IMAGE|| MICHAEL WILLSON
ATHLETICS
After placing sixth, fifth and fourth in the javelin at the last three Commonwealth Games, surely it is podium time for Kathryn Mitchell after her breakthrough summer season at the age of 35 years, which has included the longest throw in the world since 2013. She will have strong opposition from teammate and bronze medallist in Glasgow Kelsey-Lee Roberts who two weeks ago nailed a PB 64.57m.
In semi-final action we have over 200m Riley Day, Maddie Coates, Larissa Pasternatsky and Alex Hartmann. The unknown form, due to injury in the lead-up, of Gen Lacaze will be revealed in the 3000m steeplechase. High jumper Brandon Starc competes in a very open final. Can Henry Frayne repeat his extraordinary qualifying round where he raised the Games record?
But the highlight could be two world records in the para events. On the last occasion T35 100m athlete, Isis Holt, raced on this track, she broke a world record. Now she is every chance to repeat the performance. In his last competition two weeks ago F38 shot putter Cam Crombie fouled a 16.80m putt. His world record is 15.95m.
BEACH VOLLEYBALL
Wednesday will be a big day of beach volleyball for Australia, with both our pairs taking to the sand in semifinal matchups. McHugh and Schumann will get the ball rolling at 4:00 PM when they line up across the net from Gregory and Sheaf from England. The English pair have suffered one loss thus far, which came against the brothers from New Zealand Ben and Sam O’Dea (who have also progressed to the semifinals).
Our women’s pairing of Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy will take on the duo from Vanuatu of Matauatu and Pata at 8:30 PM. The Ni-Vanuatu pair scraped through their quarterfinal matchup by the skin of their teeth in a nail-biting three set match against England.
BOXING
We’re right into the semi-finals beginning tomorrow, with four Australians swinging for a win. Anja Stridsman, who has made a sensational comeback after an ACL rupture late last year, will make an appearance in the 60kg quarterfinal, taking on India’s Sarita Devi.
In the 69kg division, Australian welterweight will fight Wales Rosie Eccles for a chance at Commonwealth gold, while Harry Garside and Clay Waterman will also find themselves in quarterfinals looking for a strong semi final berth.
DIVING
On Wednesday the pool action turns to the diving board and platform at the Games. The first discipline is the women’s 3 metre synchro where Australia’s Olympic bronze medallists face tough competition from the Canadian pair of Jennifer Able and Melissa Citrini Beaulieu who placed second at the 2017 world championships, relegating the Aussies to fourth.
In the evening there are two finals, the women’s 10 metre synchro and men’s 1 metre. James Connor will fly the flag in the men’s event, while in the women’s synchro, four-time Commonwealth Games representative Melissa Wu will call upon all that experience to put behind injury woes and the challenge of very new partner in Teju Williamson to place on the podium.
GYMNASTICS RHYTHMIC
The gymnastics action will continue at the Coomera Indoor Sports Centre tomorrow, when the rhythmic gymnastics competition kicks off with the qualifications and team final. The Australian contingent will be led by hometown hero, Danielle Prince, who will become the first Australian female gymnast to compete in three Commonwealth Games when she takes to the floor tomorrow evening.
Joining Prince in the Australian contingent is 23-year-old, Enid Sung. Ironically it was Sung that was in hot competition with Prince for the third spot on the Australian Rhythmic Gymnastics Commonwealth Games team in 2010, with Prince somewhat surprisingly at the time beating out Sung for the coveted spot on the Delhi team at the 2010 Australian Championships.
Rounding out the RG team for Australia is 16-year-old, Alexandra Kiroi-Bogatyreva. Although ‘Sasha’ – as she is fondly known – is by far the most inexperienced member of the team, this isn’t expected to impede on her performance in the biggest competition of her career to date. Not only will it be her first major competition at the Senior International level, but having beaten both Prince and Sung in local meets in the lead up to the Games, she will not let her age or lack of experience get in the way of her finishing on the podium.
HOCKEY – MEN
The final day of pool action on Wednesday 11 April is sure to be an action-packed day. The Kookaburras will face rivals New Zealand in what is set to be a highly-charged affair, with both teams playing for Trans-Tasman bragging rights. This is followed by India against England, where two well-matched teams go into the fray and finally, Canada will fancy their chances against the African champions, South Africa.
LAWN BOWLS
Lynne Seymour (Director Bob Seymour) and Jake Fehlberg (Director Grant Fehlberg) will attempt to claim Australia’s second gold medal of the Games’ Lawn Bowls competition, and just the second since 2006. The team will contest the gold medal decider tomorrow at 7:00PM.
NETBALL
Australian Diamonds’ biggest threat to their defence and Commonwealth Games gold is not New Zealand. It’s Jamaica. The Diamonds will brace for a genuine battle against Jamaica tomorrow night at 8:30PM.
SHOOTING
The shotgun action kicks off on day four of the Commonwealth shooting competition, with Rio Olympian and world cup medallists James Willett and Emma Cox taking to the range in the men’s and women’s double trap, respectively. Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games team member Gaye Shale will also line up in the women’s double trap event. And veteran Bruce Quick will step up to the firing line at a remarkable seventh Commonwealth Games when he contests the 50m pistol event, along with teammate Daniel Repacholi.
SQUASH
Five doubles matches will be contested tomorrow by Australians. The formidable Christine Nunn will be back in action with Sarah Cardwell, to take on New Zealand’s Joelle King and Amanda Landes-Murphy.
In the afternoon, Zac Alexander and David Palmer will take on Jamaica’s Chris Birmie and Lewis Walter, while the successful pairing of Donna Urquhart and Cameron Pilley will take on a Pakastani duo of Falza Zafar and Farhan Zaman.
The evening will see Nunn and Cardwell take on Malaysia, while Ryan Cuskelly and Pilley will together face Trinidad and Tobago.
TABLE TENNIS
It’s an action-packed day for Australia’s table tennis athletes, with the mixed doubles opening rounds as well the Para-table tennis continuing.
Up in the mixed doubles will be Miao Miao and David Powell, taking on Uganda’s Halima Nambozo and Ronald Nyaika. Both Miao and Powell will be out for vengeance after missing out on the first table tennis medals on offer in the women’s and men’s team events, respectively.
David Powell will pair with Kane Townsend to take on Singapore, Hemming Hu and Xin Yan will take on Barbados, while Hemming Hu and Milly Tapper, and Tracye Gem and Trent Carter still await their draws.
The men’s individual competition also begins tomorrow, with Xin Yan, Hu Hemming and David Powell all competing, with their competition to be drawn tomorrow.
Australia’s top ranked Para-table tennis athlete Melissa Tapper is expected to shine once again tomorrow when she takes on England’s Felicity Pickard. With a mix of classes competing in the Para events, the Australian class 10 (most abled) will compete against a class 6 athlete and is expected to win.
Andrea McDonnell (class 10) will take on Canada’s Stephanie Chan, while Barak Mizrachi will compete against Nigera’s Temitope Ogunsanya.
