Friday 43 Sports Friday, April 13, 2018 Faltering Jamaicans give Bolt the Commonwealth blues Miller-Uibo romp to victory for Bahamas in women’s 200m GOLD COAST: Even the presence of sprint legend “There’s nobody that doesn’t want to chase a double Usain Bolt failed to inspire Jamaica’s track athletes at Olympic champion because everybody’s fit, every- the Commonwealth Games yesterday as they suffered body’s hungry and everybody wants a medal.” There another beating in the women’s 200 metres. was some consolation for Jamaica, however, as As Bolt looked on from the VIP seats in his new Janieve Russell won the women’s 400m gold in 54.33, ambassadorial role, double Olympic champion Elaine more than half-a-second clear of Scotland’s Eilidh Thompson failed even to medal, adding to Jamaica’s Doyle, who took silver for the third successive Com- troubles on the Gold Coast monwealth Games. It was after missing out on both only Jamaica’s third track 100m titles. Shaunae Tonight the gold after Ronald Levy Miller-Uibo romped to vic- won the men’s 110 metres tory for the Bahamas in the gold meant hurdles and Aisha Praught- women’s 200m in a new Leer made off with the Games record of 22.09 to a lot for the women’s 3,000 metres further darken Bolt’s mood steeplechase crown. after Yohan Blake’s 100m country flop on Monday, when he HUGHES STRIPPED had to settle for bronze. Bolt also watched for- Miller-Uibo was presented her gold medal by none lornly as Jamaica well outside the medals in a con- GOLD COAST: Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson (L) and England’s Dina Asher-Smith cross the finish other than Bolt, the eight-time Olympic champion. troversial men’s 200m final. England’s Zharnel line of the athletics women’s 200m final during the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games “It’s a pleasure getting it from a great like him,” Hughes appeared to have beaten Trinidad and To- at the Carrara Stadium on the Gold Coast yesterday. —AFP Miller-Uibo told reporters. “Me and Elaine, we com- bago’s Jereem Richards in a photo finish, only to be pete a lot and she always brings her A-game. I think dramatically stripped of the gold moments later for maica’s Jaheel Hyde bronze. “Tonight the gold meant 800m race in 1:45.11. Elsewhere at the Common- we put on a great show.” impeding him. Replays showed Hughes catching a lot for the country,” said McMaster, who survived wealth Games, England’s Olympic gold medallist Jack Shericka Jackson did at least take silver for Ja- Richards in the face with his left hand, causing his the deadly hurricane and has a tattoo dedicated to Laugher made it two gold medals in two days when maica behind Miller-Uibo as England’s Dina Asher- opponent to stumble. Earlier, Kyron McMaster won former coach Xavier Samuels on his left arm. he won the three-metre springboard diving. Annie Smith pipped Thompson for the bronze. But an emotional first-ever Commonwealth Games gold “I have him with me everywhere I go... I’ve learnt Last also captured gold for England in the women’s Miller-Uibo, who bagged gold in the 400m at the medal for the British Virgin Islands in the men’s 400m not to take life for granted because at any moment mountain biking as former wrestling world champion 2016 Rio Olympics, proved a cut above and powered hurdles, seven months after his coach was killed by stuff could happen.” Wycliffe Kinyamal won the first Sushil Kumar struck completed a Games hat-trick by away in the final third of the race to take the title. “I’m Hurricane Irma. The 21-year-old clocked 48.25 with gold medal of the Games for Kenya, who were top of beating South Africa’s Johannes Botha to win the not sure what happened,” shrugged Thompson. Jeffery Gibson of the Bahamas taking silver and Ja- the athletics table in 2014, after winning the men’s 74kg category. —AFP Canadian beach volleyballer Red-hot Laugher secures adds gold to Games diving double family story GOLD COAST: England’s Jack Laugher said he had been “on fire” after giving a masterclass to win the three-metre spring- board for his second gold medal in the Commonwealth Games COOLANGATTA: Her father represented Chile in volleyball, her diving yesterday. mother was a ballet dancer and Melissa Humana-Paredes yester- The Olympic silver medallist totalled 519.40 points from his day won Commonwealth Games gold in beach volleyball for GOLD COAST: Canada’s Sarah Pavan (L) and Melissa Humana- six dives for a whopping 66.7-point victory over Canada’s Canada to add another chapter to the family story. Paredes (R) show their gold medals after winning the women’s Philippe Gagne with Australia’s James Connor taking the The 25-year-old and playing partner Sarah Pavan were the beach volleyball final against Australia at the 2018 Gold Coast bronze. Laugher, who is now chasing a Gold Coast hat-trick, party-poopers as the Canadian pair beat Australia to deprive the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast yesterday. —AFP won the one-metre title on Wednesday. hosts of double gold in the inaugural Commonwealth beach vol- “I was on form this evening, I was on fire from the start and leyball competition. Just a couple of hours earlier, the Australian bronze at Atlanta 1996 in beach volleyball. Hernan wrote the because I wanted that title so much it meant that I really tried duo of Chris McHugh and Damien Schumann won the men’s title book, “Playing Under The Gun: An Athlete’s Tale of Survival in quite hard,” Laugher said. “I pretty much made the medal po- against their Canadian opponents on Coolangatta Beach. 1970s Chile”, about life under the Pinochet dictatorship. Humana- sition before my last dive, so that’s obviously confidence boost- But, with the rain falling on occasions in the night sky, Aus- Paredes’ older brother Felipe is also a member of the Canadian ing. “It really meant a lot to me,” added the 23-year-old. “I’m tralia’s Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho del Solar could not national beach volleyball squad, though he did not feature in Aus- really proud of my score first time finally competing outdoors pull off a similar feat. In front of watching South African star tralia. With mother Myriam once in Chile’s national ballet, Hu- and almost what I got in Rio.” swimmer Chad le Clos, celebrating his 26th birthday with a beer mana-Paredes was probably always destined to make her mark Laugher’s score was just four points off his silver medal per- and fresh from his medal heroics in the pool, Humana-Paredes and one way or the other. “I often say that volleyball does run through formance in the event behind China’s Cao Yuan at the 2016 Rio Rio 2016 Olympian Pavan won a nervy final 21-19, 22-20. my blood,” said Humana-Paredes, who started playing beach vol- Olympics. Laugher pulled away from the field with a smooth “We just found out that this is the first gold medal for Canada leyball aged 12. “I grew up loving it, I was always on beaches at reverse 2-1/2 somersault on his second dive, earning him 94.5 in beach volleyball at any multisport Games so it’s doubly special,” a young age, I think that’s why both Sarah and I have such a great points from the judges and 95.00 points on his fifth forward 4- said a beaming Humana-Paredes, her medal slung around her volleyball ‘IQ’,” said Humana-Paredes, whose family were watch- 1/2 somersaults dive. “I am a bit behind this year because of my neck. Volleyball runs in the blood of Toronto-born Humana-Pare- ing on TV back home in Canada. “Sarah and I have a certain sense injuries but to get a score like that today and dive like the way des, as it does Pavan’s, whose mother was in Canada’s national of the game that not everybody has, and that is probably why we I did made me very happy,” he said. “I think I am on track, still team in the 1980s. Humana-Paredes’ volleyball-mad father Hernan are so successful. “And what is going to continue to help us be working through those injuries but to get 520 points is a very represented Chile in the 1970s before fleeing to Canada, and then successful is that knowledge and love for the sport that we’ve good international score and I think there is more in there. I’m coached Canadians John Child and Mark Heese to Olympic grown up with and had all of our lives.” —AFP over the moon.” —AFP.