Flamboyant England flagbearer Emily Campbell crowned a ‘perfect Games’ with her first Commonwealth gold.  

Campbell edged an epic 87+kg battle with Samoa’s Feagaiga Stowers to delight a frenzied NEC crowd that assembled in her honour.

The Olympic silver medallist took victory by 18kg with a Games record total of 286kg, lifting new personal bests in both snatch and clean and jerk.

She said: “To lead out the home nation at a Games is a privilege and something I’ll remember forever.

“The reason we come here is to perform on that stage so to get that perfect performance on the stage as well, you could call it a perfect Games.

“An Olympic medal is what everyone on this planet wants to do. But there’s something quite special about the Commonwealth, the people of the Commonwealth.

“The atmosphere that’s been around the village and arenas has been special and to top it off with the performance today, I can’t ask for any more."

The first British female weightlifter to win an Olympic medal, Campbell has won medals at all four majors within a year - Tokyo silver, world bronze, European gold and now a Commonwealth title.

Stowers started with a snatch of 121kg but Campbell then cracked out a Games record of 124, sticking her tongue out in glee with the barbell raised.

Fans was cheerled by Dame Kelly Holmes and amped up by weightlifting’s first-ever live DJ set, a flurry of fluorescent wristbands.

In clean and jerk Stowers failed twice at 154 and Campbell ripped 162 to send the crowd wild.

She said: “I don’t think we’ve ever had a crowd that immense and that reactive.

“They were loving it, embracing everyone who went out there, and that’s all you want from a weightlifting competition.

“Those weights are heavy, you have to lift it all by yourself, and to have that crowd behind you is fantastic.”