Australia’s Anna Meares competes in the women’s 500m time trial final at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome during the 2014 Commonwealth Games Games in Glasgow yesterday. Meares set a new games record of 33.435 to clinch gold. (AFP)
Bradley Wiggins had to settle for the silver medal on his return to track cycling as England were beaten by Australia in the Commonwealth Games 4,000 metres team pursuit yesterday.
Wiggins, the 2012 Tour de France winner who was left out of this year’s edition by Team Sky, had pinned all his hopes on the track event after opting out of the road race and the time trail.
But he, Ed Clancy, Andy Tennant and Steven Burke were well beaten at the Chris Hoy Velodrome by Jack Bobridge, Luke Davison, Alex Edmondson and Glenn O’Shea who won in a time of three minutes 55 seconds.
“We’ve had limited preparations for this and hopefully will look back in two years with gold medals around our necks (at the Rio Olympics) thinking this was the starting point in Glasgow,” said Wiggins.
The 30-year-old took 0.3 seconds off her own previous best of 33.758, set in New Delhi four years ago, to cross the line at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in 33.435. Compatriot Stephanie Morton, who is Meares’ room-mate, claimed silver with a time of 34.079. England’s Jess Varnish claimed the bronze in a field of 13 riders.
Four-time world champion Meares has dominated the discipline for a decade and won the 2004 Olympic gold medal in the last year the event was held before being dropped to make room for BMX. She has now won a record-equalling five gold medals in track cycling at the Commonwealth Games, joining compatriot Bradley McGee.
It is a third successive victory in the event for Meares, who has now equalled Kathy Watt’s Australia women’s cycling record of seven Commonwealth Games medals and has become the first rider to win a medal at four Games.
Meares has the chance to beat Watt’s record today when she will compete in the women’s sprint final. If she can claim a medal in that event she will equal New Zealand’s Gary Anderson as the most decorated track cyclist at the Commonwealth Games.
New Zealand snatched gold in the team sprint final with a time of 43.18 seconds, beating an England team that included Olympic champions Jason Kenny and Philip Hines. Australia claimed bronze ahead of Malaysia.
Renicks wins hosts’ first gold
Meawhwile, Kimberley Renicks won hosts Scotland’s first gold medal when she claimed the women’s under-48kg judo title with victory over India’s Sushila Likmabam. Renicks scored an ippon throw to take gold. In the bronze medal contests, Amy Meyer of Australia defeated Onoh-Obasi Okey of Barbados while compatriot Chloe Rayner beat Marcelle Monabang of Cameroon.
Action got underway also in the pool where top home hope for a gold medal, Michael Jamieson was upstaged by countryman Ross Murdoch in qualifying for the 200 metres breaststroke final.
Murdoch smashed the Commonwealth Games record by over two seconds in a time of 2mins 08.78secs with Jamieson and Calum Tait completing an all-Scottish top three in qualifying.
Scotland’s Hannah Miley also had the home crowd in raptures in the first heat of the event by breaking her own Commonwealth record in the women’s 400m individual medley in a time of 4mins 38.27 secs.
Commonwealth Games record times were tumbling all morning at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre as Jamaica’s Ali Atkinson went fastest in the women’s 50m breaststroke in a Games record time of 30.49secs. In total, 21 golds were to be won yesterday.
