements which have interrupted live broadcasts, but are stoutly defending their streaming approach. Spokesperson Rachel Howard said the high number of Kiwi athletes at the Gold Coast games created difficulties, and the online avenue allowed TVNZ to show entire matches. "(it) ensured we can show longer sessions without interrupting to cross to other sports during their crunch moments," she told Fairfax. We have 2 kiwi squash players going for gold and it’s online @TVONENZ? I’ve been defending the adverts ‘cause I get that. But not this. How can we help lift the profile of low profile sports when they keep getting treated like low profile sports? #bowls #squash #disappointing — Michelle Pickles (@MichellePickles) April 9, 2018 Because streaming was not possible or utilised by everyone, TVNZ was backing up the online coverage with repeats the following day. But TVNZ's retort is unlikely to appease fans, who could not understand for instance why Edwards' match was streamed while non-Kiwi or non-medal events were on air instead. Strange behaviour at TV1. Every night on TV1s Games coverage Toni Street chooses to give away the result of some events before her TV1 audience see them played! Its against every principle of sports broadcasting. Joelle King's final tonight was an example. Why? — Keith Quinn (@KeithQuinn88) April 9, 2018 This is doing my head in trying to watch this the page online won’t even load online. Might of been better for @skysportnz to cover all the games... — Brad Dennison (@kiwisurfa) April 9, 2018 Mon, 09 Apr 2018 22:29:52 Z /news/gold-coast-2018/nz-soars-on-medal-table-after-golden-night/ /news/gold-coast-2018/nz-soars-on-medal-table-after-golden-night/ Shot bro! Walsh strikes shot put gold This wasn't vintage Tom Walsh – far from it. And given his high standards he is unlikely to be entirely satisfied with a best throw of 21.41m. His reaction following his final throw did not reflect jubilation. But creating New Zealand athletics history, as the first Kiwi male to claim gold in the Commonwealth Games shot put, is no understated achievement. After silver in Glasgow four years ago, Walsh's upgrade adds to his crowded mantelpiece that already features world outdoor and indoor titles. His status remains such that he will be favoured to continue his collection and claim Olympic glory, the holy grail, in Tokyo, 2020. Earlier, a world record mark wasn't enough for Holly Robinson to clinch gold in the women's F45 javelin. The Hokitika 23-year-old threw a world record 43.32m, only for Welsh rival Hollie Arnold to trump it in her last attempt with 44.43m. Weightlifting's first medal worth the wait New Zealand's reputation at the Commonwealth Games weightlifting fell to David Liti in the 105kg+ category. He offered nothing short of outrageous courage and brilliant theatre to secure gold. His first snatch saw him put 166kg on the bar – 1kg more than his own mass. He lifted it like lint off a jersey. He duelled with Pakistan's Muhammad Nooh Dastgir Butt and Samoa's Lui Lauititi as they ratcheted up the plates and swapped the lead among themselves. Lui sat in the gold medal position, but not before he passed out on stage with his final lift. After medical staff had removed his groggy form via wheelchair, Liti was faced with a Commonwealth record 229kg from his final attempt. His composure remain resolute and he posted the bar up to triumph with a combined weight of 403kg. Butt lifted last, but could not make any in-roads. Liti exited the champion. Read more: Liti claims Commonwealth Games gold with brilliant showing Gold for King, silver for Coll All hail the King. Joelle King become New Zealand's first squash singles gold medalist at the Commonwealth Games, taking down England's Sarah-Jane Perry in a brilliant final. It was a tense 16-14 11-8 6-11, 11-13, 11-8 victory for King, who battled for 72 minutes on court before finally triumphing. Any hope of double gold for New Zealand was culled short, with Paul Coll losing the men's singles final, swept aside 11-9, 11-4, 11-6 by Englishman James Willstrop. Read more: Joelle King wins thrilling squash gold Pascoe does the double Make it lucky number 13 for Sophie Pascoe. New Zealand's most successful swimmer added another gold medal to her already bountiful haul at the Commonwealth Games tonight, coming home first in the women's SB9 100 metre breaststroke final. It added to her gold in the SM10 200 metre individual medley on Saturday, and brought her