Callum Hawkins collapsed---twice--while leading the final event of the Commonwealth Games--the Men's Marathon!
It was the heat--and the refusal of medicos to go to him!--that made this event so dramatic!
(He's okay, last I heard, in a hospital recovering!)
This sharp turn downward didn't quite reflect a Games that produced a goodly amount of Meet Records--whether that count includes the pair produced by the questionably-gendered Caster Semenya---or not!
Whether 13---or 11---this Commonwealth Games was a success--even though scheduled for a time when athletes were ending their Down Under season--or gearing up for the Diamond League meets a month or more hence!!
And those upsets!!
Valerie---excuse me!!--DAME Valerie Adams--lost!
As did Eliza McCartney!
But it really began with Tom Walsh!!
As reported in a previous post, three MR's fell in the first day or two of competition!
To repeat---
Walsh threw the Shot Put a humongous 73-8---in QUALIFYING!!--to shatter the MR by a few FEET!!
Dane Bird-Smith beat Tom Bosworth in the 20000 Meter Walk---1:19:34 to 1:19:38, getting another Meet Record!
And Nick Miller's HT of 263-4 got that MR!!
(Details in the earlier post!)
It was truly anticlimactic that Walsh's winning SP was "just" 70-3!!
Another Thrower to shine---as she has been all year!--was Kathryn Mitchell!
The Aussie JT'er added another 14 inches to her National Record to win at 226-1.
It's also the CG Meet Record!
And she broke her own Age 35 Record also!
But she remains 7th A-T World!!
As I've done in other major Championship meet reports, let's go ahead chronologically!!
The Women's 10K went to Stella Chesang's 31:45.30.
A strategic race, even though she was just 18 seconds removed from the MR!
The sprints were slow--ish, despite Usain Bolt's storied presence to watch his fellow Jamaicans collect Gold's that never came!!
(He even reflected--"Maybe I retired too soon!!")
Michelle Lee-Ahye took the Women's 100 in 11.14 (1.0), while Akani Simbine's 10.03 (0.8) took care of Bolt's friend Yohan Blake, whose 10.17 took Bronze!!
Henry Frayne (Huh? Who??) set a Meet Record in the LJ Qualifying--27-4.50!
But while he continued his fine jumping in the Final, his 27-4 wasn't enough to hold off the flyer of Luvo Manyonga!
His 27-7.25 winner got him the MR!!
(First time a MR was broken in both Qualifying and Final in a Championship meet??)
It was a Jamaican 1-2 in the Women's Triple Jump!!
Kimberly Williams flipped a 48-0.50 to defeat Shaneika Ricketts's 47-7.75!!
Running against a breeze of 0.3, Ronald Levy won the 110H in 13.19, with Hansle Parchment 2nd in 13.22!
The Men's 5K was a MoBot special--without MoBot!
Won in 13:50.83 by Joshua Cheptegei, 2nd DID go to a "Mo"--Mo Ahmed of Canada!!
The Women's 20K Walk was won by an Aussie--Jemima Montag--but in a slow 1:32:50!
The Men's 800 heats saw hot Nijel Amos remain heated---his 1:45.12 speedy for a Q time!!
The Final was taken in 1:45.11---but not by Amos--who ended LAST!!
Wycliffe Kinjamal (!!) beat the 1:45.16 of Kyle Langford!!
As for Amos, he was leading through 600, but faded bad on the ending straight!
His time was 1:48.45!
Another event with a fast Heat time was the Women's 400H---which saw Janieve Russell take the year's lead with her 54.01.
She won the final, but needed just 54.33 to defeat Elidh Doyle's 54.80!!
The Multi's went to the favored--Lindon Victor and Katarina Johnson-Thompson--but with UNDERwhelming results!!
Victor's 8303 survived his battle with Damian Warner, whose No Height in the PV ended his chances!!
As for KJT, she was criticized afterward for sloughing it with her score of 6255!
The critics felt she didn't "perform" up to her standards!
But can't say the same for Silver winner Nina Schultz!!
She PR'ed with 6133, moving her from 24th A-T Collegiate to 13th!!
She's 19 years old!
