day 3 live updates, results, medal tally, times, news, schedule, Australians in action, Team Australia, Emma Mckeon, Kyle Chalmers,
Day 3 of the Commonwealth Games has arrived, and it’s set to be jam-packed with action – and Aussie medal hopes.
After dominating in the pool on the opening two days in Birmingham, Australia’s superstar Dolphins team is back on deck, with nine different heats starting from 7.30pm AEST, headlined by the men’s 100m freestyle heats with four Aussie guns in action. Then there are a host of medals on offer in the finals on Monday morning.
The legendary Australian Kookaburras, who have won every gold medal in field hockey since the event joined the Commonwealth Games in 1998, begin their campaign against Scotland at 8pm AEST.
It’s a massive night of Rugby Sevens action, with the Aussie men playing South Africa in the semi-final at 10pm for a place in the gold medal match tomorrow morning.
The Aussie women play in the gold medal match at 5.30am AEST Monday against Fiji – having lost to that team in the pool stages.
Also up for grabs before midnight AEST are medals in the artistic gymnastics (from 6pm AEST), weightlifting, triathlon, artistic gymnastics, and cycling. All up, there’s a whopping 24 gold medals on offer.
Follow the action in our live blog below!
LIVE MEDAL TALLY: Aussies lead the way as NZ and England chase
AUSSIE REBOUNDS FROM SICKENING CRASH
The velodrome witnessed a horrifying crash yesterday – but the Aussie involved bounced back.
Matthew Glaetzer was caught in a terrifying shunt in the keirin with Englishman Joe Truman that left the home hope knocked out and subsequently sent to hospital. The incident ended Glaetzer’s keirin campaign.
But in qualifying for the men’s sprint, Matthew Richardson was second fastest with a time of 9.598, just behind Trinidad and Tobago’s Nicholas Paul with a sizzling time of 9.445.
Matthew Glaetzer fought through plenty of pain from yesterday’s sickening crash to qualify fourth in a time of 9.652, with Thomas Cornish fifth in 9.747.
And Glaetzer won his round of 16 clash, continuing his remarkable comeback story.
IN THE POOL
Debutant Bowen Gough is through to the final of the Men’s 200m Butterfly as the fourtth-fastest qualifier after winning his heat with a sensational 1:57.53s.
Teammate Brendon Smith snuck in in eighth overall with a 1:58.86s PB, with Kieren Pollard (1:58.99s) narrowly missed out in ninth.
Three Aussies qualified for the final of the women’s 200m breaststroke.
Jenna Strauch was second overall with 2:24.97s, with Abbey Harkin fifth in 2:26.11 and Taylor McKeown seventh in 2:28.15 in her final meet. South African Tatjana Schoenmaker was first by over three seconds.
Ben Armbruster led the three Aussie men in qualifying for the men’s 50m backstroke semi-finals. Armbruster was third-fastest in 25.18s. Bradley Woodward was sixth in 25.39 and Mitchell Larkin equal eighth in 25.52. The semi-finals take place from 4:07am AEST on Monday morning.
Emma McKeon qualified fourth-fastest for the women’s 50m butterfly semi-finals in 26.65, just ahead of sixth-placed Alex Perkins in 26.73s. Holly Barratt was seventh in 26.86. Those semi-finals take place 4.17am AEST on Monday morning.
MCKEON GOES FOR RECORD 11th GOLD
Already the most decorated Australian Olympian of all time, Emma McKeon on Day 2 claimed a record-equalling 10th Commonwealth Games gold medal.
That ties her with Susie O’Neill, Ian Thorpe and Leisel Jones for the most gold medals in Commonwealth Games history.
She also has one silver and four bronze medals – but still has plenty of chances to break the gold medal record.
That includes the 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 50 butterfly, plus the 4×200 women’s freestyle relay and 4×100 mixed freestyle relay.
There’s also a very slim possibility she’ll compete in the women’s 4×100 medley relay.
Tonight, she’ll compete in the 50 free final (5.05am) and 50 butterfly semi-finals (4.17am).
MORE NEWS
DAY 2 WRAP: McKeon makes history amid swim gold rush; rugby stars win thriller
HEARTBREAK FOR INJURED AUSSIE
The first Aussies in action on Sunday night were artistic gymnastics duo Clay Mason Stevens and Jesse Moore, who are competing in the men’s individual all-around final.
19-year-old Moore was seen as a medal chance after qualifying for the final in the top group of six athletes.
To win gold, athletes perform across six apparatus: floor, pommel, rings, vault, parallel bars and horizontal bars.
Moore was 12th after two rotations – having struggled on the floor – but appeared to injure his right shoulder early in his rings routine before falling off the apparatus.
He showed exceptional guts to get back up and complete his routine, but was seen icing his shoulder afterwards, with commentators wondering if he would withdraw from the remainder of the event.
He did so shortly afterwards, and it is now unclear if he will compete in individual events this week.
25-year-old Mason Stevens stole the show by wearing a classic Australian outback hat with a kangaroo emblem, corks and all.
He wore it from the moment he was introduced, and continued to wear it between apparatuses.
When he was introduced, he cut a sharp contrast to his rivals wearing their competition uniforms. Commentators joked that the – typically very conservative – international gymnastics body might look to ban Mason Stevens’s unique look in the future.
Mason Stephens was 16th after two rotations.
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SELECTED SCHEDULE, JUL 31
SWIMMING
19.30 – 21.30 (AEST)
Men’s 200m Butterfly Heats (Bowen Gough wins, 1:57.53s, Brendon Smith third in same heat with a 1:58.86s PB, and Kieren Pollard fourth 1:58.99s)
Women’s 200m Breaststroke Heats (Abbey Harkin, Taylor McKeown, Jenna Strauch)
Men’s 100m Breaststroke SB8 Heat (Blake Cochrane, Timothy Disken, Timothy Hodge)
Women’s 100m Backstroke S8 Heat (Ella Jones, Isabella Vincent)
Men’s 50m Backstroke Heats (Ben Armbruster)
Women’s 50m Butterfly Heats (Holly Barratt, Alexandria Perkins)
Men’s 100m Freestyle Heats (Kyle Chalmers, Zac Incerti, Flynn Southam, William Yang).
CYCLING
19.00 – 22.30 (AEST)
Men’s Sprint Qualification
Men’s Tandem B – Sprint Qualification
Men’s Sprint 1/8 Finals
Men’s Tandem B – Sprint Semi-Finals
Men’s Sprint Quarter-Finals
Men’s 15km Scratch Race Qualification
Women’s 25km Points Race Qualification
SELECTED SCHEDULE, AUGUST 1
SWIMMING FINALS (from 4am AEST Monday)
Women’s 50m Freestyle Final
Men’s 200m Butterfly Final
Women’s 200m Breaststroke Final
Men’s 100m Breaststroke SB8 Final
Women’s 100m Backstroke S8 Final
Men’s 50m Backstroke Semi-Finals
Women’s 50m Butterfly Semi-Finals
Men’s 100m Freestyle Semi-Finals
Women’s 100m Backstroke Final
Men’s 100m Breaststroke Final
Mixed 4x100m Freestyle Relay S14 Final
Women’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay Final
CRICKET
Australia women’s T20 team face Barbados at 3am AEST, with victory meaning a place in the semi-finals.
LIVE BLOG
Follow the action in the live blog below. If you can’t see the blog, click here.