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Going For Gold Coast - Commonwealth Games 2018

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    Going For Gold Coast - Commonwealth Games 2018

    Yes, there is a major multi-sport international sporting event only a few weeks ago, though as it's on the other side of the world and will be through the night there isn't a great sense of build up to it.

    I had the time of my life in Glasgow four years ago, seeing 23 events and finally managing to see a Welsh Gold in the very last one with Geraint Thomas's Road race win.

    I'll be trying to keep up with as much of these Games as possible, BBC coverage detailed here.
    Last edited by Ray de Galles; 09-03-2018, 21:51.

    #2
    Good to see Southport finally hosting a major international event

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      #3
      Well, there is a tangible crackle of anticipation in the air, no?

      Well, no. Anyway, here’s a Day-by-day guide to Gold Coast 2018

      It’ll fill the “Following sport from the antipodes through the night” hole left by the cricket, anyway.

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        #4
        Watch out for 11 year-old prodigy table tennis player Anna Hursey, she’ll be representing Wales.

        http://www.itv.com/news/2018-03-23/e...nwealth-games/

        I’ve seen her play and train a few times on telly, she’s absolutely amazing for her age, she’s the youngest person to ever represent Wales at the Commonwealth Games. Last year, she became the youngest player to represent Wales' senior table tennis team as she helped her country beat Kosovo 3-0.

        There's a clip of her in this link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/commonwealth-games/43547992

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          #5
          Some of the sports are effectively as strong as a World Championship - bowls and netball for example. Jeremy Henry won the world bowls championship for "Ireland" a few years ago but he was Northern Irish, and they compete here under that banner.

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            #6
            "And now the Queen's Baton reaches the stadium, with a message from Her Majesty."

            "You are all still my subjects and don't you bloody forget it!".

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              #7
              Apparently one of the boxing divisions has only had seven entrants. Given that Boxing doesn't ask beaten fighters to fight again (understandable, given the nature of that sport) this means one competitor is guaranteed a medal by pure luck of the draw. That is a rather undermining look for something purporting to be a major championships. It would be poor for a School sportsday, even.

              But I will be watching something - the Squash. This isn't one of the Sports where the event is a quasi World Championships - the absence of Egypt sees to that (7 of the Men's and 5 of the Women's top tens, including the current #1 and #2 for both genders), but it should still be a good event. Assuming they go by World Rankings, the top seeds for both singles events will be New Zealander's. That is Joelle King and Paul Coll. King has been around near the top of the Women's game for a while (she won medals in the 2010 Commonwealths), though she is currently at her highest ever WR at #4. Coll is arguably more interesting as he has risen rapidly up the rankings over the last 2 years to break the top 10. He is a hyper-fit defensive player with the nickname Superman, because, well... And that is both extreme but not atypical of him.

              British interest will focus on defending Men's champion Nick Matthew, who is a former World No.1 and multiple World Open and British Open champion who is playing his last season before retiring (his last event will be the British Open in seven weeks time). Matthews WR is down to #12, which should still make him the second seed.

              On the Women's side the biggest name name is defending champion Nicole David (Malaysia), also like Matthew a veteran former World No.1, World and British Open champ, though, like him, she is on the way down now. Behind David, the next highest name recognition player is likely Laura Massaro (England), who also has the full set of career highlights, baring a Commonwealth gold. The Women's draw is stronger than the Men's in world terms as Massaro is joined in representing England by Sarah-Jane Perry and Alison Waters, who are all top ten players currently. However the most interesting player to watch in this might be someone just outside the top ten on current rankings, and that is Tesni Evans (Wales). Evans won the British Nationals in January, beating Massaro in the Semi and Waters in the Final. That made her the first Welsh Woman to be British Squash Champion (Nick Matthew concurrently won his tenth British crown). Like Coll, Evans is a player on the rise.

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                #8
                I should look things up first - the top seeds are Matthew and Massaro. Coll and King are at #2. I don't know the rules of Squash seeding in anything like the same detail as Tennis. Best guess is it updates monthly rather than weekly.

