Gold rush England secure Games Top Spot
12th September 2011England ended the Commonwealth Youth Games in some style today, winning gold medals in six out of the seven sports contested on the Isle of Man to finish top of the medal table ahead of Australia.
In all England’s young athletes won 19 gold medals on the final day to finish with 37 overall, eight more than Australia who had topped the table for the first two days.
English dominance was already assured by the time Ben Ryan’s rugby7s squad added the final victorious flourish to the day with a 41-20 victory in the floodlit grand final against South Africa this evening as England had already added five golds from boxing and gymnastics, six from athletics, and one each from swimming and cycling to the overnight total.
There were sackfuls of silver and bronze medals too, as England’s overall medal total at the end of the Games stands at an impressive 77.
Boxing
After first going top of the table late in the afternoon, it was actually the team’s boxers who put England out of reach as all but one of tonight’s finalists won their bouts at the Villa Marina on Douglas seafront.
Five wins was what team leader Martin Webb had predicted and five were delivered, meaning Webb had to live up to his promise to wear a much-hated baseball cap. So good were his boxers, however, that Webb’s embarrassment was buried beneath great pride.
“I really couldn’t ask for any more,” he said. “I’m so proud. We’ve played a big part in getting England over the line as top nation tonight and that’s great.
“We are the top boxing nation by a mile. All seven boxers won medals here, we have five golds, one silver and one bronze. With 20 wins from 22 bouts, it’s been a near perfect tournament.”
In some ways, the task was toughest for young Jack Bateson, the 17-year-old light flyweight, and self-declared “baby of the bunch”, who had to box first. Fighting India’s Rahul Poona, the sports student from Leeds knew he had to get the session off to a winning start.
“I did feel a bit of pressure,” he said after winning comfortably. “But I was confident. I just wanted to get in and get it done. I didn’t feel I boxed my best but my body aches from the tournament so I just boxed cleverly. I didn’t want to get into a fight.”
Bateson was followed by flyweight Samson Sykes who felt he boxed “perfect” to overcome the talented Australian Jackson Woods before bantamweight boxer Qais Ashfaq destroyed Canadian Jessy Brown with a bravura display of skill.
Lightweight Henry Thomas had a third tough fight in three bouts but the Darlington boxer summoned the energy to come back from one point down before the final round to win by one at the end.
That was four from four, but dreams of the clean sweep went when a brave effort from light welterweight Darren Tetley was not quite good enough in a bruising battle against Australia’s Daniel Lewis. Tetley, from Bradford’s Platinum boxing academy, fought himself to a standstill and lost by just three points.
“I am disappointed because it was so close,” said the 18-year-old afterwards. “But I guess the better man won on the day. I knew I was down at the end so it was all or nothing. At least I went down fighting.
“To me it is all about the team,” he added. “Silver is fantastic, it puts me on the ladder to better things.”
Damon Jones then rounded things off with a measured five-point win in his welterweight fight against Scotland’s Kieran Smith.
“The one we lost was a shame,” said Webb. “But Darren gave it all and you can’t ask for more than that.”
Gymnastics
England’s women gymnasts got the gold ball rolling earlier in the day when they bounded back to the top of the podium, winning three of the four competitions on individual apparatus, while all three of England’s male gymnasts added to their medal tallies as Dominick Cunningham took his third gold of the Games.
It was a case of one a-piece for England’s female trio as Rebecca Tunney took the vault title and Charlie Fellows the uneven bars, while all-around bronze medallist Abi Caig weighed in at the end, winning gold on the floor after earlier finishing third in the vault.
Tunney was third on the floor, and Fellows also picked up a bronze medal on the beam as Emma Nedov claimed Australia’s one victory of the day.
For Tunney, victory made up for missing out in yesterday’s all around competition.
“I knew I had to come back and prove myself today so I’m very pleased,” said the Manchester gymnast. “I thought the bars would be my best chance of a gold but I made a mistake so it was great that I managed to win the vault.”
Fellows, from Sandbach, said: “This has been a great experience and I’ve learnt a lot. I knew that I had a good chance on the bars - I’ve done the routine loads of times in the gym so I just tried to concentrate and pretend I was just training.”
Medals for the bars were presented by Beth Tweddle, a world champion on the bars and former CYG champion, who trains at the same City of Liverpool club as Tunney and Caig.
“It’s really nice to be here as I did the Games in Bendigo in 2004.,” said Tweddle. “It was a great help to me in my career and so it’s nice to see Rebecca and Abi getting the same experience. Australia would normally beat us so it’s great to see England on top of the podium. It bodes well as it shows we’re doing the right things at junior level and hopefully we can carry that on through to the seniors.”
Women’s coach Claire Duffy agreed: “It has been an amazing opportunity for them to be part of a multi-sport games. England is now starting to step up in gymnastics and all their hard work has paid off this weekend.”
After dominating the team and individual all-around competitions, Cunningham was tipped to take a bagful of precious metal home today and the Birmingham gymnast ended with one of each colour from his five finals, while Jay Thompson led an England one-two in the parallel bars ahead of Brinn Bevan.
