Commonwealth Games: Australia Wins Mixed Medley Relay

Commonwealth Games, Day Five Finals: Matt Temple Drops the Hammer on Butterfly, Australia Wins Gold in Mixed Medley Relay

Australia received its sixth relay in six possibilities on the Commonwealth Games after the mud settled on an electrical blended 400 medley relay. The occasion options two male and two feminine swimmers racing for every nation, and the Aussies selected to guide off with a feminine earlier than placing males on butterfly and breaststroke, leaving them a deficit of virtually 7.5 seconds to make up at its biggest extent.

But every of the 4 swimmers did sufficient to assist the workforce come out on prime by greater than two seconds. Iona Anderson, making a uncommon medley relay look rather than injured backstroke dynamo Kaylee McKeown, led off in 59.44 earlier than Sam Williamson adopted up his wins within the 50 and 100 breaststroke with a 58.81 cut up on that stroke.

Matt Temple then swam the decisive butterfly leg, going 50.05 to surpass early leaders South Africa and pull into the lead. Two days after lacking out n gold within the 100 fly by one hundredth, Temple had the quickest cut up right here by greater than a half-second. That gave Meg Harris a powerful benefit going into the anchor leg, and the 100 freestyle Commonwealth champion responded with a cut up of 52.16.

Australia completed in 3:40.46, surpassing the Games file of three:41.30 the Aussies set in 2022. The time would have been ok for bronze eventually yr’s World Championships, a race the place Australia received bronze.

As for the remaining medals, South Africa parlayed a sensational begin into silver. Pieter Coetze, already two-thirds of the way in which to a sweep of the boys’s backstroke gold medals, led off in 51.98 to decrease the 100 again Games file of 52.20 he set earlier within the night within the semifinal spherical. Coetze gave strategy to Michael Houlie, the silver medalist within the 100 breast, and he held the lead earlier than Erin Gallagher and Aimee Canny did sufficient to stay in second place. The workforce completed in an African-record time of three:42.61.

Notably, Chad le Clos earned a silver medal by advantage of his leg on the prelims relay for South Africa. That is the twentieth Commonwealth Games medal of his profession, probably the most by any swimmer.

Canada was in medal place after Josh Liendo cut up 50.63 on butterfly, however Scotland had Duncan Scott ready in reserve to anchor. Using a male on freestyle is an unconventional technique, but it surely labored for the Scottish workforce given its personnel, with Scott anchoring in 48.03. Angharad Evans was sensible on the breaststroke leg with a 1:04.52 cut up whereas Matthew Ward swam backstroke and Keanna MacInnes butterfly on the way in which to a time of three:43.70.