Golden day for Marschall, Montag & Hoare in Birmingham

Inspired by generations past, 1500m champion Oliver Hoare, pole vault ace Kurtis Marschall and race walking superstar Jemima Montag have produced extraordinary gold medal performances for Australia, as Eleanor Patterson claimed silver on an unforgettable day at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Four of our very best celebrated medals on what was an epic day for the green and gold, drawing inspiration from family members and great Australian athletes of the past. 

In the race of his life, Hoare clinched an historic gold medal, overcoming a world-class field in the most thrilling of circumstances.

Not since Herb Elliott’s double gold in the 880 yards and one mile at the 1958 Cardiff Games has an Australian male triumphed in the men’s middle distance event.

As Australian commentary legend Bruce McAvaney aptly called, “it’s an extraordinary moment in Australian sport … (One that’s) etched in the history books forever, and how lucky we are.”

After a fast but controlled first three laps, Hoare was positioned on the inside of the leading few, and as they entered the final straight he found himself one place outside of the medals. With belief in his ability and with the backing of countless training hours, he moved out to lane three to run down fourth placegetter at the Tokyo Olympics Abel Kipsang, 2022 world champion Jake Wightman, and finally, 2019 world champion and Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Timothy Cheruiyot.

As Cheruiyot stumbled in the final yards, Hoare stood tall, leading the race for only the final metre, but the one that mattered. The margin of victory, 0.09.

After a well deserved lap of honour, the 25-year-old from the Sutherland shire was in disbelief of what he had just achieved.

“To be an Australia in the final, let alone medal, is an absolute privilege,” Hoare said.

“I hope I can show kids back home that just because you are Australian doesn’t mean you can’t win the Commonwealth 1500m.”
 
For Hoare, it’s a story of redemption following what was a disappointing end to his world championships campaign, knocked out of the semis in a tactical race in Eugene.

“The main point for me personally is that one race doesn’t define you. (I had) a terrible Worlds and a great Commonwealth Games against the same, if not more intense competition.”
 
In the post-race mix zone, Hoare spoke emotionally of his late grandfather, who passed away just last week.

“He was a life member at the Southern Districts Athletic Club and a World War Two veteran, Sergeant Fred Hoare, so I dedicate this to him,” Hoare said.
 
“He’s the reason I loved the sport. I’m sure he’s up there having a glass of red wine, saying ‘I knew you’d do it’.” 
 
Earlier in the program, Jemima Montag became a Commonwealth Games champion once more, this time surrounded by a roaring crowd for the Women’s 10,000m race walk. One of Australia’s strongest medal changes going into this campaign, Montag took victory with ease, as she lapped almost every competitor in the field. 

An early pack of three athletes formed in the 25-lap race, with Montag on the shoulder of India’s Priyanka and Kenya’s Emily Ngi. But it was with 12 laps to go that Montag made her move.  Creating a huge lead which only continued to grow, the gold medal became hers when she clocked 42:34.30 - a Games record and a new personal best for the 24-year-old Melbournian. 

“At the last Commonwealth Games, having Nathan Deakes, one of our best, put the gold medal around my neck was a real life changing moment. It almost felt like the baton was being handed over for me to carry on the legacy,” Montag said.

“Today was a different beast. I did enjoy it a lot today, mostly the crowd, and it’s an extra challenge going that extra ten seconds per kilometre. I really enjoyed the opportunity to perform in front of 20,000 people today, it was incredible”.

Montag soaked up the atmosphere in her final lap, acknowledging the track and field fans as well as her family and friends in the grandstand. She also wore a bracelet made from a cut-down piece of a necklace once worn by grandmother, a Holocaust survivor, to remind her of her sacrifice and the perseverance of her family.

“In some of her journal entries, she wrote about trying to make it through the next hour, the next day, hoping to meet her dad at the gate with a piece of bread. (What) I think I take from that in a race, is that it is one kilometre at a time, one step at a time, not thinking about the finish line…”

“This is fun and this is something I choose to do, and yes, it’s hard but someone just two generations ago had that level of strength, I know that’s with me now.”

Fellow Australians Rebecca Henderson and Katie Hayward took their marks at Alexander Stadium in the same event, with Henderson placing a fantastic fourth in 44:44.58 - just four seconds shy of her personal best, while Hayward clocked 46:09.51 to place seventh, after receiving a one minute penalty for losing contact with the ground on three occasions.

The third and final gold medal of the night came from defending pole vault champion Kurtis Marschall who secured the Commonwealth title again when successfully clearing 5.70m.

In a three-way duel with Englishmen Adam Hague and Harry Coppel, it was the Australian that claimed victory after a first-attempt clearance at 5.60m, putting him in gold medal position. Hague and Coppel were unable to overtake, with Hague finishing second with 5.55m and Coppell taking bronze at 5.50m.

Like Hoare, Marschall’s gold marks the end of an unlucky streak at major championships where he failed to clear a height in the Tokyo Olympic final and found himself unable to progress from the qualifying round at the World Athletics Competition last month. 

