McKeon ends Games on golden note
Australian swimming powerhouse Emma McKeon has won her sixth gold medal on the last night of competition at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
Photo: Joe Giddens/AAP
The dominant Dolphins collected 25 gold medals – three shy of the swim team’s best-ever Games haul four years ago – 20 silver and 20 bronze in Birmingham.
McKeon’s six gold medals equals the record for most golds at a single Games shared by fellow swim greats Susie O’Neill and Ian Thorpe.
And her eight overall medals in Birmingham equals O’Neill’s record for the most at a single Games.
McKeon, who had earlier broken the record for the career gold medals (14) and most career medals (20) at the Commonwealth Games, helped Australia win the women’s 4x100m mixed medley.
But Australia’s men’s 4x100m medley relay team was pipped by the England team, propelled by a raucous parochial crowd.
England won by 0.08 seconds with Australia’s Kyle Chalmers touched out by Tom Dean.
“I gave it everything I possibly could,” said Chalmers, who ends his turbulent week with three gold medals and a silver.
“It would have been nice standing on top of the podium but it’s a good way to finish the week.”
Ariarne Titmus won the women’s 400m freestyle to complete a rare triple treat: freestyle gold over 200m, 400m and 800m – and all in Commonwealth Games record times.
Titmus was also part of Australia’s 4x200m freestyle team which won gold in a world record.
“I came here with the goal to win all four,” Titmus said.
“I’m excited to get the job done personally but also for the country.”
Australia’s Sam Short also took gold in the men’s 1500m freestyle, joining an illustrious list of Australians, including his hero Kieren Perkins and Grant Hackett, to be Commonwealth champion the event.
“It’s an extremely rich history … I have a long way to get to their level but I’m on the right track,” Short said.
Australia’s victory in the women’s relay gave Mollie O’Callaghan a fifth gold medal of the Games and Kaylee McKeown a fourth.
Also Wednesday night, O’Callaghan pocketed a silver and McKeown a bronze medal in the 50m backstroke final.
And para-swimmers Ben Hance (silver) and Jack Ireland (bronze) added to Australia’s medal haul in the men’s 200m freestyle S14.
-AAP
