IMAGE || MICHAEL WILLSON

Compiled by Christina Hansen and Deanna Yourell

We’ve kept our ears to the ground and brought you the most quotable quotes from the last 24 hours. Here’s today’s action through the voices of those who matter most:

Wrestler Nikolaas Verryenne talks about his game plan:

“The match played out exactly as we planned. Lots of forward pressure to make the other guy look passive, put the pressure on him and exploit his mistakes.”

Gymnast Danielle Prince reflects on the pressure of competing in rhythmic gymnastics:

“You do put yourself under constant scrutiny and in the sport of perfection, throwing your ball off the floor is not a great start to perfection. I’m really looking forward to being a little bit kinder to myself and enjoying what the next six months have to offer and seeing how we go from there.”

Para-table tennis player Andrea McDonnell discusses the pressures of competing against a teammate:

“It was very relaxed and Melissa’s a great friend of mine. We just thought we’d go out and have fun. After the match, she said, ‘You scared the shit out of me in that first game’.”

Gymnast Alexandra Kiroi-Bogatyreva on her bronze medal win in the ball final:

“It was amazing, I was just doing my job here. I did a clean routine and the results followed.”

“It was a very tough trip for me this year. I went through a lot of training and emotions. I’m very thankful to my family, my friends, and especially my coach for getting me where I am today.”

Squash player Donna Urquhart talks about what changed at 1-9 down in the second game of the doubles:

“I think the key was that we didn’t think about it. I never thought it was over. They made a few errors and things started to go our way.

“Even after winning the second, we still felt like the underdogs. Knowing that they’d been up and lost it, we had to keep playing confidently, but make sure we didn’t relax.”

Divers Domonic Bedggood and Declan Stacey talk about securing the bronze with their final dive and their partnership:

“That was our best dive, so we put that one last because we’re most confident in that dive. I guess it paid off.”

“We’ve known each other since we were nine or 10 years old. Dom represented Queensland and I represented NSW. He moved to diving and I was a bit behind him, but now we’re up there together. It’s a great friendship and great fun.”

Shooter Sergei Evglevski on winning silver:

“It’s unreal. I can’t believe it. In the last round there was a lot going through my mind. I’m thinking about my opponent ‘stuff up, stuff up’, but he’s a very good shooter. Before the last round I was just trying to relax and breathe, and do whatever my mum (fellow shooter Lalita Yauhleuskaya) taught me. She’s one of the best shooters alive. She taught me so much and she’s here today. Mum means the world to me. She put me in the sport and put me in the position I’m in.”

Boxer Harry Garside talks tactics in his fight:

“This was a big test match for me. He’s a very tricky opponent, a true boxer. I’m happy to get him out of the way and I had to use my brain instead of just my fists for this one.”

Bowler Aron Sherriff describes how hard it is to lose the gold-medal match:

“It is a pretty ordinary day and an ordinary feeling to finish our campaign. We fought hard.

“We are one team and are proud of what we have achieved.”

Boxer Jason Whateley discusses pre-fight tactics and the end of round friction after Thursday’s fight:

“I knew he was going to be a tricky customer and try to frustrate me, so all I had to do was stick to my guns, keep it basic and just focus on the body.”

“We had a bit of a run-in before when we were sparring so we didn’t like each other going into this fight anyway. That’s why I had to keep my cool, as I’m known for being a bit hot-headed.”

Shooter Laetisha Scanlan describes her feelings after winning gold on her 28th birthday:

“I have birthday tears. I am so humbled by the experience. This Aussie crowd pushed me the whole way. I can’t thank them enough. My supporters and family all came out. It’s just phenomenal. Tonight I’ll have a few drinks and maybe a birthday cake.

“I said to myself today: ‘I’m not going to worry about the result. Win lose or draw, I’m going to celebrate for my birthday, but boy, am I’m going to celebrate tonight’. The other competitors in this event are just phenomenal. They are world class.”

Squash player Cameron Pilley on the support from the crowd:

“Hearing the ‘Aussie, Aussie, Aussie’ chant brought an instant smile to both our faces.”

Bowler Rebecca van Asch on the women’s singles match:

“We got optimum result. The momentum of the game swung our way at the right time. The format helped us and these girls are just awesome. It’s a nice accolade to take away.”

Beach volleyball player Taliqua Clancy on their silver medal performance:

“We had a pretty tough journey but I’m really proud of what we were able to do.”

Athlete Kurtis Marschall on his gold medal jump:

“Third attempt. I’ve never been in that situation before when going for gold. I’ve learnt from past mistakes and I knew how to do it, so I just executed the process and kept a cool head and I’m glad it worked.”

Athlete Dani Stevens talks about her performance and throwing a Games record of 68.26m:

“My coach (Denis Knowles), said: ‘you haven’t hit one yet so just open up and go for it’.

“It was great to get such a good throw out.

“The Games record was definitely on my mind. I wanted to snag that one.

Diver Melissa Wu discusses overcoming injury to win gold in the 10m platform:

“I am battling injuries every day and I missed the trials because of a neck injury and a knee injury. I came back this year from back injuries and wrist injuries and there are just so many injuries, but I just keep staying positive and push through and I know it’s all worth it in the end.”

Athlete Brooke Stratton on taking home the silver medal in long jump:

“I didn’t know that I was actually going to be here towards the end of last year after my foot injury so even though I won the silver medal it feels like gold to me.”

Diver James Connor on his bronze medal win:

“It was an incredible experience in front of the home crowd again and I was lucky enough to come away with a medal in a high-quality field.”

Para-athlete Rhiannon Clarke talks about her performance at 15 years of age:

“It is such a surprise that I ran my personal best (13.17s) and an Australian record. I am just so stoked the crowd was pushing me along, it was amazing. I didn’t want to stop, I just wanted to keep running.”