“It was pretty stiff competition tonight actually but the guys handed it to me. They’re pretty fierce competitors so it was pretty good to come out on top,” Marschall said.

“I’ve done a full one eighty and tried to turn this season around because Worlds just wasn’t acceptable. I was looking forward to redeeming myself and getting that Commonwealth Games title.”

With the gold medal safely secured, Adelaide-born Marschall cleared 5.70m before trying for a new Commonwealth Games record of 5.81m, but was unsuccessful in his attempts. The South Australian now joins Australian athletics great Steve Hooker as the only other man to go back-to-back in the Men’s Pole Vault at the Commonwealth Games.

“I would have liked that Commonwealth Games record off him (Hooker) but it’s obviously going to stand for another four years. It’s a pretty good feeling to start filling the shoes of the great man  but there is still a lot of work to do to close the gap on his Australian record (6.06m).”

Angus Armstrong bowed out of the competition early with his one and only clearance of the night being 4.95m.

After claiming global victory at the World Athletics Championships last month, high jumper Eleanor Patterson was forced to settle for second place when facing off against Jamaica’s Lamara Distin.

The competition was wide open for the Australian, but it was Distin who proved best on the day, with a first-round clearance of 1.95m. Patterson found herself unable to bring out her best, missing all three attempts at the height, and claimed silver on countback ahead of Jamaica’s Kimberley Williamson.

“I am just really frustrated and disappointed. I didn’t show at all what I can do,” Patterson lamented afterwards.

“I was just not jumping how I can and how I usually do so it’s just really frustrating. Maybe I need to adjust to that expectation and the (World Champion) title that is now attached to my name. There are no excuses at the end of the day. No matter what, I am world champion… I have still got to come out and perform every time.”

Racing once again with trademark grit, Catriona Bisset did herself proud in the women’s 800m final, placing 5th in a time of 1:59.41.

The Australian record holder was dragged along in a quick but “messy” race, on the fifth occasion she has dipped below the two minute barrier this year alone.

Two weeks ago at the World Athletics Championships, Bisset experienced a dramatic heat run where she fell and was spiked by a competitor, forcing her to have 11 stitches into her leg. Bruised and cut up, she was unable to compete to her best in the semi final.

Putting that behind her, Bisset was among the world’s best in the final, finishing two and a half seconds behind Kenyan champion Mary Moraa and Keely Hodgkinson of England who took silver.

Ella Connolly made history overnight when becoming the first Australian in 20 years to qualify for a Commonwealth Games final in the Women’s 200m and tonight cemented her status as sixth in the Commonwealth. 

Connolly ran a speedy 23.21 - her third fastest time this year - in a race that was eventually won by Jamaican powerhouse Elaine Thompson-Herah who stopped the clock at 22.02 for a new Games record. 

In the splash and dash men’s 3000m steeplechase final, Games debutants Ben Buckingham and Ed Trippas finished 5th in 8:34.17 and 7th 8:37.42 respectively.

For Buckingham, who works full-time in law, it’s the highest placing of his recent international career. The fifth placing is the highest for an Australian at the Commonwealth Games since Martin Dent’s 4th at Melbourne 2006 - and only the second time an Aussie has produced a top five finish in the event in the past six editions of the Games.

For Trippas, the race bookends a massive campaign for the steeplechase specialist, who has run two of his best ever times in the past two months.

The Australian quartet of Mia Gross, Bree Masters, Jacinta Beecher and Naa Anang have guaranteed one last run on the Alexander Stadium track having qualified for the final of the women’s 4x100m relay.

Following in the Nigerian and English teams, the relay team stopped the clock in 43.47 to auto-qualify for Sunday afternoon’s final.

The men’s 4x100m team of Josh Azzopardi, Jacob Despard, Jack Hale and Rohan Browning was less than joyful after anchor leg, Browning, fell at the baton changeover, dashing their hopes of qualifying for the final. The four were understandably gutted, denied the chance to prove themselves against some of the world’s best in the final.

In the women’s Hammer Throw, Alexandra Hulley admittedly disappointed to finish in sixth place with a final mark of 66.16m - the best of her six attempts.

Still proud just to be at the Games, the silver medallist from 2018 couldn’t get in her usual rhythm going in the circle and admitted she was just unable to put it all together on the day.

Going the distance in the men’s 5000m, Jack Rayner took to the track for the first time in Birmingham, as Matthew Ramsden backed up from his 1500m earlier in the competition, finishing 8th in 13:24.90 and 10th in 13:30.38 respectively.

Among a crack field, the duo stayed with the hot pace for as long as possible before fading in the final few laps. Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo saluted for the second time at Birmingham 2022, following his victory in the 10,000m four days prior.

Sydney’s Julie Charlton revelled in the opportunity to compete at her maiden major championships, placing ninth in the Women’s F55-57 shot put.

Charlton produced a consistent series of throws, with her final throw of 6.26m her best. The event was won by Nigeria’s Eucharia Njideke who threw a monstrous 10.03m for a new Games record.

By Sascha Ryner and Jake Stevens for Commonwealth Games Australia
Posted: 7/8/2022