2018 Commonwealth Games: Day 2 Finals Live Recap

2018 COMMONWEALTH GAMES

• Thursday, April 5th – Tuesday, April 10th (swimming)
• Optus Aquatic Centre, Gold Coast, Australia
• Prelims at 10:30am local (8:30pm previous night EDT)
• Finals at 7:30pm local (5:30am EDT)
• Official Commonwealth Games website
• Entries
• Meet Schedule + Results
• Live Stream (Canada)
• Live Stream (US)
• Live Stream (Australia)

Records are poised to fall as the 2nd finals session of the 2018 Commonwealth Games will feature finals in the men’s 50 fly, women’s 50 breast, men’s 200 free, men’s and women’s S9 100 back, men’s 400 IM, men’s 100 back, women’s 100 fly, and men’s 4 x 100 free relay, as well as seminfinals of the women’s 50 free, men’s 100 breast, and women’s 100 back.

Kylie Masse already broke the Commonwealth Games record in the 100 back in prelims today, posting a 58.70. Emily Seebohm, whose record Masse broke, was 2nd this morning with a 58.91. Both swimmers could go faster in the semis tonight, but they may not because just being under 1:00 should place them safely in the final for tomorrow.

Madeline Groves broke the women’s 100 fly meet record in the semifinals last night, posting a 57.22. Groves is seeded half a second ahead of anyone else in the field. Mitch Larkin is seeded 1st in the men’s 100 back final by well over half a second after narrowly missing the meet record of 53.12 by .03 seconds in last night’s semis.

Australia’s men’s 4×100 free relay broke the meet record this morning in prelims without Kyle Chalmers. They went 3:12.72 this morning, and were 4 seconds ahead of any other team. Will anyone rise up to challenge the Aussies tonight, or will they run away with the race?

Adam Peaty was .20 seconds off his 2014 meet record of 58.94 in the 100 breast this morning. Peaty has broken plenty of records in semifinals swims before, so it wouldn’t be that surprising if he did, but he certainly doesn’t need to go any faster than he did this morning to make it back to finals. Similarly, Cate Campbell will be swimming in the women’s 50 free semifinals tonight, and she could always fire off a meet record in a semifinal too. She was 24.24 this morning, comfortably the fastest in the field, and the record sits at 23.96. Again, just like Peaty in the 100 breast, Campbell doesn’t need to go any faster for the semis, but she still may.

MEN’S 50 FLY FINALS

• CG Record: 22.93, Ben Proud (ENG), 2014

1. Chad le Clos – 23.37
2. Dylan Carter – 23.67
3. Ryan Coetzee – 23.73

Chad le Clos opened up a session with a win in the 50 fly. The field was very tightly packed until roughly the last 10 meters of the race when le Clos established a slight edge over the rest of the field. NCAA competitor Dylan Carter and Ryan Coetzee also won medals. Carter’s medal was the first swimming medal for Trinidad and Tobago in the Commonwealth Games. South Africa in turn picked up 2 medals with both le Clos and Coetzee grabbing a medal.

WOMEN’S 50 BREAST FINALS

• CG Record: 30.17, Alia Atkinson (JAM), 2014

1. Sarah Vasey – 30.60
2. Alia Atkinson – 30.76
3. Leiston Pickett – 30.78

England’s Sarah Vasey managed to get her hands on the wall first in a race that was very difficult to call even as the field approached the finish. Vasey shed a little time from semifinals, which was enough for the win over Alia Atkinson. Atkinson was slower than she went in the semis, and more importantly, her semis time of 30.53 would have been good for the win tonight. Still, she picked up Jamaica’s first swimming medal of the Games. Leiston Pickett picked up Australia’s first medal of the night with her 3rd place finish.