overall tally of gold medals in Paralympic and Commonwealth Games to 13. This one wasn't as easy to earn as some others. Pascoe led all the way, but faded in the final metres, and came under threat from the Australian duo of Paige Leonhardt and Madeleine Scott. However – as she always does – Pascoe came out on top, touching .72 seconds ahead of Leonhardt to back up her 2014 victory in the same format, in a time of 1.18.09. Read more: Lucky gold medal #13 for Sophie Pascoe at Commonwealth Games Rugby Australia's big hit The financial cost of Australian rugby's horror 2017 has become clearer, with Rugby Australia posting a $7.5 million reversal. RA's annual report cites the messy axing of the Western Force amid the Super Rugby restructure and disappointing tickets sales for Wallabies Tests as major factors in the downturn. RA recorded a surplus of $17.8 million following a $3.7 million surplus in 2016 but the year also included $21.6 million in government funding for the new RA headquarters in Sydney. Without that one-off injection, RA recorded an operational deficit of $3.8 million. Ferrari mechanic hit by Raikkonen says he's OK after surgery The Ferrari mechanic who was hospitalized with a broken leg after being struck by Kimi Raikkonen's car says he is "OK" following surgery. On Instagram, Francesco Cigarini wrote "Surgery ok. I have to thank all the people worried for me." Cigarini included a photo of himself on a hospitable bed giving the thumbs up with his left leg covered in a cast from his thigh down to his toes. The post was liked by Raikkonen. Silver Ferns bounce back The Silver Ferns secured a much-needed 60-29 Commonwealth Games win over Scotland. Their campaign took a serious hit after the humiliating loss to Malawi 24 hours earlier. That clearly invigorated the New Zealand players, notably the defenders. There was a fire in their eyes and they clearly seemed out to prove they are still in the Games. The Silver Ferns will now face England in their final match of the preliminary rounds. Should they lose to England, the Ferns could still progress to the semifinals as the second-highest ranked team in their pool. However it would hurt their chances of chasing gold, and even getting a podium finish might be beyond them. The game against England is at 11am tomorrow. Mon, 09 Apr 2018 20:15:13 Z /news/gold-coast-2018/david-liti-claims-commonwealth-games-gold-with-brilliant-showing/ /news/gold-coast-2018/david-liti-claims-commonwealth-games-gold-with-brilliant-showing/ The job of upholding New Zealand's reputation at the Commonwealth Games weightlifting fell to David Liti in the 105kg+ category. The 21-year-old offered nothing short of outrageous courage and brilliant theatre to secure gold in a sport he once thought was "boring". With apologies to Led Zeppelin, his job was to be a rock and not to roll for the Kiwi contingent last night at the Carrara Sport and Leisure Centre. His first snatch saw him put 166kg on the bar – 1kg more than his own mass. He lifted it like lint off a jersey. Bizarrely, Liti was denied a second lift courteous of a timing glitch. The origins of the error remain unknown as yet. He popped his earphones aside, returned to ping up 174kg and blew a kiss at the judges. He duelled with Pakistan's Muhammad Nooh Dastgir Butt and Samoa's Lui Lauititi as they ratcheted up the plates and swapped the lead among themselves. Lui sat in the gold medal position but passed out on stage with his final lift. After medical staff had removed his groggy form via wheelchair, Liti was faced with a Commonwealth record 229kg from his final attempt. His composure remained resolute and he posted the bar up to triumph with a combined weight of 403kg. Butt lifted last, but unsuccessfully. New Zealand needed a new champion to take the mantle from Richie Patterson. They found it in Liti. Earlier, one of the best sounds at the Games was the applause accompanying Laurel Hubbard's arrival onto the 90kg+ platform. One of the worst was seeing her cry out as her elbow appeared to hyperflex while attempting a Commonwealth record 132kg for her final snatch lift. In a triumph for human rights and open opportunity, the 40-year-old transgender athlete strolled out to Katy Perry's Firework. She lit the fuse by nailing 120kg with her first lift. However, the pyrotechnics fizzled when she left the stage holding her elbow in agony. Hubbard decided she was unfit to advance to the clean and jerk round. "As far as