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44 Friday Sports Friday, April 6, 2018 Record-breaking Aussies make waves in the pool They posted a blistering three minutes 30.05 seconds GOLD COAST: Australia shattered the women’s Horton said. “I knew I had to mow him that last 4x100 meters freestyle world record for their 200. I was still a bit soft and slow in that first second gold medal on the opening night’s finals 200. “It’s good. Just swimming in front of the at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games yes- home crowd is unreal. I probably feel more emo- terday. The team of Shayna Jack, Bronte Camp- tion here than in Rio (2016 Olympic Games) be- bell, Emma McKeon and Cate Campbell went cause the whole crowd is cheering for you. “That 0.60 seconds under Australia’s previous world didn’t happen so much in Rio. Ten thousand peo- record set at the 2016 Rio Olympics. ple cheering for you is pretty unreal.” It was They posted a blistering three minutes 30.05 Horton’s third career Commonwealth Games seconds with Cate Campbell bringing home the medal after winning 4x200m freestyle gold and world record with a flying final leg of 51.00secs. 1,500m freestyle silver in Glasgow in 2014. Australia beat home Canada and England for their second gold medal of the opening night ‘Second every time’ after Olympic champion Mack Horton claimed England also claimed two gold medals on the the 400m freestyle final earlier in the program. opening night with Aimee Wilmott denying Han- Horton became Australia’s first 400 meters nah Miley’s bid for a Scottish record three con- freestyle winner at the Commonwealth Games secutive 400m individual medley gold medals since the great Ian Thorpe with his victory. Hor- and James Wilby dethroning Scottish defending ton swam a perfectly judged race to reel in champion Ross Murdoch in the 200m breast- team-mate Jack McLoughlin and England’s stroke. Wilmott, beaten by Miley in the 2014 James Guy to win gold in three minutes 43.76 Glasgow final, fought back tenaciously in the GOLD COAST: Australia’s team, Cate Campbell, Emma McKeon, Bronte Campbell and Shayna seconds. Horton tracked the leading duo in the final freestyle leg to pip the Scot by 0.26secs Jack pose with their medals after winning the swimming women’s 4x100m freestyle relay first half of the race before making his charge in with Australia’s Blair Evans third. final during the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games at the Optus Aquatic Centre. — AFP the final 150m. Horton, who upset Chinese de- “I’ve been second almost every single time,” fending champion Sun Yang to snatch gold at Wilmott said. “I’ve raced against Hannah in event at the Commonwealth Games after win- Ruck set a new Games record of 1:54.81 to deny Rio two years ago, joined five-time Olympic every meet and I’ve been second every time. I ning gold at Delhi 2010 and Glasgow 2014. the fast-closing Titmus by just four-hundredths champion Thorpe, who was the last Australian knew that this time it could have been me if I just Wilby came with a late rush to tip out Mur- of a second in a desperate finish, with McKeon man to win the 400m free in Manchester in swam the race a little bit better.” Miley was doch in the 200m breaststroke final by 0.27secs taking bronze. The 17-year-old Titmus is the ris- 2002. Fittingly, Thorpe presented Horton with 0.03secs ahead heading into the final leg but in 2:08.05 with Australian Matt Wilson third. ing star of Australian swimming after becoming his gold medal at the podium presentation. Wilmott finished strongly for the gold medal. Canada’s Taylor Ruck upset the fancied Aus- the first Australian woman in 14 years to com- “It’s really about swimming to win. It was a Miley, 28, was bidding to become the first Scot tralians Ariarne Titmus and defending champion plete the 200m/400m/800m freestyle treble at good race with James-he’s always out quick,” to claim three consecutive golds in the same Emma McKeon to win the 200m freestyle gold. the selection trials last month. —AFP 3 golds, a Tongan braves record and a sharks to swim mullet for at Gold Coast Aussie cyclists GOLD COAST: A Tongan swimmer who trains in shark-in- fested waters to represent his country at the Commonwealth BRISBANE: Australia went some way to- Games struck a blow for the sport’s minnows with a brave ef- wards easing the pain of Rio 2016 as the fort yesterday. As superstars Mack Horton and Chad le Clos Commonwealth Games hosts sealed a BRISBANE: The Australia team competes in the men’s 4000m team pursuit finals track soaked up the adulation of the Gold Coast crowd, 17-year- hat-trick of track cycling golds yesterday, cycling event during the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games at the Anna Meares old Finau Ohuafi’s fourth place in his 50 meters butterfly heat demolishing a world record along the Velodrome. —AFP went completely unnoticed. But the teenager’s brave perform- way. Roared on by a capacity crowd at ance was all the more remarkable given the parlous state of the Anna Meares Velodrome in Brisbane, swimming in Tonga. the Australians romped home against old who excelled. to sink in,” said Porter, proudly sporting “I’m not used to swimming in pools,” Ohuafi said after fin- rivals England in the men’s 4,000m team In front of the watching Camilla, wife a 1980s-style blonde mullet. “When we ishing 50th of 54 — more than four seconds behind le Clos pursuit in a record 3mins 49.804sec, of Britain’s Prince Charles, it was a meas- crossed the line I felt relief and we were over one lap. “We don’t have pools in Tonga. There is a 25m beating the 3:50.265 set by Britain at Rio. ure of redemption for the under-pressure ecstatic to see that we’d broken the world pool at a hotel where we go to train, but we swim in the sea. The Australians also triumphed in the home racers. The Australian cycling team record.” On his eye-catching if outdated It’s difficult because you don’t have starting blocks.” Ohuafi, women’s team pursuit and women’s team went to the Olympics two years ago aim- hairstyle, Porter said: “It was a deal with who chose swimming over rugby when he was 11, revealed sprint-each time over New Zealand-to ing to win at least three golds, but they my brother to grow a mullet a few months that he has been spooked by sharks off the Pacific island when carry home three of the four golds up for returned home with none and instead it ago. What is more Aussie than a mullet?” he trains. grabs on the first day of track cycling ac- was Britain who dominated on that occa- Team-mate Sam Welsford said that “For me it’s nice to swim in the sea but one time me and tion. The men’s team sprint title went to sion. Alex Porter was part of the record- to go below 3:50 was “unreal”. “I’m my cousin were training we saw a shark,” he said after making New Zealand with England again pipped setting Australian men’s team, the first in over the moon with excitement. We’re his Commonwealth Games debut. “We had just done our into silver. All the medals were shared be- history to go under 3mins 50sec in the in our home country-that is what warm-up and my cousin tapped me on the leg to warn me. I tween Australia, New Zealand, England team pursuit. “I’m ecstatic, I’m still lost dreams are made of. This is what we looked down and saw it.—AFP and Canada, but it was the home nation for words and I think it will take a while strive for every day.”— AFP .