Delightful Denny and De Rozario deliver in Birmingham, as Ballard and Edmiston claim silver

Australia’s fruitful medal harvest has continued at the Commonwealth Games, with newly crowned Commonwealth champions Matt Denny and Madison de Rozario, and silver medallists Angie Ballard and Sarah Edmiston climbing the podium on the fourth day of the athletics action in Birmingham.

Following her gold medal win in the Women’s Marathon T54 earlier in the week, de Rozario made history becoming Australia’s first para athlete to win four Commonwealth titles when crossing the line first in Women’s 1500m T53/54.

Racing straight to the front, the wheelchair racing supremo stopped the clock in 3:53.03 ahead of friendly foe, compatriot Angie Ballard who rounded out an Australian quinella to claim silver in 3:53.30. 

De Rozario, the defending champion, said she was relieved to get the win after second guessing herself over the three and three quarter lap journey.

“That was a cagey race and it got a bit tricky towards the end. I’m really happy to come away with that one,” de Rozario said.

“You can’t second-guess yourself in that moment. If there’s one mistake then it’s all gone, but retaining the title today is always a privilege.”

Ballard’s silver was a personal triumph for the six-time Paralympian, with the medal her first since finishing second in the same event four years ago.  

“I think sprint finishes are my kind of thing, it went well this time,” Ballard said.

“All those girls can go a bit faster but you don’t want to be the one at the front taking all the brunt and that’s where Madi is just a superstar - she’s at the front from the beginning and kicked it home from there. It spread the field out which was great for me, I was able to stay in and able to come home strong.”

Novocastrian Christie Dawes rounded out the results for the Australians finishing in 5th with 4:00.25. Contesting the Marathon earlier in the week, Birmingham marks the third Commonwealth Games and the 12th major international Games for experienced campaigner.

As many had suggested he might, Matt Denny went big in Birmingham.

Bigger than he ever had, in fact. Continuing his rise in international athletics, the man mountain took out the Men’s Discus Throw final, securing his maiden major senior title.

Laying down a consistent set of six throws, Denny bettered his lifetime best twice and capped off his series with an enormous 67.26m lifetime best. Each of his throws would have secured the title, but his final attempt had the crowd roaring as he finished more than two metres ahead of Englishman Lawrence Okoye (64.99m) and Jamaica’s bronze medallist Traves Smirkle (64.68m).

“That’s my best competition ever in terms of consistency and delivering. I am stoked,” Denny said grinning ear to ear.

“I thought I had a 68m there but ‘coulda, woulda, shoulda.’ I threw it pretty high on that last one but I was over the moon that I was able to replicate that last one even though I could have gone and packed it in. 

“I wanted to make that statement again and finish off that series. This is my first senior title other than World Unis. You live for these moments.”

The victory capped off a double campaign for the Queenslander, who finished sixth at the World Athletics Championships last month.

“I am pretty sure that would have come close to a medal at Worlds. It’s frustrating but I really pride myself on doing what is needed when it counts. I did that six times in a row today, and to really dominate the competition has been great. This is just the start and there is more to come.”

Denny’s men’s discus crown is Australia’s sixth at the Commonwealth Games, most recently won by Benn Harradine in New Delhi in 2010.

In one of the most inspiring moments of the night, Sarah Edmiston was joyfully emotional as she earned a brilliant silver medal in the women’s discus throw F42-44/F61-64.

A promising junior athlete, 19-year-old Edmiston endured a water skiing accident where she nearly lost her leg. She was lost to the sport, until her late 30s, when she took up para-sport in 2016.

With husband and three-time national hurdles medallist Paul by her side, Sarah strived for international success, picking up bronze and silver medals at the World Para Athletics Championships in 2017 and 2019 and a bronze at Tokyo 2020.

As the sun set on Alexander Stadium, she threw 34.96m on her fifth attempt - enough to secure her first Commonwealth Games medal. The mark goes down as a Games Record for her F44 class.

The gold medal performance that bettered Edmiston’s was by Goodness Chiemerie Nwachukwu from Nigeria who set an F42 world record in a series of throws that extended to 36.56m.

“It’s been really fantastic to compete here in Birmingham. The atmosphere has been wonderful and it’s been great to be a part this team at my first Commonwealth Games,” Edmiston said.

“I had a few issues with my back today. I am pretty happy with how it went for where I’m at. I’m really hoping to improve for next year’s World Championships in Paris.” 

Despite a tough lead in to the Men’s 110m Hurdles final, it was still all smiles for Nick Hough who placed seventh in a time of 13.83 (+0.9). Having won bronze in front of a home crowd four years ago, Hough had to reset his expectations after testing positive to Covid-19 following his successful World Athletics Championships campaign.

“It wasn’t too bad until the end. It was a quality field and it was great to be able to race against them today. The standard within the Commonwealth has gone up so much. I’m stoked to be in there racing against everyone,” Hough said.

“It’s been a terrible week (coming back from Covid). I knew the body was in good shape but mentally it’s been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster - not knowing if I could compete, then being able to compete and then not being able to go into the Village. It’s been tough but I’m proud of myself for making a final and going out there and giving it a crack.” 

Two Australians appeared in the Men’s Long Jump final, as experienced campaigner Henry Frayne and Australian champion Chris Mitrevski dueled for gold. 
While a medal was not on the cards for either athlete tonight, Frayne recorded two solid jumps of 7.89m (+1.5) and 7.94m (+1.2) amongst four other fouls. His best result saw him place sixth, 13cm away from the podium.

Fellow Australian Chris Mitrevski bowed out of competition after the first three jumps, registering a best of 7.70m (+1.5). 