Thompson also won silver on the pommel, while Bevan took silver on the floor behind Australia’s Declan Stacey.
After finishing second in the vault and third in the pommel, Cunningham knew he had one last chance of victory in the high bar. Hampered by a right ankle injury and sore muscles all over, he secured his one gold of the day with his very last exercise of three hard days of competition.
“It’s been really painful,” he said. “Three days in a row is hard but I tried to just grit my teeth and go for it.
“On the high bar I just wanted to go clean. I knew I needed to stick the dismount to win. It hurt, but I did it.”
Thompson grabbed his second gold of the Games with some style, scoring a personal best on the parallel bars. “It was my best performance ever,” he said. “I did well on the high bar too – for the third day in a row I haven’t fallen off.
“My body is aching but it’s been worth it.”
For Bevan, the youngster in the team, winning two silver medals was a great way to end. “Considering I’m only 14 I think I’ve done pretty well,” he said.
Cycling
Hannah Barnes defied the wind and rain which swept along the Douglas sea front this afternoon to win the women’s criterium in a sprint finish ahead of Welshwoman Elinor Barker.
It was a second individual win for the Towcester cyclist, and her fourth in all, and it came at the end of a race delayed by 30 minutes. Barnes, who won the time trial on Friday, was followed home by Lucy Garner as the Leicestershire girl added a bronze medal to her gold from the road race yesterday.
“I’ve made the podium on all three events so I’m pretty chuffed,” said Barnes, who crossed the line in front of the Villa Marina two bike lengths in front of Barker after the pair had broken away from the rest of the field.
With her team-mates Garner and Harriet Owen allowing the Australians to do all the chasing, it all came down to Barnes’ finishing speed.
“I knew I could beat her,” she said. “I was pretty confident because I know I’ve got a good sprint but it was quite slippery so I wanted to get away from the people on the tight corners to stay out of danger.
“I didn’t really know what to expect before I came here. I wanted to compare myself to the Australians, so to win two events is pretty good.”
Two is a pretty good medal haul for Jon Dibben too, as the Brockenhurst cyclist took silver in the men’s criterium to go with the bronze medal he won in the time trial two days ago.
Dibben finished 33 seconds behind gold medallist Robert McCarthy of Australia in 57.45 the same time as bronze medallist Jack Beckinsale, another Australian.
Athletics
It was also England’s most successful day on the track as England’s athletes doubled their gold medal tally with victories in the women’s 200m, 800m, 3000m, 4x100m relay and hammer, while Callum Brown won the men’s hammer with 72.19 ahead of team-mate Michael Painter.
It was Dina Asher-Smith who set them on their way in the half-lap sprint which she won in 24.30 ahead of Canada’s Caroline Morin-Houde, before Emilia Gorecka won the 3000m, making up for only claiming silver at this year’s European juniors in Tallinn.
A delighted Gorecka, who wore down three strong East Africans to win by 50 metres in 9:14.08, said: “I’m over the moon. I didn’t know what to expect today so I was completely terrified out there and I just ran scared, but confidently. I just had nothing to lose, I gave it my best shot with 1k to go. I just risked it all really and felt really good.”
Katie Snowden won the 800m after Ugandan Halima Nakaayi was disqualified for impediment, while world youth champion Louisa James threw a personal best of 58.10 to take the women’s hammer.
James said: “It feels really amazing actually, weirdly amazing. I’ve been on good form but I’m still hitting and missing so next year I need to work on consistency.”
In the penultimate event of the day, the women’s 4x100m relay team, including four individual gold medallists – Yasmin Miller, Asher-Smith, Jazmin Sawyers and Sophie Papps – stormed to gold in 46.19.
After winning her second gold of the day, Asher-Smith said: “I really wasn’t expecting any of it so to come here and do that is just phenomenal.
“I didn’t know where I would place in the 200m so I just went out there and ran my hardest and I guess it worked.”
Elliot Safo, Josh Street, Chijindu Ujah and Leon Reid added a silver lining in the boys’ 4x100m, second behind South Africa in 41.06, while Hayley McLean battled through the wet and windy conditions to take silver in the 400m hurdles in 61.76. And Jimi Tele leapt close to his personal best with 14.60m to finish second in an exciting triple jump competition.
Swimming
Three successful days in the pool ended in triumph for England with a superb gold medal in the women’s 400m medley relay.
Given a great start by Phoebe Lenderyou on the opening backstroke leg, Molly Renshaw (breaststroke) and Rachel Kelly (butterfly) increased the lead to nearly two seconds before Sophie Smith held off Australia’s Vanessa Puhlmann to clinch the gold.
“It is great to get gold as a team,” said a delighted Kelly afterwards, “and to beat the Aussies as this is the first relay they haven’t won.”
“I was glad to have a lead,” added Smith. “It took a bit of the pressure off.”
The men’s 800m freestyle relay team came agonisingly close to making it a double gold finale for England but David Godridge was overhauled in the final 25 metres by Ieuan Lloyd, who took gold for Wales with England’s team of Matthew Johnson, Adam Rowe, Melako Coker and Godridge earning an honourable silver.