I can tell, I have ruptured a ligament in my left elbow, but until we get an MRI or further scanning, the extent of the injury is not known. "It's obviously a difficult time, but the one thing I'm happiest about is that I tried to reach my best performance. This [the injury] happens sometimes, but that's sport. "We can always go back and re-run these things in our heads, but the truth is unless we try to be the best person and athlete we can be, then really we're not being true to sport. I'm happy with the decision I made to take those weights." Initially, a tactical duel built between Hubbard and 17-year-old Samoan rival Feagaiga Stowers as they upped the ante on their opening weights. Hubbard cleared her first attempt with what looked relative ease. A wave to the crowd, a delighted smile and a saunter off stage encapsulated a genial welcome. Stowers threw 113kg in the air but failed to match Hubbard's 120kg with her third attempt. The New Zealander added 7kg to her bar, failed, and then made the flawed attempt which triggered her departure. Stowers went on to take the title. "I'm unhappy having to withdraw from the competition, but I gave it everything I had. I can sleep well knowing that," Hubbard said. "The Australian crowd was magnificent. They really made me try for that last lift. I regret I wasn't able to give them the result they wanted to see." Hubbard was asked if she had been treated with respect and inclusivity at the Games, whose mantra is "humanity, equality, destiny". "Without any doubt I can say that's exactly what they have done. "The Commonwealth Games are a model for what sport can and should be. It's an incredible environment and an amazing atmosphere." Hubbard was looking forward to catching up with parents Dick and Diana after a scan. Teammate Tracey Lambrechs also had support through an army of family and friends. The 32-year-old finished fifth in the rejigged 90kg class, and retired from the sport. Mon, 09 Apr 2018 18:30:40 Z /news/gold-coast-2018/joelle-king-wins-thrilling-squash-gold/ /news/gold-coast-2018/joelle-king-wins-thrilling-squash-gold/ All hail the King. Joelle King has become New Zealand's first squash singles gold medalist at the Commonwealth Games, taking down England's Sarah-Jane Perry in a brilliant final. It was a tense 16-14 11-8 6-11, 11-13, 11-8 victory for King, who battled for 72 minutes on court before finally triumphing. The singles gold medal adds to the bronze she claimed in Glasgow, as well as the doubles gold and mixed doubles silver she brought home from Delhi. This will undoubtedly be the best medal of them all for the world number four, who was untroubled until the final, but dug deep to overcome a stunning comeback from Perry. For King, her success saw her go two steps further than in 2014, when Nicol David defeated her in the semifinals. It is a victory continues King's rise up the world squash ranks, as she held off an agitated Perry in a clash with several twists. From the start, the match was a battle, with the opening game being a relative marathon in squash terms. It was a high quality opening with both players hitting some sumptuous angled drop shots, before trading some fortunate moments as the game went into a tiebreaker. Perry missed two gilt-edged chances to win the game, and ending up ruing her mistakes as King charged back to win it, 16-14. The clash had a touch of bizarre familiarity to a rugby league game – Perry was constantly complaining about King running obstruction, while the umpire's response was for Perry to "play the ball". In between the complaints though, there was some excellent squash being played, with King in particular responding well to every query Perry threw the umpire's way, playing some nifty shots to build a slight edge. Some deft touches gave King the game, 11-8, for 2-0 lead, but the tide turned in the third game, with Perry overcoming an injury scare to fight back. Chasing a drop shot, the world number eight stumbled and crashed into the wall, requiring an injury timeout; a "self-inflicted" injury timeout, as the umpire wryly noted. After the break, she managed to regroup and take the third game 11-6, and continued her comeback in the fourth. Up 9-8, King wanted to appeal a pivotal point, but got no such luck from the umpire, with Perry rebounding to save two match points, then reeling off two more points to send the clash to a deciding game. Just as it looked like King was running out of steam, she refound her best form, hitting some lovely shots as she just managed to claim a captivating victory. She got off to a perfect 5-0 start, but Perry – ever the fighter – crawled her way back to make it 8-8. There, Perry had a brain explosion, picking up a ball when expecting a let. She didn't get it, and King clung on to clinch a historic gold.   