Nick Miller Creates Commonwealth Games History As Tom Bosworth Secures Silver

Nick Miller Creates Commonwealth Games History As Tom Bosworth Secures Silver
10:06, 08 Apr 2018

The opening day of the Athletics competition at the Commonwealth Games saw a duo of English athletes break new ground to secure a historic medal. 

Hammer thrower Nick Miller stunned the entire field with an enormous throw of 80.26M. Breaking the British national record as well as the 12-year-old Commonwealth Games record. Two rounds into the competition Miller was in danger of elimination after being placed in 11th. Then in the third round he moved up with a throw of 76.48M before producing the 80-meter plus performance. 

"It is just incredible to win the gold," Miller told BBC Sport.

"Things got a little more serious last year. I got married and that changed my perspective on things.

"Everything seems to be slotting in to place and this result is the end of a lot of effort over the past year."

Improving on his silver medal from the 2014 Games, 24-year-old Miller is the first athlete in the world to throw over 80 meters this year in an official competition. In 2017 that distanced would only be beaten by two people. Triple Only world champion Pawel Fajdek and Wojciech Nowicki.

Bosworth ends medal drought

Tom Bosworth also set a new British record in the 20K walk. He broke the 80-minute barrier for the first time with a personal best of 79:38. Just four seconds adrift from the gold medal.  The performance has earned him his first medal of any sort at a major event. Providing a consolation prize for his disqualification from the 2017 world championships in London. 

"I like to put on a show and I'm glad Dane walked away with the medal," he said. "Some people doubt what race walking is about - well we put on a show there.

"It was entertaining and that is what the sport is all about."

In what was the first athletics event of the games to take place, the 28-year-old kept in the leading pack throughout the entire race. In the closing stages it was a showdown between him and race favourite Dane Bird-Smith. With the Australian powering his way to the finish line. 

“I’m really pleased it came down to me and Dane. He’s a good friend of mine. So if I couldn’t win the gold, I’m really pleased that he did.” Said Bosworth

Bosworth is the first English race walker to win a Commonwealth Games medal since 1990. 

Sprint duo progress

England has two chances of adding to their medal tally in the finals of the 100M sprints. On Sunday the heats took place with Adam Gemili reaching the final with the third quickest time of 10.11 seconds. After winning his first round heat, Gemili came finished second in the semifinals behind Jamaica's Yohan Blake. 

Crossing the finish line Gemili looked to be in some sort of discomfort, but he is yet to comment on if there is an issue. He is the only British athlete to reach the final after Harry Aikines-Aryeetey narrowly missed out. 

In the women’s section, Asha Phillip heads into the tomorrow's medal race with the fastest time. In her semi-final, she won in a time of 11.21 seconds. 0.11 seconds outside of her personal best. Philip was part of the British 4x100M relay team that won a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics. 

Wales triumph 

Outside of the English camp, Olivia Breen game Wales something to celebrate on the track after setting a new commonwealth games record in the T38 long jump. Breen, who has cerebral palsy, produced a jump of 4.86M. Half a meter further than her nearest competitor in the field. 

Breen is the third Welsh athlete to win a gold in the Gold Coast after Gareth Evans (weightlifting) and Elinor Barker (cycling).

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