MEN’S 200 FREE FINALS

• CG Record: 1:44.71, Ian Thorpe (AUS), 2002

1. Kyle Chalmers – 1:45.56
2. Mack Horton – 1:45.89
3. Duncan Scott – 1:46.30

Kyle Chalmers and Mack Horton both broke away from the field on the final 50 of the race, establishing themselves as the top 2 going into the finish. The Aussie teammates picked up Australia’s 2nd and 3rd medals of the night with 3 events completed in the session. Duncan Scott edged out James Guy for 3rd. Guy finished in 1:46.40, and he and Scott were both on the World Champion 4×200 free relay last year, even though at this meet Scott competes for Scotland, and Guy for England.

With Australia going 1-2 at 1:45 each, and Alexander Graham coming in6th with a 1:47.01, Australia could have a very fast 4×200 free relay later on in the meet.

Chad le Clos took the race out very fast, which is pretty typical racing strategy for him, however on the back of just having just won the 50 fly, he faded dramitically on the back half of the race. Le Clos came in 7th with a 1:47.46.

WOMEN’S 50 FREE SEMIFINALS

• CG Record: 23.96m Francesca Halsall (ENG), 2014

1. Cate Campbell – 23.88
2. Bronte Campbell – 24.38
3. Shayna Jack – 24.63
4. Taylor Ruck – 24.72
5. Erin Gallagher – 25.03
6. Kayla Sanchez – 25.20
7. Anna Hopkin – 25.33
8. Danielle Hill – 25.80

Australia was dominant in this semifinals, taking the top 3 spots going into tomorrow’s final. Cate Campbell looked be on World Record pace the whole way through the race, but at the touch she had to settle for a new Commonwealth Games record. Her time was about 1-tenth of a second off her personal best. Shayna jack won the first of the semis, beating out Taylor Ruck in a very close finish. The only other swimmer from the first semifinal to advance was Anna Hopkin, who came in 7th.

Taylor Ruck was under 25 seconds for the first time ever and broke her own Canadian National Record for 15-17 women.

MEN’S 100 BREAST SEMIFINALS

• CG Record: 58.94, Adam Peaty (ENG), 2014

1. Adam Peaty – 58.59
2. James Wilby – 59.69
3. Cameron van der Burgh – 59.74
4. Matt Wilson – 59.89
5. Jake Packard – 1:00.01
6. Ross Murdoch – 1:00.07
7. Craig Benson – 1:00.43
8. Andrew Willis – 1:01.29

James Wilby won the first of the semifinals, hitting the wall halfway through behind by a fairly sizeable margin, but picked up his tempo on the back 50 and went right past everyone. He was the only swimmer from the first of the semis to break 1:00. Jake Packard, Ross Murdoch, and Craig Benson also managed to advance from the fist semi.

Adam Peaty broke his own Commonwealth Games record in the 2nd heat of semis, touching at the 50 just ahead of Cameron van der Burgh, but opened up a big lead in the 2nd 50, specifically the last 25 meters.

WOMEN’S S9 100 BACK FINALS

1. Alice Tai – 1:08.77
2. Ellie Cole – 1:11.51
3. Ashleigh McConnell – 1:15.93

S9 World Record holder Alice Tai won the event in her 2nd fastest time ever. She lead comfortably through much of the race, coming into the finish with the Gold Medal comfortably within her grasp. That marked another gold for England, and Cole and McConnell added to Australia’s medal count as well. 7th place finisher Kiran Tak was disqualified this morning, bought appealed the decision and won, allowing her to compete again tonight.

MEN’S S9 100 FREE FINALS

1. Timothy Disken – 56.07
2. Lewis White – 56.77
3. Brenden Hall – 57.90

Timothy Disken and Lewis White had a tight battle all the way through the race, hitting the 50 mark at almost the exact same time. Disken only started to pull away slightly in the last 25 meters of the race.

