Lewis Clareburt staged a magnificent fightback to win gold in the 200m butterfly and team-mate Joshua Willmer swam bravely to claim silver in the para 100m breaststroke. The women's 4 x 200m freestyle team capped off the evening with a rare relay medal.
Clareburt successfully defended 200m butterfly title with a stunning charge that rocketed him from seventh to first over the final 100m.
He won in 1min 55.05s, fending off Australian Harrison Turner and South African Matthew Temple.
It's a notable mark of Clareburt's swimming how well he finishes races and he drew on that strength again tonight.
Clareburt has now won a gold and a silver medal in Glasgow.
He said that after 100m he still felt amazing so thought he'd better try to swim faster. 'I knew from four years ago that in that last 50 metres it's anyone's race. When I turned around and saw No 1 next to me, I felt I could run through a brick wall, I was so stoked, so happy.
'I wasn't expecting to win the race. To come up against Duncan Scott, swimming in front of his home crowd, is pretty daunting, and a guy like Harry Turner, who is the third best in the world at the moment... it was always going to be hard and I'm very happy.'
The butterfly gold means he has now won gold and silver in Glasgow, following his earlier second place in the 200m individual medley.
Willmer was unable to repeat his Birmingham gold medal effort in the para-swimming 100m breaststroke, but still turned in a fine effort to grab the silver medal.
The race was won by Beau Matthews of Australia in 1min 09 41s. Willmer was second in 1min 11.41s and another Australian, Timothy Hodge, took the bronze medal in 1min 12.74s. The race was actually categorised SB9, but all three medallists are SB8 swimmers and were swimming up a level so they could compete in Glasgow. That makes their efforts all the more meritorious.
It was a bizarre race, however. Two swimmers were disqualified, including Canadian Fernando Lu, who finished first. His disqualification moved the three medallists up a place.
Wilmer said he found out about the medal upgrade while he was doing an interview with the media.
'I’m stoked! I feel for the guy who got the DQ - no one wants that to happen - but I’m super proud of swimming up a classification and picking up the silverware.'
The women who won bronze in the 4 x 200m freestyle relay - Erika Fairweather, Caitlin Deans, Eve Thomas and Milana Tapper - have been busy in Glasgow, but they were on fire tonight. Their medal is New Zealand's first in a Commonwealth Games relay since Delhi in 2010.
The New Zealanders recorded 7min 51.94s, well behind Australia and England, but a full 12 seconds ahead of fourth-placed Scotland.
It was Fairweather's fourth medal of the Commonwealth Games. She joins the likes of Gary Anderson (1986 and 1990), Rebecca Perrott (1978) Ellesse Andrews (2022) and Aaron Gate (2022) in this distinction. Danyon Loader, who won five medals in 1994, leads the way in this area.
Carter Swift lived up to his surname in the men's 100m freestyle semi-finals. Racing against some of the big guns of men's swimming, the New Zealander swam superbly to grab a place in the final.
Swift swam the best part of a second faster than in his morning heat and deserved to claim eighth place overall. His time of 48.77s was just a click of the fingers outside his personal best.
'I've far exceeded my expectations,' said Swift. 'I was only supposed to be in the relay, so to make the semi-finals, and now the final is pretty special.'
Hazel Ouwehand had to be satisfied with eighth in the women's 100. butterfly final. She was over a second slower than in her qualifying heat. She's had a very busy few days and seemed to be feeling the effects.
'I gave it everything I’ve got,' she said. 'It’s been a big four days, and I’m proud to have made another Commonwealth Games final.'
There was better news for Savannah-Eve Martin and Amber George in the women's 50m backstroke semi-finals. Both women progressed through to the final.
Martin was sixth fastest with 26.28s and George seventh fastest with 26.37s. The fastest in the semi-finals was Canadian Kylie Masse with 27.57s.
Martin said she was happy she hadn't let nerves get to her. 'It wasn't my best swim but I'm in the final tomorrow, so I can’t complain!'
George said she felt she had swum much better than in her morning heat. 'I trusted my stroke and now I’m in a final.'
No comments:
Post a Comment