Birmingham: CWG 2022: Eilish McColgan emulates her mother Liz with 10,000m gold. Scotland’s Eilish McColgan took gold in the 10,000m at Birmingham CWG 2022, echoing her mother Liz who won the race in 1986 and 1990.
The 31-year-old won in a Commonwealth Games record of 30 minutes 48.60 seconds for her first major title as she beat Kenya’s Irine Cheptai following a race-long duel.
Cheptai led by a metre with 250m to go but McColgan kept her cool and attacked to move ahead and a response never came as the Scot threw her hands in the air as she crossed the line.
Cheptai’s compatriot Sheila Kiprotich came home in third nearly 20 seconds adrift to claim the bronze.
McColgan said, “It has been such an up-and-down year. But I knew the fitness was somewhere in me. Having my family here and the crowd here. It was vibrating through my whole body. I just wanted it so bad.
“I knew the Kenyans were super strong and would put in bursts. But you can see in that last 100m I wanted gold. It is an absolute dream. It is so special to have it here in the UK.
“These are my fourth Commonwealths and I have come sixth every time. I was ready to win the medal.”
The 30-year-old ran 10.95 seconds and the Jamaican had not previously won an individual Commonwealth Games title before despite claiming five Olympic golds.
She was the only one of Jamaica’s star trio to compete with world 200m champion Shericka Jackson and 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce skipping the Games following last month’s World Championships in Eugene.
Thompson-Herah took 100m bronze behind her team-mates in Oregon and was the star name in Birmingham, with England’s Dina Asher-Smith out with a hamstring injury.
Julien Alfred of St Lucia came home in 11.01 to take silver, with England’s Daryll Neita winning bronze in 11.07.
Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala took the men’s title ahead of defending champion Akani Simbine.
Omanyala won in 10.02 seconds, as Sri Lanka’s Yupan Abeykoon took bronze.
Omanyala shook off the disappointing of last month where he suffered visa issues ahead of the World Championships and only arrived hours before his 100m heat, before being knocked out in the semi-final.
Canada’s Sarah Mitton won women’s shot put gold with 19.03m ahead of Jamaica’s Danniel Thomas-Dodd and Maddison-Lee Wesche of New Zealand.
Wales’ Aled Davies secured men’s discuss F-42-44/61-64 gold with a throw of 51.39.
Silver went to Palitha Halgahawela Gedara of Sri Lanka, with Wales’ Harrison Walsh taking bronze.
Australia’s Evan O’Hanlon produced a Games record 11.23 to win gold in the men’s T37/38 100m. South Africa’s Charl du Toit and Zachary Gingras of Canada completed the podium.
