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:
Athlete Dane Bird-Smith talks about winning gold in the 20km race walk:
“I could not be happier. The course is tough, but the home crowd made it worthwhile.”
Athlete Jemima Montag discusses winning gold and the disqualification of Claire Tallent from the women’s 20km race walk:
“It’s not the way that I would have liked to win gold but when things like that happen, you have to stay in the moment and not lose focus. Claire is a beautiful girl and she’s done it before, she’ll come back stronger.”
Athlete Claire Tallent on her disqualification from the 20km race walk:
“I thought it was my day. I picked up two red cards (early in the race) and after that I sat back and let the race unfold. I felt as fresh as a daisy and ready to win.
“I wanted to show that women can have babies and come back and be competitive.”
Swimmer Emily Seebohm discusses whether the lane placing affects performance:
“History shows it doesn’t matter what lane you’re in, you can win from any lane. I’m just going into this race preparing the best I can.”
Bowler Barrie Lester on dealing with nerves going further into the competition:
“We all have been feeling very relaxed. We are great mates and just being hanging out and having a good time. We are treating this like another event and not letting the hype in the crowd get to us – to be able to look at another coloured medal is a good thing.”
Athlete Taylor Doyle describes the support of the crowd at Carrara Stadium during her long jump event:
“It was awesome. Every time I jumped the crowd clapped, they were very supportive. Being here on the first day of competition was brilliant, I just wanted to be out there.”
Gymnast Emily Whitehead reflects on winning the bronze in the vault apparatus:
“It’s amazing. I can’t believe it really. I didn’t expect this at all. It was a goal to come in and achieve a medal, but I didn’t really think it was possible. I can’t wait to come back for more, because the atmosphere is just amazing.”
Athlete Erin Cleaver describes her emotions after a silver medal performance in long jump:
“It feels much better than it did last year at the London (2017 World Championships, where she also won silver) because the home ground made it loud and everyone was cheering for us, so it was amazing. It was definitely the best and tops everything I’ve experienced.”
Hockey player Jodie Kenny on her role as a mentor for the Hockeyroo debutants at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games:
“I am very comfortable in my position and the way I play, so it gives me the opportunity to help others and share the experience.”
Swimmer Brianna Throssell talks about the significance of the gold medal to her:
“Standing on the podium in first place practically means the world to me. It’s my first ever international gold medal and to do it alongside these girls is very exciting.”
Para-swimmer Tim Hodge describes his feelings about winning silver:
“I’m really happy with it. I went in to the race with a good race plan and a good idea of what I wanted, and I far exceeded my expectations. I’m really happy with that race.”
Para-swimmer Katherine Downie on her performance in the 200m individual medley:
“It means a lot, especially to do it in front of a home crowd, it was unreal. I could hear them in the breaststroke, I could hear them in the freestyle, so I thought I’d do it for Australia.”
Cyclist Sam Welsford on his feelings after winning gold in the 15km scratch race:
“I’m over the moon. It’s my second gold of the competition. I just had to hold on in the end. It’s a very special moment because my program’s very team-based. But it’s a good test to see where I’m at at world level.”
Boxer Terry Nickolas tells the world what it means to represent Australia:
“I’ve waited for this for nine years. The home crowd lifted me so much and now I’m going to push for that gold medal.”
Gymnast Georgia Godwin describes the emotion she and her team are feeling:
“I’ve been working for the last 18 years, and it’s all led up to this. My coaches have worked with me for 10 years, so they are all very emotional too.”
Swimmer Cate Campbell describes the atmosphere at the pool:
“When the crowd started chanting ‘Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! Oi! Oi! Oi!’ just before the start, (I thought) this is goosebump stuff.”
Swimmer David Morgan thanks the home crowd:
“This is epic, the crowd really pushes you. It’s your home Games, everyone gets behind you and I can’t thank them enough for it.”
Bowler Natasha Scott on coming back from behind to win:
“It comes down to the basics of the game. We’d had plenty of bowls in the head and there was just a couple of results that didn’t go our way early on. We are Australian and we are fighters. It’s not over until the fat lady sings.”