Mon, 09 Apr 2018 09:55:00 Z /news/gold-coast-2018/laurel-hubbard-bows-out-of-games-after-shock-injury/ /news/gold-coast-2018/laurel-hubbard-bows-out-of-games-after-shock-injury/ Injured New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard has bowed out of the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games at peace with her performance and happy with her reception from a supportive Australian crowd.The 40-year-old transgender athlete, hot favourite to win gold on Monday, twisted and injured her left elbow in her final snatch attempt.She couldn't take part in the clean and jerk.Hubbard had been going for a Games snatch record of 132kg, but her determination to produce her absolute best cost her the win..She defended the decision to go for a big final snatch lift when she was already well ahead of her opponents."I believe that to be true to sport, you really have to try to be the best that you can, and I'm happy with the decisions I made."Hubbard's presence at the Games had triggered controversy, with opponents claiming she holds an unfair advantage having competed at national level as a man before transitioning in her mid-30s.She complies with regulations on transgender athletes laid down by the International Weightlifting Federation and the International Olympic Committee.Hubbard, who received warm applause when she was introduced to the crowd and vocal encouragement at each attempt, said she had wanted to deliver a top-tier performance."The crowd was absolutely magnificent - it felt just like a big embrace, and I wanted to give them something that reflected the best I could do."Hubbard said she had been uncertain about exactly how the crowd to a would respond to a transgender athlete."It would be untrue to say that the thought never crossed my mind," she said."But there was no indication at all today that they were anything other than absolutely fantastic - a real credit to the Australian people and the broader sporting community."Hubbard was still unsure as to the extent of her injury, or its long-term implications on her weightlifting future."We don't know the exact details of the injury - it seems likely that I have ruptured a ligament and there's some fairly significant tissue damage."Hubbard said she'd be taking things day by day, and was unlikely to make decisions around the possibility of a bid for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics any time soon."The nature of sport means that things don't aways go your way, and it is what it is."I think you have to be true to yourself and I hope that in this case that's what I've done." - NZ 九一星空无限wire Mon, 09 Apr 2018 09:25:29 Z /news/gold-coast-2018/lifting-needs-gender-debate-games-boss/ /news/gold-coast-2018/lifting-needs-gender-debate-games-boss/ Listen above as caller Nigel talks to Andrew Dickens Afternoons The discourse surrounding New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard is clearly an issue the sport needs to deal with, a Commonwealth Games boss says. The 40-year-old transgender athlete will compete in the women's 90kg-plus category at the Commonwealth Games on Monday. Having set New Zealand junior records as a male before her transition, Hubbard's inclusion on the Gold Coast has led to claims from opponents that she holds an unfair advantage. READ MORE:'No scientific evidence' that Hubbard has advantage Australia's weightlifting association tried unsuccessfully to have her selection overturned while on Sunday Samoan head coach Jerry Wallwork said he remains firmly opposed to Hubbard competing. "A man is a man and a woman is a woman and I know a lot of changes have gone through but in the past Laurel Hubbard used to be a male champion weightlifter," Wallwork said. Commonwealth Games Federation chief executive David Grevemberg said while Hubbard is eligible to compete under international weightlifting guidelines, it is clearly an issue that needs further discussion. "This is something that members have expressed various opinions on and it's something that the weightlifting community needs to come together and have some robust debate, discussion, on," Mr