IMAGE| MICHAEL WILLSON
Day 11 is finals day at the Games. Boomers, Diamonds and the Rugby Sevens women’s team play for gold. In athletics Kurt Fearnley brings down the curtain on his glittering career.
ATHLETICS
The final hurrah for athletics will be the four marathon events. Australia have athletes capable of winning all four 26 milers. In the men’s, Gold Coast local and defending champion Michael Shelley will lead the Australian campaign. In the women’s, Jess Trengove and Lisa Weightman have been in the form of their lives in the last year. Madi de Rozario makes a rare appearance over the marathon distance and hopes to add to her T54 1500m track gold medal. Then there is Kurt Fearnley, the long farewell will final arrive.
BASKETBALL – MEN
Australia will take on a surprise opponent in Canada in the gold medal match at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre at 11:30 AM.
Canada upstaged New Zealand with a buzzer-beating three as time expired to qualify for the final, despite having previously lost by 22 to the Tall Blacks in the group stage.
The Boomers will head into the clash raging favourites after accounting for Canada by 40 points in the preliminary rounds.
NETBALL
After five Commonwealth Games finals where Australia played New Zealand, a different pair will play off for the gold. Following Australia’s defeat of New Zealand in the semifinal, the host nation will now play England for the honour of Commonwealth champion.
RUGBY SEVENS – MEN
Australia are out of medal contention and will face Kenya at 10:15 AM AEST this morning (Sunday) after failing to beat England in their final pool clash last night (Saturday). The Australian men’s Sevens side will have two games on the final day of competition to playoff for fifth place at Robina Stadium. Andy Friend’s side have the solitary injury concern with playmaker Tom Lucas struggling with a knee injury that he picked up in the opening clash against Samoa on Saturday.
RUGBY SEVENS – WOMEN
Australia will take on Canada in the semifinal today (Sunday) with a chance to play off for the gold medal the reward for the victor. Canada are currently third on the world standings and have proved a tricky customer for Australia in the past with their abrasive power running. Australian co-captain Sharni Williams was ruled out yesterday after suffering an ankle sprain with 13th player Georgina Friedrichs coming into the side for last night’s clash against Fiji. If Australia beat Canada, they will play off in the Gold Medal match at 2:39 PM AEST.
SQUASH
It will be the Ashes of squash tomorrow, when Australia takes on England in both the men’s and women’s squash doubles tournament finals.
The men’s pairing of David Palmer and Zac Alexander will fight against England’s Daryl Selby and Adrian Waller in the gold medal match. For two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist Palmer, this will be his final Games, and a win would add to his plentiful collection. It will be Alexander’s first taste of glory, when he wins his first major competition medal regardless of the result.
The pairing of Rachael Grinham and Donna Urquhart will compete for bronze tomorrow against England’s Laura Mossaro and Sarah-Jane Perry.
