Kennedy steals the spotlight as Page and Clarke add to medal tally

She makes it look easy.

Nina Kennedy’s second attempt clearance of 4.60m in the women’s pole vault ensured she was the undisputed queen of the Commonwealth on the opening night of track and field action at Alexander Stadium in Birmingham.

The West Australian’s rise from a self-described ‘low point’ at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, to a bronze at the world championships and now a gold at the Commonwealth Games is a story of perseverance and triumph with touch points across every corner of the globe.

Mentally and physically shot at the tail end of 2021, Kennedy has found her mojo in recent weeks, and with a steely focus and a touch of her trademark spunk, she soared over the bar and put a turbulent year well and truly in the rear vision mirror.

On a cool English night at Alexander Stadium, she required only three successful clearances of 4.35m, 4.45m and eventually 4.60m to steal gold away from her adversaries. Molly Caudery (ENG) and Imogen Ayris (NZ) both cleared 4.45m but failed 4.50m with the Englishwoman taking silver on countback.

“It’s incredible,” Kennedy told reporters after her triumph.

“After Tokyo last year I was at the bottom of my career so to come third in the whole world and first in the Commonwealth is incredible, so I’m really proud of myself.”

“[To win] the Commonwealth Games is to make my friends, family and support team proud - this was definitely for them so, I’m so happy I did it.”

17-year-old Jaydon Page won his first international medal tonight when claiming silver in the Men’s 100m T45-47 but the taste of success was bittersweet, with the Canberran feeling the sting after coming into the Games as Commonwealth number one.

Page blitzed the heats, running 11.17 to qualify first in the three heats but a gold medal was not to be as England’s Emmanuel Temitayo Oyinbo-Coker stormed down the home straight in 10.94 to record a new personal best and a Games record. 

Page placed second behind the hometown hero, clocking a swift 11.10 - his second fastest time in his career - but that was still not enough to satisfy the Australian.

“I know it’s only the beginning of my career. I’m 17, this is my first major medal, but the thing that hurts is that I don’t like losing. I’m very harsh on myself in races, even in Canberra. I’m not going to blame everyone, I take full responsibility that I couldn’t achieve the thing I wanted to achieve. 

“I know it sounds like I’ve gotten fourth, but it hurts when you get second sometimes.”

Fellow teenager, 16-year-old Anthony Jordan made his international debut an enjoyable one, racing alongside Page in the Men’s 100m T47, but was unable to progress to the final crossing the line fifth in 11.85. 

Another Western Australia performed remarkably, with Rhiannon Clarke claiming the first medal for Australia at Alexander Stadium in the Women’s T37/38. Crossing the line third, Clarke clocked 13.13, after storming home to victory in her heat earlier in the morning. 

The final was eventually won by Olivia Breen from Wales in 12.83, with red-hot favourite Sophie Hahn placing second. Clarke’s compatriot Ella Pardy placed fifth in a time of 13.38, while Indiana Cooper clocked 13.88 at her maiden international championships. 

“I gave it my all. I ran my race as hard as I could and I guess it paid off. It was close to second, but I’m really happy with bronze. I put everything on the track and whatever comes, comes,” Clarke said. 

“These girls were running so fast. Everyone is getting so fast in the T38 category, so anything could have happened. I’m happy to be on this podium, I’ve had a tough lead up to these Games and just for it to pay off finally is so amazing.”

In the throwing circle, it was a bittersweet ending for Australian discus champion Taryn Gollshewsky, who placed just outside the medals in her third Commonwealth Games appearance.

Throwing 56.85m on her fourth of six attempts, Gollshewsky was agonisingly close to the podium, with bronze medallist Obiageri Amaechi from Nigeria pipping the plucky Australia by just 14cm.

The result follows a 9th place finish in Glasgow and a 5th place finish on the Gold Coast.

The consistent performer from Bundaberg was positive in her outlook following the poignant result.