Grevemberg said. "Team New Zealand has done a tremendous amount of effort and work to promote the opportunity that the athlete has to compete ... recognising some of the contentious behaviour around this and discourse that's been created has also looked to respect and protect the athlete in this environment." Mon, 09 Apr 2018 03:15:26 Z /news/gold-coast-2018/yvonne-willering-silver-ferns-have-no-excuse-for-malawi-loss/ /news/gold-coast-2018/yvonne-willering-silver-ferns-have-no-excuse-for-malawi-loss/ The Silver Ferns have lost their fear factor and will have to work hard to regain it, says former national coach Yvonne Willering. Their shock 57-53 loss to minnows Malawi at the Commonwealth Games had shown that the Ferns were beatable. ''There was no excuse for that result after having beaten Malawi 75-42 in the recent Taini Jamison series.'' READ MORE:Andrew Alderson - Netball is under under threatSilver Ferns lose their lustre in disappointing loss to Malawi The loss was in the history books now and while Willering said it was a little too early to despair, they were going to have to regain their place at the top of world netball with Australia. ''It is not just a matter of regrouping, it is something that has to be earned but the focus must still be on the Commonwealth Games. ''We are just not getting out of situations in matches when we are put under pressure. Against Malawi there were a critical amount of substitutions when by this time we should have our combinations settled. I thought Te Paea Selby-Rickit was having a reasonable game but she went off. Katrina Grant of the Silver Ferns. (Photo / Getty Images) "We were very inconsistent. At 14-14 in the second quarter that should have triggered moves that we had to have our most experienced players on court.'' Willering was not sure whether the demise in 2016 of the transtasman club competition could be attributed to the loss. While the loss to Malawi was not great for New Zealand it was for international netball. There was still hope for the Silver Ferns at the Games though. The Silver Ferns play Scotland tonight but Wednesday's pool match against England is crucial. ''There is always hope. If we beat England we are still in with a chance as we have a better goal ratio than Malawi,'' said Willering. Mon, 09 Apr 2018 01:55:50 Z /news/gold-coast-2018/hundreds-of-security-guards-quit-the-commonwealth-games/ /news/gold-coast-2018/hundreds-of-security-guards-quit-the-commonwealth-games/ It's Saturday night on the Gold Coast, the fourth day of the Commonwealth Games, and a senior security guard is furiously talking on his mobile phone. "I just need someone to answer their f**king radio," he says, before hanging up. "I have no idea if anybody is even at the venue, if they've signed on or if they've signed off," he tells news.com.au. The senior guard is trying to organise the workers he's hoping are at the beach volleyball in Coolangatta. It's been more than half an hour of radio silence. It's just one of the stories faced by the original 4300 security guards hired for the international sporting event, hundreds of whom have already walked off the job. Speaking to news.com.au on the condition of anonymity, a number of guards have revealed the poor work ethic and disregard some of the hired security have brought to the games — admitting they often have no idea if they're even at the venues. "You just need somebody to show up and maybe answer a radio, we're not asking for much seriously," he said. "The miscommunication is getting to a point now where they could probably turn up, go and have a nap under a tree for a few hours and we'd have no idea." Another senior security manager spoke about a certain guard having no regard for authority and refusing to listen to orders given to them by their managers. "Sometimes you need to space the guards out to make sure the entire area is covered but this one guard honestly couldn't even wait five minutes until they had to wander over to a co-worker and start having a chat. As a guard, that's not how it works," he said. Dozens of dignitaries, politicians and international business moguls have already paid the Gold Coast a visit for the Commonwealth Games — even Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall dropped in last week. But senior security guards told news.com.au they had genuine concerns about using flown in guards on jobs where they'd be protecting higher risk visitors. "I had an older guard