01 August 2022

Dame Laura Kenny grabs gold while England gymnasts hunt for Commonwealth history

01 August 2022

Dame Laura Kenny delivered while two England gymnasts are vying for a piece of history after the fourth day of the action at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Here the PA news agency reflects on Monday’s early action and looks forward to the highlights on day five:

QUEEN KENNY

Laura Kenny claimed a long-awaited Commonwealth Games gold (John Walton/PA) (PA Wire)

Dame Laura Kenny delivered a belated Commonwealth gold for England on the final day of the track cycling in the Lee Valley VeloPark. A late burst of speed saw Kenny overhaul Neah Evans plus New Zealand’s Michaela Drummond and Canada’s Maggie Coles-Lysterto win the women’s scratch race.

MINT MURRAY

Chris Murray snatched gold in the men’s weightlifting (Bradley Collyer/PA) (PA Wire)

Chris Murray won gold in the men’s 81kg weightlifting final after Australia’s Kyle Bruce and Canadian Nicolas Vachon failed to overtake him in dramatic circumstances. Murray set a new Games record of 325kg before Bruce’s bigger effort was ruled out by the jury because his elbow was bent. Vachon was then denied gold after he dropped the bar following what appeared to be a clean lift.

SUPER JAKE

Jake Jarman eased to his third gold medal in Birmingham (Mike Egerton/PA) (PA Wire)

Jake Jarman won his third gymnastics gold of the Birmingham Games after a flawless performance in the men’s floor final. He was joined on top of the podium by England team-mate Joe Fraser, who won on the pommel, while Georgia-Mae Fenton and Courtney Tulloch also won golds on the women’s uneven bars and rings respectively.

SOCIAL MEDIA MOMENT

PICTURE OF THE DAY

Courtney Tulloch won gold on the men’s rings (Mike Egerton/PA) (PA Wire)

TUESDAY STARS TO WATCH

KNIGHT RETURNS

Heather Knight should be back for England’s T20 clash with India (Mike Egerton/PA) (PA Wire)

Heather Knight could return to captain England against South Africa after missing the five-wicket win over Sri Lanka because of lingering hip trouble. Alice Capsey should be OK after starring at the weekend despite a black eye she suffered in the warm-up. Another victory for the hosts would move them to the brink of the semi-finals.

KINSELLA REDEMPTION

Alice Kinsella is looking to bounce back from all-around heartbreak (Zac Goodwin/PA) (PA Wire)

Two days after her tearful exit from contention for the women’s all-around title when she fell on the beam, Birmingham-born Alice Kinsella returns in search of individual apparatus gold on the same apparatus as well as the women’s floor. Meanwhile Jarman, who is in the vault final, and Fraser, who competes in the parallel bars and horizontal bar, could yet end their Games with four gold medals apiece.

NICE ONE CYRILLE

Cyrille Tchatchat is looking to extend his remarkable story with a medal (UNHCR) (PA Media)

There are stories of sporting redemption then there is the case of Cyrille Tchatchet, who quit the Cameroon team during the 2014 Games, contemplated suicide, and was eventually arrested and sought asylum. Tchatchet is now a mental health nurse in the West Midlands, the proud owner of a British passport, and a medal contender in the men’s 96kg weightlifting category.

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