A year younger is Australia's Celeste Mucci!
Her score of 5915 took 4th!
Julia Ratcliffe took the HT with a non-PR 229-5!
Isaac Makwala's 44.35 nailed the Men's 400, with Baboloki Thebe's 45.09 far back!
Then came the first of South Africa's unnamable's 2 "Gold's"!!
Not in THIS blogger's humble opinion!!
This person does NOT belong in All-Women's events---IAAF rulings or not!!
CS ran 4:00.71---which in "ordinary" circumstances would be the new MR!!
But I see Beatrice Chepkoech's 4:03.09--in "2nd"---as being the REAL MR!
Melissa Courtney took the "Silver" with her 4:03.44!!
Emma Coburn's training partner won the Women's 3000SC!!
Aisha Praught-Leer--American turned Jamaican!!--almost got the MR---but her 9:21.00 non-PR was enough to beat the young stud, Celiphine Chespol, who ended in 9:22.61!!
Perhaps an upset equal to what Coburn did in London last year!!
The shockers continued in the Men's HJ--where Donald Thomas was the perceived favorite!
He ended just 4th--behind Aussie Brandon Starc---another I'd never ever heard of!!
Starc's winner measured 7-7.25!
Shara Proctor was another "upset"---especially after she led the Long Jump Q's with 22-7.25!
But she ended 3rd--behind Gold winner Christabel Nettey's 22-5.25!
Elaine Thompson came into this meet a mystery!
Was she in shape--or wasn't she??
The Heats gave some hint--as her 22.95 was well behind Shaunae Miller-Uibo's 22.48, despite an anti-wind of 0.3!
In fact, Sharicka Jackson's 22.28 led those prelims!!
But the Final saw ET improve to a solid 22.30!!
Untold story--it gave her only fourth!!
In first came SMU's 22.09!!
The wind of 0.9 took her to the CG Meet Record!
And what an iconic MR it was!!
No other than Merlene Ottey's 22.19--dating from 36 years ago--in 1982!!
Jackson took Silver with 22.18, while Dina Asher-Smith's 22.29 kept ET off the podium!!
The Men's 200 Heats found Aaron Brown's 20.18 well ahead of 19.69 man Clarence Munyai, who ran 20.36.!
Was he just jogging it--waiting to destroy the field in the Final??
NO!!
Like ET, he ended 4th--in 20.58!!
Jereem Richards used an 0.9 wind to win in 20.12!!
Vet Amantle Montsho's 50.15 came within 0.05 seconds of the MR, but was more than enough to take the Gold!
Anastasia LeRoy's 50.57 was 2nd, while another vet--Stephanie McPherson--was 3rd in 50.93!
Some early Q & Heat action gave interesting results!
Fedric Dacres led the DT Qualifying with his DT of 217-2!
Danielle Williams's 12.69 was the fastest 100H time, ahead of Tobi Amusan's 12.73.
Michelle Jenneke's 12.99 squeaked her in to the Final!!
Val Adams's 60-9.25 led the Shot Put Q's--a season's best!
And South Africa's CS ran 1:59.26 in the WOMEN's 800 Heats!
Dacres improved to 223-9 in the Final--for another Commonwealth Games Meet Record!!
TWO of those "questionables"---the 2nd being MW---ended "in front" of the REAL winner--Natoya Goule--who produced her 1st sub-1:59 time--1:58.82!
You can add CS's 1:56.68 as the MR---or not!!
Amusan took the 100H in 12.68!
Williams was 2nd in 12.78--while the Dancing Jenneke ran 13.07 in 4th!!
It was the Shot Put which saw the Dame defeated!!
While the new Mom Adams produced her best post-birth mark of 61-1.25, it wasn't enough to stop Jamaica's Danniel Thomas-Dodd's 63-6.25 from winning---or breaking her own National Record!!
A real surprise came in the Men's 10000!!
Not so much in who won--Joshua Cheptegai--but that his time of 27:19.62 took down the Meet Record!!
Something not often seen in these type of meets!!
He needed all of it to stop Mo Ahmed's 27:20.56!