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                  #9
                  I suppose you don't want spoilers if you're waking up in Europe so ... I'll just grumble about these Mickey Mouse shortened triathlons, where you think you can do something else for 5 minutes and then when you look up, suddenly it's over.

                  Still, that race does mean I'm finally paying attention to these games. Actually, any kind of triathlon (or marathon, cycling road race, etc) is worth watching for the snapshot of the host city. Four years ago it was "ooh, look at all those old buildings". Now it's backyards with swimming pools.

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                    #10
                    Australia break the world record in the Men’s Team Pursuit Final in a stunning display against England. First ever time under 3:50.

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                      #11
                      http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/commonwealth-games/43656786

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                        #12
                        Typically monstrous performances from Katie Archibald this morning in the Individual Pursuit. Broke the Games record in qualifying and winning the Gold in the final. Her brother John is in the final of the men’s event later and he also broke the Games record in qualifying.

                        Wales’ first Gold today for Gareth Evans in the 69kg Weightlifting.

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                          #13
                          The Squash draw threw up a repeat Laura Massaro vs Tesni Evans meeting in the QFs. Evans won again.

                          England's other top seed, Nick Matthew, is currently on court in his QF. He is way down in his opening game, though, and likely to have to come from behind.

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                            #14
                            Matthew now 2-1 down, having levelled at 1-1. Intense stuff.

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                              #15
                              Now in heaps of trouble, 9-3 down in game 5. Squash at pro level is to 11...
                              Last edited by Janik; 07-04-2018, 08:19.

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                                #16
                                And out 3-2, 11-6 in the end. Both top seeds go home without singles medals.

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                                  #17
                                  It's in the ideal time zone for me (two hours behind, so the evenings last longer) and there are some watchable events (velodrome, the athletics later) but the Commonwealth Games still has that rather unappealing element of big guys bullying the smaller or poorer nations. The selling point is supposed to be the number of competing nations ("3rd biggest in world", so global, so diverse, blah blah). If it was only some kind of hexagonal tournament for the older/richer powers it would lose its claim to Bigness.

                                  But having no money to make (e.g.) their cyclists even 2% better, they get shoved out the way with indecent haste. Thanks for coming, now bugger off while we sort out the medals. And while jingoism is annoying in the Olympics, at least there it's about beating up Russians and Americans and so on. Watching Rwanda or somebody get beaten up in hockey is strictly for sadists. All exacerbated by media fawning, at least in NZ, probably most other places too.

                                  Bring on the athletics, let's even things up a bit.

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                                    #18
                                    Morning all. Bit late to the party but looking forward to the athletics, more swimming and Ultonian gold Some of the hockey has been tasty

                                    Surely 25 teams (so far) medalling is noteworthy even if we all know Australia England and Canada will dominate again
                                    Last edited by Duncan Gardner; 08-04-2018, 08:20.

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                                      #19
                                      Malawi beat NZ in the netball, which is a North Korea '66 level of shock. Do watch the celebrations if you get a chance, joy unconfined.

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                                        #20
                                        Peaty beaten. When you set a goal to be undefeated in your career, where do you go when you are beaten?

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                                          #21
                                          Well, Bjorn Borg retired.

                                          It's worth noting Norfolk Island won a bronze medal in the men's bowls. They beat England and then Canada. Norfolk Island has a population of 1,750 and one bowls club.

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                                            #22
                                            Wales already beaten their 2014 Gold medal total with today's three taking them to six overall, still a long way to go in terms of total medals though (not that anyone really cares so much about that apart from organising committees, do they?)

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                                              #23

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                                                #24
                                                I wonder if Scotland's defeat of England in the Men's basketball (and subsequent progress to the semi-finals which England failed to do) should be treated as a shock - albeit within the narrow confines of the game amongst Commonwealth countries (and the Home Nations in particular)

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                                                  #25
                                                  Always good to see conventional wisdom turned upside down. Everyone knows Kenyans run long and Jamaicans run short ... until now.

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