The Gold Coast Commonwealth Games get underway with the first of the events in the pool – eight swimming heats at the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre. We’ll have coverage, results and a live blog on The Roar from 10:30am AEST.
There’s a wide range of swimming heats being held this morning – everything from backstroke through to the women’s 400m individual medley – and there’s even a para-sports event in the qualifying for the women’s 50-metre butterfly and men’s 200m freestyle events.
There will be plenty of Aussies to look out for over the course of the day, headlined by Emma McKeon who will be taking part in both the women’s 200m freestyle and 100m butterfly.
Her brother, David, will also be in the pool, swimming in the 400m freestyle as well as current golden boy Mack Horton.
Kaylee McKeown, Blair Evans and Meg Bailey will be in the first event of the day, the women’s 400m individual medley, while Ariarne Titmus and Leah Neale will be alongside McKeon in the 200m freestyle.
After capturing 19 of the 44 gold medals on offer in Glasgow, there’s hope the green and gold can do better on home soil. With several Australians in every event, today will be must-watch viewing for Aussie swimming fans.
The full event list (all times are in AEST):
10:31am: Women’s 400m Individual Medley (two heats)
10:47am: Men’s 400m Freestyle (two heats)
11:00am: Women’s 200m Freestyle (four heats)
11:17am: Men’s S14 200m Freestyle (one heat; para-sports event)
11:22am: Women’s S7 50m Butterfly (one heat; para-sports event)
11:27am: Men’s 50m Butterfly (eight heats)
11:44am: Women’s 50m Breaststroke (four heats)
11:54am: Men’s 100m Backstroke (four heats)
12:08pm: Women’s 100m Butterfly (three heats)
12:18pm: Men’s 200m Breaststroke (three heats)
Join us for coverage of all these events, and leave your comments below!
Sarah Wildy
Roar Guru
Yes! It’s an awesome venue, don’t think there is a ‘bad’ seat in the place. Even from up in the nosebleed section it’s a great view.
Liam Salter
Roar Guru
Well, that's it for the swimming qualifiers this morning! Plenty of Aussies qualifying for finals: Meg Bailey and Blair Evans qualifying for the 400m Women's Individual Medley Final. Jack McLoughlin, Mack Horton and David McKeon all qualified for the Men's 400m Freestyle final. Arianne Titmus, Leah Neale and Emma McKean all qualified for the Women's 400 metre Freestyle final. Mitchell Kildruff, Daniel Fox and Liam Schutler all qualified for the Men's S14 200 Metre Freestyle final. Tiffany Thomas Kane qualified for the Women's S7 50 m Butterfly final. Lieston Pickett, Goergia Bohl and Jessica Hansen progressed to the Women's 50m Breaststroke semi finals. Ben Treffers, Mitch Larkin and Bradley Woodward all progressed to the Men's 100 Metre Backstroke semi-finals. Brianna Throswell, Emma McKeon and Maddy Groves all progressed to the Women's 100m Butterfly semi finals. Matt Wilson and George Harley qualified for the Men's 200m Breaststroke final. That's a long and possibly confusing list, sorry, but it really was a great session of swimming for the Australian swimmers. Scott Pryde will be back tonight for the night session of swimming finals, but there's plenty of other action including the Men's Triathlon a little later today. Stick to The Roar for all the Commonwealth Games coverage over the next 11 days. Thank you!
Liam Salter
Roar Guru
George Harley is our representative in heat two, and they've just begun! He's in lane 6. England's James Wilby and Scot Ross Murdoch looking like potential winners in this one, and honestly it's a Scotland/England domination really. Murdoch's won with 2:08.77, Wilby second with 2.10.07 and England's Andrew Willis is third with 2.10.52. Harley of Australia is fifth with 2.11.62!
Liam Salter
Roar Guru
Men's 200m Breaststroke is about to begin, and there's two Aussies in heat one. Zac Stubblety-Cook is in lane three, and Matt Wilson's in lane four. Wilson's leading after the first fifty, and he's continuing to power his way through this race. Wilson's dominating this one, and comfortably wins with a 2:09.74, whilst Canada's Elijah Wall is second with 2:11.47 and Scot Craig Benson is third with 2.12.13.
Liam Salter
Roar Guru
The Aussies locking down the first two positions at the fifty metre mark of the third heat, and they're looking good on the return lap! Annnnnd they've one and two! Groves with 57.77, McKeon second with 58.04 and Wales' Alys Thomas with 58.48. The winning Aussies are the two fastest qualifiers, and are heading through to the semis! Throssel from heat one is also heading through.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Oh damn. Lucky you Sarah!
Scott Pryde
Expert
Busy old day for McKeon. Reckon she just cruised through that heat with semi-finals in the fly to come tonight.
Liam Salter
Roar Guru
An Aussie-less heat three, but Canada's Penny Oleksiak takes it out by another extremely narrow margin! She beats a fellow Canadian in Rebecca Smith - 58.50 to 58.51. South Africa's Erin Gallagher is third with 59.25. Great racing here on the Gold Coast!
Liam Salter
Roar Guru
You're at the Aquatic Centre, Sarah? Jealous!
Liam Salter
Roar Guru
First heat are in the water, and Throswell's in the lead at the first turn. She's under fierce competition from a few competitors, though! Throssell's won! By the narrowest of margins! Her time is 58.96, whilst Isle of Man's Charlotte Atkinson is very close behind with a 58.97. Wales' Harriet Jones is behind the winning duo with a 59.56.
Sarah Wildy
Roar Guru
Crowd enjoying the swimming- an Aussie favourite that’s for sure! Great from Larkin in that last 100 backstroke heat, good to see the Aussies swimming well
Liam Salter
Roar Guru
Women's 100m Butterfly is up now! There's three heats in this one. Three Aussies participating - Brianna Throswell in heat one, and Emma McKeon and Madeline Groves in heat three!
Liam Salter
Roar Guru
Definitely.
Liam Salter
Roar Guru
All three Aussies, yet again, make it through to semis. Mitch Larkin would be a chance for a medal, you'd think!
Scott Pryde
Expert
Good to see Larkin in some form.
Liam Salter
Roar Guru
Three Aussies, sorry. Bradley Woodward was also in heat three.
Liam Salter
Roar Guru
Oooh, Aussie Mitch Larkin is in lane 4 for this third backstroke heat. A fellow countryman in Bradley Woodward is in lane 5. It's Larkin who wins this one - 54.02! Big, big time. England's Luke Greenbank second with 54.62, and Woodward in third with a time of 54.71.
Liam Salter
Roar Guru
No Aussie swimmers in this second heat, but it's an entertaining one nonetheless. A Kiwi in Corey Main takes this one out with 54.99, Canuck Markus Thornmeyer in second with 55.26 and Northern Ireland's Conor Ferguson in third with 55.54.
Liam Salter
Roar Guru
Heat one is underway! It's Treffers neck and neck with Englishmen Elliott Clogg in the final 50, but it's Clogg who takes out first place with 55.08. Treffers is second with 55.30, and Welshman Xavier Castelli in third with 55.51.
Liam Salter
Roar Guru
We're onto Men's 100 metre backstroke, and it'll be interesting to watch this event given it's an outdoor pool and the sun is right above the eyes of the backstrokers. There's two Aussies - Ben Treffers in heat one, and Mitch Larkin in heat three.