AP, Glasgow :
Emily Seebohm successfully defended the 100-meter backstroke gold medal she won at New Delhi four years ago to continue Australia’s domination in the Commonwealth Games pool on Saturday.
Australia had three more wins and has earned eight golds in three nights in the water. That’s helped the country move level with England on overall gold medals – 17 each – after 70 of 261 medals to be awarded before the games end on Aug. 3.
Chad le Clos of South Africa, who beat Michael Phelps in the 200 butterfly to win gold at the London Olympics, added the Commonwealth title in the same race.
Adam Peaty of England won the 100 breaststroke, relegating Olympic gold medalist and world record holder Cameron van der Burgh of South Africa to second.
Among other highlights:
THE BOLT ARRIVES: Usain Bolt, the world record holder and double Olympic sprint champion, held a packed news conference. He’s running in Jamaica’s 4×100-meter relay team over the final two days of athletics next Friday and Saturday. He said his left foot injury, which prevented him from qualifying in the individual sprints, was holding up well in training.
Bolt fielded a number of strange requests, ranging from being asked if he would wear a kilt to journalists seeking a “selfie” – along with his opinion on the Scottish separation referendum in September, and the Gaza conflict. He made no direct response to either of the political questions.
PEDAL POWER: At the velodrome, it was another productive day for the Australian and New Zealand teams, who picked up nine of the available 12 medals. Australia is clear at the top of the cycling standings with 15 medals overall. Anna Meares set herself up for a record sixth Commonwealth gold when she won her sprint semifinal – she’ll face fellow Australian Stephanie Morton in Sunday’s final.
SEVENS STARS: New Zealand extended its Commonwealth Games winning streak in rugby sevens to 28 matches with a 59-0 win over Barbados at Ibrox Stadium. With earlier wins over Scotland and Canada, New Zealand qualified for Sunday’s medal round. More than 185,000 sevens tickets have been sold, including a sellout on Sunday. New Zealand has won all four previous Commonwealth golds.
TRIATHLON WINNERS: England continued its domination of the triathlon events when it won the mixed teams relay, with South Africa second, and Australia taking bronze. Olympic champion Alistair Brownlee and Jodie Stimpson, who won the individual races on Thursday, were part of the four-person England team.
EQUALS RECORD: Veteran shooter Michael Gault of England equaled the Commonwealth Games record for podium finishes when he took bronze in the 10-meter air pistol. The 60-year-old grandfather won his 18th medal, level with another shooter, Australian Phillip Adams, who has retired. Gault could win his 19th medal in the 50-meter event on Monday. “I don’t really mind sharing it with some old Australian,” Gault said, smiling.
LOOKING AHEAD: The athletics competition begins on Sunday with the marathons and 5,000-meter final, and continues through to Aug. 2. Next Wednesday, New Zealand shot putter Valerie Adams, who is unbeaten in her last eight major championships – Olympics, world titles and the Commonwealth Games – will make her first appearance in Glasgow. The last time she finished in second place at any major event was the 2005 world championships.
