Dame Laura Kenny grabs gold while England gymnasts hunt for Commonwealth history
Cyclist Kenny, weightlifter Chris Murray and gymnast Jake Jarman were among the gold medallists on Monday.
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
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 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 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
TUESDAY STARS TO WATCH
KNIGHT RETURNS
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
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
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.