WOMEN’S 100 BACK SEMIFINALS

• CG Record: 58.70, Kylie Masse (CAN), 2018

1. Kylie Masse – 58.66
2. Emily Seebohm – 58.95
3. Taylor Ruck – 1:00.06
4.  Kaylee McKeown– 1:00.11
5. Georgia Davies – 1:00.33
6. Jade Hannah – 1:00.37
7. Hayley Baker – 1:00.63
8. Kathleen Dawson/Elizabeth Simmonds – 1:00.67

Emily Seebohm took the first semifinal with the only sub-1:00 time. Seebohm was out at the 50 .20 seconds under World Record pace, but came back a little ways off the WR split on the back 50. Taylor Ruck and Georgia Davies were battling for 2nd through that race, with Ruck closing just slightly faster to claim nd in the first semi.

Kylie Masse then took the 2nd heat of the semis, breaking the Commonwealth Games record for the 2nd time today. That was actually the 3rd time today the CG record was broken in this event, since Seebohm broke it initially this morning before Masse lowered it even further. Masse was also out under WR pace, so the final tomorrow should be a very exciting race between Masse and Seebohm.

A swim-off will be required between Kathleen Dawson and Elizabeth Simmonds.

MEN’S 400 IM FINALS

• CG Record: 4:11.04, Daniel Wallace (SCO), 2014

1. Clyde Lewis – 4:13.12
2. Mark Szaranek – 4:13.72
3. Lewis Clareburt – 4:14.42

Clyde Lewis took home a Gold Medal for Australia in this event for the first time since 2002. Lewis and New Zealand’s Lewis Clareburt had established themselves at the front of the pack at the halfway mark. Mark Szaranek of Scotland had pulled up to about Lewis’ hips going into the freestyle leg, and the 2 races hard into the finish. Szaranek started to gain on Lewis in the final 50 but it wasn’t enough to catch him.

Lewis Clareburt took home New Zealand’s first medal of the night with his 3rd place finish.

MEN’S 100 BACK FINALS

• CG Record: 53.12, Chris Walker-Hebborn (ENG), 2014

1. Mitch Larkin – 53.18
2. Bradley Woodward – 53.95
3. Markus Thormeyer – 54.14

The race was pretty tight at the 50 mark, but Mitch Larkin established himself solidly as the leader by the 75 mark. Larkin narrowly missed the Commonwealth Games record again, posting a time .03 seconds off his semifinals performance. Teammate Bradley Woodward edged out Markus Thormeyer for 2nd after battling with him the entire 2nd 50. With the 1-2 finish, Australia picked up its 9th and 10th medals of the night, as well as their 6th Gold of the meet. Thormeyer gave Canada its first medal of the night with his 3rd place finish.

WOMEN’S 100 FLY FINALS

• CG Record: 57.22, Madeline Groves (AUS), 2018

1. Emma McKeon – 56.78
2. Madeline Groves – 57.19
3. Brianna Throssell – 57.30

Australia pulled off a sweep of the medals, going 1-2-3 and breaking the CG record. Emma McKeon pulled ahead in the final 25 meters to charge into the wall as the onlt swimmer under 57 seconds, breaking the record Madeline Groves set this morning. Groves came in .03 seconds under the record she set this morning as well. That performance marks Australia’s 13th medal of the night, and their 7th Gold of the meet. It was also the 3rd event tonight where the Aussies took the top 2 spots.

Penny Oleksiak of Canada came in 4th just .20 seconds off Throssell, finishing in 57.50.

MEN’S 4×100 FREE RELAY FINALS

• CG Record: 3:12.72, AUS, 2018

1. Australia – 3:12.96
2. England – 3:15.25
3. Scotland – 3:15.86

Australia managed to duplicate their performance from this morning, going 3:12 again and coming in 1st by a large margin again. Despite subbing in Kyle Chalmers for finals, the Aussies were still slightly slower than their CG record time this morning. They were packed in the middle of a tight field following the lead-off leg (Cameron McEvoy – 48.91), but James Magnussen opened up a sizeable lead on the 2nd leg, posting a 48.09. Jack Cartwright threw down a speedy 47.71 on the 3rd leg, and Chalmers anchored in 48.25. Cartwright and Chalmers had the fastest 2 splits out of the entire field. Australia ended with 14 medals on the night, and 8 Gold Medals for the meet.