“14cm, I think that’s going to haunt me for a little while”, she joked with Channel 7 after her performance.

“I broke my leg last year so I’m really happy just to be here. [The 14cm has] fueled the fire, I’m absolutely not done yet.”

Brimming with a renewed confidence, Rohan Browning will advance to the men’s 100m semi final after a blistering victory in his heat, running 10.10 (+0.9).

He’ll join Jake Doran who also looked strong, running 10.39 (+0.1) and placing second behind Akani Sambine (10.10) to set a date for Wednesday's semi-final.

Browning’s statement performance comes after a disheartening end to his world championships campaign in Eugene, failing to progress past the heats.

But now, with the wind figuratively and literally at his back, Browning is looking forward to running carefree once again.

“The losses had really started the pile up,” Browning said candidly to reporters after the heats.

“I was telling everyone I was keeping my powder dry for the Commonwealth Games, because everyone knows that the way it goes is; Zone, Regionals, World Champs, Olympics and Commonwealth Games right at the top - I’ve been looking forward to this all year.”

Of the 10.10, Browning said there’s still improvement to be had.

“I knew I had a run like that in me. I stumbled a bit out of the blocks. It was far from a perfect race, but the conditions out here are pretty average. So, I just want to keep progressing.”

“But it’s by far my best run of the year.”

Doran, who nailed a windy 10.05 at the 2022 Australian Championships to take his first national title said he was careful not to be overawed by the experience and the packed stadium.

“I was about to ease up and then I saw I had a Jamaican next to me, so I thought I should probably run through the line,” Doran told reporters.

“The conditions are interesting, they’re trying us a little bit. But to beat a Jamaican, that’s always fun. I’m really excited.”

In the women’s sprint events, Queensland duo Naa Anang and Bree Masters did their state and country proud, both progressing through to the semi finals with auto-Qs in the women’s 100m.

While both athletes advanced safely, with Anang clocking 11.37 (0.0) and Masters finished in 11.41 (-0.2), both agree they have plenty more to give out on the track.

“I’m happy that I could secure my spot in the semis,” Masters said.

“It wasn’t the time I was hoping for after Worlds, but it’s given me the confidence that there’s more ahead.”

“My start wasn’t that great,” Anang said.

“But I’m happy to get through and that’s all that matters. I know I have more in me.”

The women’s 100m semi finals will take place Wednesday evening local time, with the final to follow later that night.

In the men’s 10,000m, Ky Robinson produced a personal best performance of 27:44.33 to finish 6th in the straight final.

The Brisbane native, who has spent a good chunk of his running career in the cardinal red of Stanford, followed the hot pace but was dropped by the leading talent of Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo who took gold medal in the classic distance event.

20-year-old Robinson has gone from strength-to-strength in the past 12 months, having performed valiantly in both the world championships 5000m and now, the 25-lap race in Birmingham.

“It’s nice to have on the resume at this moment,” Robinson said of his two senior team appearances.

“Hopefully I can make a few more teams, those times down and those places up.”

With three PBs out of her four events - and only 1cm away from her best ever high jump performance - Aussie heptathlete Taneille Crase has had an opening day to remember in Birmingham.

Starting the day on the right foot, Crase took the win in the 100m hurdles in 13.42 (-0.4) before jumping 1.78m in the high jump, throwing 11.89m in the shot put and running 24.48 in the 200m.

“As soon as I ran that PB in the hurdles, I knew I had the confidence I needed to be able to compete on the world stage like this,” Crase said.

Although she’s sitting in the virtual bronze medal position, Crase isn’t getting ahead of herself before tackling the remaining three events tomorrow.

“I’m just trying to do the very best I can. My aim coming into Birmingham was to score 6000 and if a medal comes out of it, that’ll be even better.”

There was a wave of relief and self-assurance from three-time national champion Catriona Bisset in the 800m heats, as she secured her place in Saturday night’s two-lap final.

