Hunter Bell cruises to 800m Commonwealth Games gold; Sri Lanka’s Pathirage stuns javelin stars
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Winner Georgia Hunter Bell of England celebrates after crossing the finish line in the women's 800m final at the Scotstoun Stadium in Glasgow, on July 31.
PHOTO: AFP
- Georgia Hunter Bell won the 800m Commonwealth gold in Glasgow, benefiting from Keely Hodgkinson's absence.
- Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage surprised many by winning javelin gold, beating favourites Neeraj Chopra and Arshad Nadeem.
- Tuvalu earned its first Commonwealth medal as Tarona Taafaki secured bronze despite losing her fight due to limited competitors.
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GLASGOW – Georgia Hunter Bell made the most of Keely Hodgkinson’s absence to cruise to the 800m Commonwealth gold on July 31 as Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage stunned India’s Neeraj Chopra to win the javelin gold.
A world indoor champion and an Olympic bronze medallist at 1,500m, Hunter Bell was in a class of her own at the shorter distance in Glasgow to claim gold for England.
Olympic 800m champion Hodgkinson was one of a number of high-profile athletes who decided to skip the Commonwealth Games in favour of the European championships in Birmingham later in August. Kenyan world champion Lilian Odira took silver ahead of Australia’s Sarah Billings.
“My first-ever Commonwealth Games, it’s my first-ever Commonwealth Games gold, first outdoor gold medal as well. It really means so much to me,” said Hunter Bell.
“I had a really good attitude today. It’s really strange being an athlete because you can doubt yourself a lot, like through the rounds you’ve got to stay focused, you’ve got to be aware, but you’ve also got to be confident.”
The javelin was billed to be a showdown between Chopra and Pakistan’s Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem.
But it was Pathirage, who honed his javelin power as a prodigious young cricket bowler, who stormed to victory by nearly 4m with a best effort of 89.75.
Chopra took silver ahead of compatriot Yash Vir Singh, but Nadeem was well down in ninth.
South Africa’s Sinesipho Dambile broke the 20-second barrier to take the 200m gold ahead of Nigeria’s Udodi Chudi Onwuzurike and Jamaican Christopher Taylor.
Adaejah Hodge of the British Virgin Islands stormed to gold in the women’s 200m.
Grenada’s Lindon Victor made it three consecutive Commonwealth golds in the decathlon, matching English great Daley Thompson who won three golds between 1978 and 1986.
Nigeria’s Ezekiel Nathaniel, the third-fastest athlete in the world in 2026, won the men’s 400m hurdles title.
Jamaica’s Sanique Walker needed a new personal best of 54 seconds flat to win the women’s 400m hurdles gold.
New Zealand’s Eliza McCartney upset Australia’s Nina Kennedy to win the women’s pole vault.
Both women successfully cleared 4.65m, but the Kiwi took the title, having made fewer failures at the previous heights.
Tuvalu’s bizarre first medal
Australia picked up three more golds on the second day of track cycling.
Oliver Bleddyn won the men’s 4,000m individual pursuit, Blake Agnoletto edged the elimination race, while Georgia Baker took the women’s 10km scratch race for her fifth Commonwealth gold medal.
There were also two more golds for Wales at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.
Anna Morris won the women’s individual pursuit, while Emma Finucane outgunned England’s Sophie Capewell in the women’s sprint final.
The tiny Pacific Ocean island of Tuvalu secured its first-ever Commonwealth medal in bizarre circumstances.
Tarona Taafaki lost her first fight in the women’s 75kg division to India’s Lovlina Borgohain on July 31, losing every round on all three of the judges’ cards.
But because there were only five entrants, Taafaki had received a bye to the last four, meaning she was automatically guaranteed at least a bronze medal. AFP