come up to me and say, 'Just letting you know, I need to go to the toilet a lot'," he said, laughing. "I can't protect dignitaries with people who, five minutes before the actual job starts and the person turns up, come to me and say 'can I go to the bathroom?'" While admitting that a number of the flown in workers have struggled with less than ideal conditions, the senior guard said the disorganisation has a lot to do with the industry itself. "The fact of the matter is that most security guards you'll come across in this industry are absolutely hopeless. The reality of the industry is that you need to hire your mates otherwise you know everything will go wrong. You need people you can trust," he said. In the past five weeks, almost 400 Commonwealth Games security guards have walked off the job — nine percent of the total hired for the event. The high attrition rate, which Games organisers said is actually less than they were expecting, comes amid worrying reports guards are being forced to sleep on the grass while awaiting late-night transport from the venues, according to the Gold Coast Bulletin. Guards also told the publication the buses that are supposed to transport them to the venues are unreliable. "I've been paying for taxis and Ubers but that all comes out of our own pockets," the guard said. "And a lot of us have only been rostered on for five or six shifts over the whole Games, so we won't be going home with much money. "We've left our families at home for two weeks but are only working a few shifts — they are oversubscribed with guards." Commonwealth Games head of security Danny Baade confirmed but downplayed the grass napping reports, explaining that occasionally the buses used to transport guards take longer than expected. "If I was a guard finishing night work and I found a nice piece of soft grass and a bit of shade, I would probably take a break too," he told the Brisbane Times. Mr Baade said approximately 390 guards had walked off the job — all of which had already been replaced. 5700 security were given accreditation for the games, purely for that reason. Despite the high number mere days into the Games, organisers were expecting more guards to have walked off, claiming at least 20 percent of security generally quit big events similar to the Commonwealth Games. The attrition rate has been attributed to a variety of reasons including personal problems and issues with shift times but the overwhelming majority appear to have left because of bare bones accommodation and widespread disorganisation. A group of guards complained after they were sent to stay in Mount Tamborine, more than an hour from the Gold Coast, in an extremely basic school camp complex. Glenn Conroy from United Voice Union slammed the security shambles, explaining the kinds of conditions workers were staying in to 9九一星空无限. "Some of the accommodation is atrocious. It's unhealthy. We've had reports of mice, cockroaches and lice," Mr Conroy said. "Security officers are leaving in droves." Comm Games bosses are becoming increasingly frustrated about questions on security issues. At a press conference on the weekend, GOLDOC boss Mark Peters said the issues had been "exaggerated". "We would say there's probably exaggeration and a few of the issues have been taken a bit beyond what reality is, " Mr Peters said. "Security is in a really good place and hopefully you all stop asking questions and we can get on with our job." Queensland Police is also maintaining a heavy presence at the Commonwealth Games, taking the total security workforce to 10,000. Mon, 09 Apr 2018 00:23:47 Z /news/gold-coast-2018/all-you-need-to-know-commonwealth-games-day-five/ /news/gold-coast-2018/all-you-need-to-know-commonwealth-games-day-five/  All the overnight sporting action you may have missed while sleeping. Shot bro! Walsh strikes shot put gold This wasn't vintage Tom Walsh – far from it. And given his high standards he is unlikely to be entirely satisfied with a best throw of 21.41m. His reaction following his final throw did not reflect jubilation. But creating New Zealand athletics history, as the first Kiwi male to claim gold in the Commonwealth Games shot put, is no understated achievement. After silver in Glasgow four years ago, Walsh's upgrade adds to his crowded mantelpiece that already features world outdoor and indoor titles. His status remains such that he will be favoured to continue his collection and claim Olympic glory, the