Grabbing on to one of two auto-Q’s on offer in the third and final heat, Bisset followed in English hopeful Keely Hodgkinson finishing in 2:00:40, and in the process, knocking out fourth placegetter at the Tokyo Olympics, Jemma Reekie from Scotland.

“I just felt comfy the whole time,” Bisset said after the heat.

“I was like, I’ve got this, I’ve got this last 100m, and I’m just so relieved.”

Bisset spoke of the expectation and the pressure she felt arriving at another major games. 

“The self doubt I had the last couple of days... Two days ago before we arrived in the village, it was real. But I talked to my psych, I talked to [coach] Ned and Linden [Hall] and they love me no matter what happens… It doesn’t matter what anyone thinks except the people I love.”

“I’m so glad I get to go again. Our team, we’ve worked so hard for the last 12 months. I haven’t had any injuries. Last week was the only setback, so it’s great to have one more go.”

In the earlier heat, Georgia Griffith stepped down in distance and ran her second fastest time ever over 800m, finishing in a season’s best of 2:00.36 to place fourth in a hot field. Finishing tenth overall, she was unable to progress to the final.

In the men’s discus, Matt Denny has booked himself a place in Thursday night’s final with a series of throws each better than the last.

Hitting marks of 61.84m, 62.93m, and finally, 64.63m, Denny’s three attempts proved once again that the strong man from Queensland means business.

Topping his qualifying group, Denny’s distance was further than all but Traves Smikle’s 64.90m.

“It was solid,” Denny told reporters after the performance.

“The distance isn’t the same as I did at Worlds in qualifying but the conditions are totally different. We had a pretty solid tailwind, which is pretty bad for discus… I am a bit tired and a bit not-so today, so yeah, excuses out of the way, it was pretty good!”

“It’s a nice feeling to come in as the leader but at the same time, Lawrence is in good form and there are a few other boys that are in good form so I’m not counting myself as a favourite. It’s pretty tight.”

Denny, who has thrown three of his four farthest distances in the past month, finished sixth at the world championships in Eugene and took another confidence boost from that experience.

“What did I take from Eugene? That I’m in incredible form but didn’t get it together on the day. The more I do comps and these big ones, for me to count that as bad is reassuring. That’s probably the biggest learning experience.”

In the opening event of the day, long jumpers Henry Frayne and Chris Mitrevski set the tone for the day, both progressing to Thursday’s final producing marks of 7.85 (+2.2) and 7.76m (-1.0) respectively.

The breezy conditions made for a challenging competition, with Mitrevski producing a clutch jump in his third and final attempt, while Frayne only needed one attempt to get his q.

“It was pretty cruisy to be honest,” Frayne said.

“I mean, you can see there were swirling conditions. I suppose being an experienced campaigner helps a little bit. Everyone has a minute, but we often have young athletes who get stressed when the cone comes off the runway and they just go for it. But for me, I knew that 7.60-ish would go through to the final, which I would like to think is well within my wheelhouse.”

“So I just wanted to do it in one jump. I’m excited for the final.”

Three-time Commonwealth Games representative Nick Hough battled bravely with a less than ideal lead up to finish 5th in his heat of the 110m Hurdles in 13.62 (+0.6).

A nervous wait ensued before receiving the good news that he had qualified through to Thursday's final on time.

The Gold Coast 2018 bronze medallist will look to regroup and regain health before the medal race.

In the final event for the night, the women’s 100m T33/34 final saw three Australians take part, with Robyn Lambird, Sarah Clifton-Bligh and Rosemary Little finishing 4th, 5th and 6th respectively.

In an incredible result, Clifton-Bligh broke the Commonwealth Games T33 record, stopping the clock in 22.71 (+1.7).

At 18, the year 12 Sydney student has a bright future ahead as she eyes the Paris Paralympics and beyond, looking to follow the path of Australia’s storied wheelchair para athletes.

Jake Stevens and Sascha Ryner for Commonwealth Games Australia.