At the halfway mark of the Decathlon, Australians Cedric Dubler, Alec Diamond and Dan Golubovic are all sitting within striking distance of the podium, finishing the day in second, fourth and fifth place respectively.

The eight decathletes who started the day included Grenadan duo of Lindon Victor, the Gold Coast 2018 champion and Kurt Felix, who finished seventh at Tokyo 2020.

Starting the day with the 100m, Dubler finished second in the with 10.92 (0.0). Diamond was fifth in 11.14 and Golubovic in 11.17.

Diamond soared in the long jump with the longest jump of the eight, recording 7.66m with Dubler right behind in 7.61m and Golubovic 7th in 6.98m.
Golubovic then hit back in the shot put with the furthest distance in the comp, 15.60m. Diamond was fourth with 14.23m and Dubler sixth with 12.83m.
Dubler’s high jumping ability came to the fore, leaping 2.06m for the mini-win, with Diamond in fourth clearing 1.97m and Golubovic fifth in 1.94m.
Rounding out the day in the 400m, Dubler again took line honours with a 48.47. Golubovic was third across the line in 49.08 and Diamond seventh in 50.07.
Dubler finishes day one with 4242 points, Diamond with 4134 and Golubovic with 4066. Victor sits in the virtual gold medal position with 4327 points.

“I didn’t know what to expect coming off the world championships,” Dubler said.

“I’ve never done a 10 day recovery so this is kind of uncharted territory. We didn’t know what to expect.”

“I’m really happy with how today’s gone. The legs are starting to get more fatigued - a lot quicker than usual - I feel like every event, every attempt, every movement is more of an effort than it should be but we’re getting through it. I’m excited for tomorrow… there’s more to come.”

A scintillating victory for Oliver Hoare in the Men’s 1500m heats may’ve marked the start of a redemption story for the former NCAA Champion after suffering a heartbreaking elimination from the World Athletics Championships in the semi finals.

Hoare won his heat with ease, crossing the line in 3:37.57 ahead of Kenyan powerhouse Timothy Cheruiyot and fancied Scottman Josh Kerr.

“I was immensely cooked after Oregon,” Hoare admitted.

“That was my first real tough race in two years, and to (be knocked out) in Hayward where a lot of people have watched me (become NCAA Champion) in college, it was tough. You’ve got to have those moments in your career, otherwise you can’t be great and you can’t medal if you don’t know what it means to lose,” Hoare said.

“Anytime I wear the green and gold is an absolute privilege… But as my coach Dathan (Ritzenhein) said, it’s going to be a mental test for me. He says, ‘this could define you as an athlete. Whether you cave in or shine through and know that your fitness is there.’

“For me, that’s the indication. If I can make a dent in the final and come away with a medal, then I know I’ve progressed well and I’ve learned both physically and mentally what it takes to win a championship.”

Colorado based Hoare also goes into Saturday’s final as the top seeded athlete following the heats, but will need to beat Oregon gold medallist Jake Wightman from England who made waves across the globe when defeating world lead Jakob Ingebrigsten.

Western Australian Matthew Ramsden found himself unlucky not to progress to the final after running 3:48.98 in a far slower heat. Ramsden crossed the line in sixth place, two third of a second behind the victorious Wightman, but was edged out for a spot in the final by Kiwi Sam Tanner.

Reigning world champion Eleanor Patterson and Olympic silver medallist Nicola Olyslagers sailed through to the Women’s High Jump with ease in the day’s qualification round.

It only took one jump each for the two Australians to progress to the final, with their first attempt of 1.81m securing their berth.

Patterson said that while it was an easy task for many of the field, it was a good opportunity to get a feel for the track at Alexander Stadium and an opportunity to be in a competition environment once again after her equal Australian record in the USA last week.

“I wanted to do as little as possible to get through to the final and I’ve ticked that box. It was wonderful to get out there and get a feel for it before the final and so, I’ve got a feel for the track and atmosphere, which was phenomenal,” Patterson said.

2018 Commonwealth Games silver medallist Alexandra Hulley will compete for another medal after finishing fourth in the Women’s Hammer Throw qualifying round.
The Sydneysider produced a consistent series in her three attempts, with a best throw of 66.15m locking in her place for the final. Hulley was emotional in her triumph, thankful to her tight knit support team who have buoyed her over the past four years.

“It’s exciting to be here,” Hulley, who won silver at Gold Coast 2018, said.

“I’ve been through quite a hard through years and I’m so lucky to be here. I came out here confident and excited to be here and I’ve made it through to the finals.” 

“The most supportive family ever have helped me get that back. I’m lucky to have my family, and friends and coaches.”

400m Hurdler Sarah Carli has also advanced to her semi final after crossing the line fourth in her heat in 56.10 - the fastest non automatic qualifier from the two heats. While the Wollongong native admits she didn’t execute her race to plan, Carli was thrilled to book her ticket to Saturday’s final.

Australia’s sprinters continued their impressive streak at the Commonwealth Games, with Australia’s fastest woman Ella Connolly and 200m specialist Jacinta Beecher toeing the line during the morning session.

Beecher blitzed her heat, recording a windy 23.13 (+2.9) and a big Q after crossing the line third, next to sprinting superstar Elaine Thompson-Herah of Jamaica who earlier this year ran the second fastest time ever recorded in the 100m.

Ella Connolly finished her heat in second place stopping the clock at 23.58, and with her first race now out of the way, believes there is much more to come in her semi final and subsequent final.

Day 5 of the athletics program will continue tomorrow, with Australia’s decathletes finishing their two-day event, while our Steeplechasers and wheelchair racers will race for medals. 

By Sascha Ryner and Jake Stevens for Commonwealth Games Australia
Posted: 4/8/2022