holy grail, in Tokyo, 2020. Earlier, a world record mark wasn't enough for Holly Robinson to clinch gold in the women's F45 javelin. The Hokitika 23-year-old threw a world record 43.32m, only for Welsh rival Hollie Arnold to trump it in her last attempt with 44.43m. Weightlifting's first medal worth the wait New Zealand's reputation at the Commonwealth Games weightlifting fell to David Liti in the 105kg+ category. He offered nothing short of outrageous courage and brilliant theatre to secure gold. His first snatch saw him put 166kg on the bar – 1kg more than his own mass. He lifted it like lint off a jersey. He duelled with Pakistan's Muhammad Nooh Dastgir Butt and Samoa's Lui Lauititi as they ratcheted up the plates and swapped the lead among themselves. Lui sat in the gold medal position, but not before he passed out on stage with his final lift. After medical staff had removed his groggy form via wheelchair, Liti was faced with a Commonwealth record 229kg from his final attempt. His composure remain resolute and he posted the bar up to triumph with a combined weight of 403kg. Butt lifted last, but could not make any in-roads. Liti exited the champion. Read more: Liti claims Commonwealth Games gold with brilliant showing Gold for King, silver for Coll All hail the King. Joelle King become New Zealand's first squash singles gold medalist at the Commonwealth Games, taking down England's Sarah-Jane Perry in a brilliant final. It was a tense 16-14 11-8 6-11, 11-13, 11-8 victory for King, who battled for 72 minutes on court before finally triumphing. Any hope of double gold for New Zealand was culled short, with Paul Coll losing the men's singles final, swept aside 11-9, 11-4, 11-6 by Englishman James Willstrop. Read more: Joelle King wins thrilling squash gold Pascoe does the double Make it lucky number 13 for Sophie Pascoe. New Zealand's most successful swimmer added another gold medal to her already bountiful haul at the Commonwealth Games tonight, coming home first in the women's SB9 100 metre breaststroke final. It added to her gold in the SM10 200 metre individual medley on Saturday, and brought her overall tally of gold medals in Paralympic and Commonwealth Games to 13. This one wasn't as easy to earn as some others. Pascoe led all the way, but faded in the final metres, and came under threat from the Australian duo of Paige Leonhardt and Madeleine Scott. However – as she always does – Pascoe came out on top, touching .72 seconds ahead of Leonhardt to back up her 2014 victory in the same format, in a time of 1.18.09. Read more: Lucky gold medal #13 for Sophie Pascoe at Commonwealth Games Rugby Australia's big hit The financial cost of Australian rugby's horror 2017 has become clearer, with Rugby Australia posting a $7.5 million reversal. RA's annual report cites the messy axing of the Western Force amid the Super Rugby restructure and disappointing tickets sales for Wallabies Tests as major factors in the downturn. RA recorded a surplus of $17.8 million following a $3.7 million surplus in 2016 but the year also included $21.6 million in government funding for the new RA headquarters in Sydney. Without that one-off injection, RA recorded an operational deficit of $3.8 million. Ferrari mechanic hit by Raikkonen says he's OK after surgery The Ferrari mechanic who was hospitalized with a broken leg after being struck by Kimi Raikkonen's car says he is "OK" following surgery. On Instagram, Francesco Cigarini wrote "Surgery ok. I have to thank all the people worried for me." Cigarini included a photo of himself on a hospitable bed giving the thumbs up with his left leg covered in a cast from his thigh down to his toes. The post was liked by Raikkonen. Silver Ferns bounce back The Silver Ferns secured a much-needed 60-29 Commonwealth Games win over Scotland. Their campaign took a serious hit after the humiliating loss to Malawi 24 hours earlier. That clearly invigorated the New Zealand players, notably the defenders. There was a fire in their eyes and they clearly seemed out to prove they are still in the Games. The Silver Ferns will now face England in their final match of the preliminary rounds. Should they lose to England, the Ferns could still progress to the semifinals as the second-highest ranked team in their pool. However it would hurt their chances of chasing gold, and even getting a podium finish might be beyond them. The game against England is at 11am tomorrow.   Sun, 08 Apr 2018 23:00:35 Z