In 5th came Jake Robertson, whose 27:30.90 changed the NZ National Record from one twin brother to the other!!
In another distance event--the Men's 3000SC--the MR fell!!
Consesius Kipruto's 8:10.08 nipped the old mark--and 2nd placer Abe Kibiwott's 8:10.62!
Kyron McMaster ran 48.25 to win the 400H!
Dani Stevens threw the Discus 223-11 for another Commonwealth Games Meet Record!!
The last days---supposed to end these meets with a BANG---instead dribbled past observers as quietly as a mouse!!
Lavern Spencer's winning HJ was 6-4.75!
Ho hum.
Troy Doris's TJ was even worse--55-4.75!!
Neeraj Chopra's JT winner was 283-8--not bad!
It came within 4 feet of the Age 20 Record!!
But Silver winner was Anderson Peters--whose 269-8 PR saw him remain 8th A-T Collegiate!!
Both Pole Vault's saw shock winners!!
Shawn Barber--coming back to his mid-19's form--actually LOST!
But to WHOM he lost is the bigger news!!
Kurtis Marschall--he of the triumvirate of youngsters attacking the veteran Pro's (Mondo Duplantis, Emmanouil Karalis, and Marschall)--reached 18-8.25 to defeat Barber's pedestrian 18-6.25!
Then it was Eliza McCartney's turn to taste the bitterness of defeat!!
But maybe this one wasn't so much a shocker!
Alysha Newman--Canada's starkly beautiful NR holder--was on her game--and needed all of it!
Her OUTdoor PR-matching 15-7 was enough to stop McCartney's 15-5!
Newman's mark added to the list of Meet Record breakers!!
The Sprint Relays were--um, sprint-like--but non-Record worthy---despite "England's" 42.46 being listed as the Meet Record!!
Well, maybe they discounted Great Britain's 41.77 from a previous CG!
NOTE---I just bought & received my copy of the 2018 edition of the National Athletics Records book (Cost--$38.14 in USD--$ 30 in Euros!).
I might go deeper into a review in a later post, but for now, let's stick to the "England" matter!
Wilfried Kramer's fine book has NR's for Great Britain--as well as England!
And in the Women's 4X100, BOTH NR's are listed as 41.77!!
So the CG Results page was WRONG!!
Anyway, GB's 42.46 defeated Jamaica's 42.52!!
In the Men's race, GB also won--in 38.13!
South Africa was 2nd in a National Record time of 38.24!
They move from 21st A-T Nation to 18th!!
Jamaica was 3rd in 38.35!!
(Will these defeats REALLY pull DA MAN out of retirement??)
On the penultimate day, the pair of Individual races saw good---but still somewhat tactical---times winning!
Helen Obiri cruised to a 5000 W in 15:13.11.
Margaret Kipkemboi's 15:13.28 took Silver.
Elijah Manangoi's 3:34.78 was better---but still quite a bit off the venerable Filbert Bayi's outstanding MR of 3:32.16---dating from 1974---44 years ago!!
Will that mark EVER be broken??
Tim Cheruiyot's 3:35.17 was 2nd in the "Metric Mile"!!
(NOTE--Seb Coe has suggested he's in favor of "Bringing Back the Mile" in the CG's!!)
The 4X400's were okay--and just that!
Jamaica's Women won in 3:24.00 over Nigeria's 3:25.29!
In 3rd came Botswana's 3:26.86--an NR by 0.03 seconds!!
It makes them 24th A-T Nation!!
Speaking of Botswana, they won the Men's race--in 3:01.78.
The Bahamas ended 2nd in 3:01.92, barely edging Jamaica's 3:01.97!
(One event where even an UN-retiring Usain Bolt would NOT help!! LOL)
Those Marathons?
Helelia Johannes of Namibia won the Women's race in 2:32:40.
Lisa Weightman was 2nd in 2:33:23!
As for the Men, after Hawkins's double-collapse, and eventual removal--it was left to Michael Shelley to cross the line first--in 2:16:46!
So---13 MR's??
Or eleven??
Your choice!
See you soon with my normal weekend results report!!
(And my Boston Marathon report--in detail!!)
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