That was symbolic of a somewhat frustrating night for England’s swimmers on which they won another five silver medals.
None came closer than Matthew Johnson, who was a fingertip away from adding gold in the 200m butterfly to his 400m IM title, losing out by 0.01 of a second to Alexander Hancock of New Zealand.
“I can’t put into words how I feel,” said a bitterly disappointed Johnson afterwards. “I lost it in the third 50m and on the turns but it’s something to work on and not too bad I suppose.”
Elena Sheridan added silver in the women’s 400m IM to the gold she won yesterday in the 200m butterfly, losing out to a great performance from Northern Ireland’s Sycerika McMahon.
“I tried to set off as quickly as I could as it is always the freestyle leg that lets me down,” said Sheridan.
Kelly was hoping to add gold to the World Junior title she won in the 100m butterfly but she also had to settle for silver behind Sophia Batchelor of New Zealand, despite putting in her customary strong finish and breaking the one minute mark for the short course distance for the first time.
“I’m disappointed not to get the gold,” she admitted. “You win some and you lose some. Overall it’s been a great experience.”
Lenderyou came close to breaking the British U16 short course record when finishing second in the 50m backstroke and Renshaw set a new British junior record in the 200m breaststroke as she touched close behind Kelly Gunnell of South Africa.
“It was a good swim but I’m disappointed not to get the touch,” said Renshaw. “I’m still pleased though as it’s a massive PB.”
Smith also picked up a bronze in the 200m freestyle.
Rugby 7s
It was fitting that England won the last medal of the Games when the rugby team rounded off a superb 7s tournament by beating South Africa 41-20.
There were a few anxious moments for England supporters when South Africa scored in the first minute of the game but their worries proved unfounded as England were soon back on level terms with a try from Mark Jennings.
A try under the posts from Anthony Watson, converted by captain James Lightfoot-Brown, gave England the lead and although South Africa reduced the deficit to two points, a Jack Arnott try on the stroke of half time increased England’s lead to nine.
A brilliant try by England’s Lightfoot-Brown and another by Marcus Webber put them 29-15 ahead, before two further tries from Arnott sealed victory.
“There is never really a breathing space in 7s, but getting a bigger lead just before half time was good,” said Arnott, from Ivybridge, afterwards. “We’ve played South Africa before and we knew they would fight back so we really had to keep on our toes and make sure we were ruthless. It’s been a great team performance and James has led us so well.”
Not suprisingly, coach Ben Ryan was full of praise for his young team.
“I’m absolutely delighted,” she said. “I’ve looked after England sides for five years-at Commonwealth Games and World Sevens tournaments - and in the last ten minutes they played as well as I’ve seen any England side play.
“They have loved being part of a Commonwealth Youth Games and desperately wanted to go back to the team hotel with a gold medal.”
Badminton
England bagged two medals in badminton as Tom Wolfenden and Ryan McCarthy took silver in the men’s doubles after losing to Heg Nelson and Ee Yi Teo in a close and tense final, while flag bearer Rhys Walker finished the Games in flying form taking bronze in an all-England play-off against Wolfenden.
On a day dominated by Malaysian and Indian players, it wasn’t until late in the afternoon when Wolfenden and McCarthy got their chance. And in a match where there was never more than a handful of points between the teams the English duo lost in two close sets, 24-22, 21-16.
Wolfenden, in particular, had a fine game and despite the defeat was delighted to take a silver medal to round off a successful tournament.
“I’m really pleased with the way I’ve played,” he said. “We couldn’t have asked for anymore. It was close in both sets and it’s great to come out with a silver. It’s more than I ever expected.”
McCarthy was also happy to take the positives from a strong performance against the top-ranked Malaysians.
“We went out hard from the start and just lost a couple of tight points,” said the Hatfield student. “They’re the top pair in the world so we have to be happy to have taken them so close. Tom played great and I’m very happy to have silver.”
Walker was pretty happy with his bronze too. The Nuneaton man overcame the bitter disappointment of yesterday’s semi-final defeat with a powerful two-sets victory against his close friend and team-mate in the earlier men’s singles final.
Wolfenden has been in great form all tournament, but the four-times national champion, who proudly carried the flag for England in Thursday’s opening ceremony, was determined to end the Games with a place on the podium.
“It means so much,” said Walker after his 21-14, 21-18 victory. “It’s a great reward for all the hard work and training, and it inspires you to carry on. OK, silver or gold would have been better but it’s still a bronze and lots of people would give their right arm for a bronze medal.
“I came out today and really put all that frustration from yesterday behind me. I really put it right. I played well – not my best – but much better, so it’s a great way to end.
“I’ve lost count of the number of times we’ve played each other,” he added. “Tom and I have been best badminton mates since 10 or 11 and we’ve pushed each other all the way.
“It was great to see him win the bronze medal match but you have to put all that out of your mind in this situation and take it to a professional level. He came back at me well today but I was able to hold out.”
McCarthy and Emily Westwood had a difficult task in their mixed doubles bronze match against Heg and Lee Meng of Malaysia. The English pair put up some strong resistance, matching the number three seeds over some hard-fought rallies before going down 21-14, 21-10.