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CWG 2022: Eilish McColgan emulates her mother Liz with 10,000m gold

The 31-year-old won her first major title in a Commonwealth Games record time of 30 minutes 48.60 seconds, defeating Kenya’s Irine Cheptai in a race-long duel.

CWG 2022: Eilish McColgan emulates her mother Liz with 10,000m gold

Eilish McColgan of Scotland won gold in the 10,000m at Birmingham 2022, following in the footsteps of her mother Liz, who won the race in 1986 and 1990.

The 31-year-old won her first major title in a Commonwealth Games record time of 30 minutes 48.60 seconds, defeating Kenya’s Irine Cheptai in a race-long duel.

With 250m to go, Cheptai led by a metre, but McColgan kept her cool and attacked to move ahead, and no response came as the Scot threw her hands in the air as she crossed the line.

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Cheptai’s compatriot Sheila Kiprotich came home in third nearly 20 seconds adrift to claim the bronze.

McColgan said, “It has been such an up-and-down year. But I knew the fitness was somewhere in me. Having my family here and the crowd here. It was vibrating through my whole body. I just wanted it so bad.

“I knew the Kenyans were super strong and would put in bursts. But you can see in that last 100m I wanted gold. It is an absolute dream. It is so special to have it here in the UK.

“These are my fourth Commonwealths and I have come sixth every time. I was ready to win the medal.”

Despite winning five Olympic gold medals, the 30-year-old Jamaican had never won an individual Commonwealth Games title before.

She was the only member of Jamaica’s star trio to compete, with world 200m champion Shericka Jackson and 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce opting out after the World Championships in Eugene last month.

Thompson-Herah won bronze in the 100m behind her teammates in Oregon and was the standout in Birmingham, where England’s Dina Asher-Smith was sidelined with a hamstring injury.

Julien Alfred of St Lucia won silver in 11.01 seconds, with England’s Daryll Neita taking bronze in 11.07.

Ferdinand Omanyala of Kenya won the men’s title, beating out defending champion Akani Simbine.

Omanyala won in 10.02 seconds, with Yupan Abeykoon of Sri Lanka taking bronze.

Omanyala bounced back from last month’s disappointment, when he had visa issues ahead of the World Championships and arrived hours before his 100m heat, only to be knocked out in the semi-final.

Sarah Mitton of Canada won the women’s shot put gold medal with a throw of 19.03m, beating out Jamaica’s Danniel Thomas-Dodd and New Zealand’s Maddison-Lee Wesche.

Aled Davies of Wales won the men’s discussion F-42-44/61-64 event with a throw of 51.39.

Palitha Halgahawela Gedara of Sri Lanka won silver, with Wales’ Harrison Walsh taking bronze.

Evan O’Hanlon of Australia won gold in the men’s T37/38 100m with a Games record time of 11.23. Charl du Toit of South Africa and Zachary Gingras of Canada completed the podium.

(Inputs from IANS)

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