It’s all to play for at the top of the medal table at the Commonwealth Youth Games as England chase Australia on the final day of action on the Isle of Man.
After their five-gold rush at the National Sports Centre stadium today, England’s track and field athletes will be hoping for another hefty haul with world youth champion Louisa James a stand out favourite for the women’s hammer and European cross country medallist Emelia Gorecka looking hard to beat in the 3000m.
England’s domination of the sprints means they’ll have high expectations in both 4x100m relays where all eight runners could be individual medallists. One of those could be Joshua Street who cruised through his 200m heat today with a semi-final and final to come on Sunday.
All five of England’s gold medal-winning swimmers will be in action in the pool as England again look to challenge the dominant Australians.
Elana Sheridan goes in both the 100m fly and 400m IM while Georgia Hohmann and Phoebe Lenderyou finish their trio of friendly battles in the 50m backstroke. With one gold apiece from the 100m and 200m it’s all to play for in the room-mates personal rivalry.
Matt Johnson races in the 400m free and Sophie Smith looks to add to her two medals in the 200m free.
England’s gymnasts can also look forward to more medals tomorrow when they battle for honours in the individual apparatus events.
In the men’s, Dominick Cunningham will look to add to his two golds as he competes in all events except the parallel bars, while Jay Thompson goes in the high and parallel bars, the vault and pommel. Brinn Bevan has opportunities in the floor, rings and parallel bars.
In the women’s, Abi Caig competes in the floor, vault and beam competitions while Rebecca Tunney goes in the bars, vault and floor and Charlie Fellows will bid for a medal in the bars and beam.
England’s fighters will feature in six of the eight boxing finals at the Villa Marina ring tomorrow evening after all but one member of the squad came through their semi-finals today and all seven are guaranteed medals.
England’s cyclists return to the streets of Douglas seeking more medal success in the criterium which will finish in front of the Villa Marina. The three women in particular will want to add to the four golds they’ve picked up over the last two days while England’s men are looking to add that elusive gold to the three minor medals they’ve claimed so far.
Three medals are in the offing for England on the badminton court with Ryan McCarthy and Tom Wolfenden seeking gold in the men’s doubles against Malaysia’s number one seeds Nelson Heg and Ee Yi Teo.
Wolfenden will also battle for bronze in the men’s singles against team-mate Rhys Walker, while McCarthy and Emily Westwood play Heg and Lee Meng in the mixed doubles bronze medal match.
England’s rugby 7s team will play Isle of Man in the quarter-finals tomorrow after finishing top of their group today ahead of South Africa today. The hosts finished bottom of group A so England will expect to advance to the semi-finals where they are likely to face Scotland, with a possible final against Australia to follow.