Mountainbiker Sam Gaze, without his main rival, looks to open the New Zealand gold rush on day six of the Commonwealth Games which could see a flood of Kiwi medals land just after 6am on Thursday.
After 2018 runner-up Anton Cooper withdrew due to Covid-19, Gaze looks a strong chance to win back to back golds when he and compatriot Ben Oliver line up in the cross-country event at 10.30pm on Wednesday (NZT).
Then it gets frantic, with potential for at least four golds to be draped around New Zealander’s necks in the space of an hour or so early on Thursday.
Stephen Pond/Getty Images
Sam Gaze won another gold medal at the Commonwealth Games.
Gold Coast 2018 weightlifting gold medallist David Liti looks to go back to back at 5.30am, squash world No 2 Paul Coll plays Wales’ Joel Makin for gold around 6am as a warm favourite, swimmer Lewis Clareburt eyes a third gold at 6.07am in the 200m medley then shot putter Maddi Wesche – ranked second in the Commonwealth at the recent world champs – throws for a medal just after 7am.
There’s also high jumper Hamish Kerr and 100m sprinter Zoe Hobbs chasing podium spots, with the latter up against Jamaican world championships bronze medallist Elaine Thompson-Herah in semifinal two around 6.40am. The women’s 100m medal race is scheduled for 8.45am.
Women’s squash top seed Joelle King has her bronze medal match after the disappointment of the semifinals, while weightlifter Junior Tasi and five judokas kick off New Zealand’s day six in search of a podium spot.
Kiwis in action on day six of the Commonwealth Games on Wednesday (NZ times, * denotes if qualified):
Bowls-
7.30pm: Women’s pairs round 2 and 3 (Katelyn Inch, Selina Goddard), men’s singles round 2 and 3 (Shannon McIlroy)
Weightlifting-
8.30pm: Men’s 109kg, medals (Junior Tasi)
Judo-
9pm: Women’s -78kg preliminary, quarterfinals, semifinals and repechage (Moira de Villiers, Hayley Mackey), women’s +78kg preliminary, quarterfinals, semifinals and repechage (Sydnee Andrews), men’s -100kg preliminary, quarterfinals, semifinals and repechage (Jason Koster), men’s +100kg preliminary, quarterfinals, semifinals and repechage (Kody Andrews)
Swimming heats-
9.33pm: Men’s 200m IM (Lewis Clareburt)
9.57pm: Women’s 400m freestyle (Erika Fairweather, Eve Thomas)
Cycling, mountainbiking-
10.30pm: Men’s cross-country final (Sam Gaze, Ben Oliver)
(Thursday, August 4-)
Boxing-
12am: Quarterfinals – men’s featherweight U57kg, Alex Mukuka v Joseph Commey (Ghana)
Bowls-
2am: Women’s triples round 3 and 4 (Val Smith, Tayla Bruce, Nicole Toomey), men’s fours round 2 and 3 (Ali Forsyth, Mike Galloway, Andrew Kelly, Tony Grantham), para mixed pairs B2-B3 round 5 (Gerald Brouwers, Sue Curran)
Badminton-
3.30am: Mixed doubles round of 32 (Oliver Leydon-Davis, Anona Pak)
Squash-
3am: Women’s singles bronze medal match, Joelle King v Sarah-Jane Perry (England)
6am: Men’s singles gold medal match, Paul Coll v Joel Makin (Wales)
Judo-
4am: Women’s -78kg medal contests* (Moira de Villiers, Hayley Mackey), men’s -100kg medal contests* (Jason Koster), women’s +78kg medal contests* (Sydnee Andrews), men’s +100kg medal contests* (Kody Andrews)
Weightlifting-
5.30am: Men’s 109kg+, medals (David Liti)
Athletics-
6am: Men’s high jump final (Hamish Kerr)
6.43am: Women’s 100m semifinals (Zoe Hobbs)
7.05am: Women’s shot put final (Maddison Wesche)
8.45am: Women’s 100m final* (Zoe Hobbs)
Swimming-
6.07am: Men’s 200m IM final* (Lewis Clareburt)
6.37am: Women’s 400m freestyle final* (Erika Fairweather, Eve Thomas)
6.45am: Men’s 50m freestyle final* (Cameron Gray)
Beach volleyball-
7am: NZ men v England, pool C (Sam O’Dea, Brad Fuller)
8am: NZ women v Canada, pool A (Alice Zeimann, Shaunna Polley)
