The Commonwealth Flag is handed to the Gold Coast, Australia at the closing ceremony at Hampden Park. Photo / Greg Bowker
The Commonwealth Flag is handed to the Gold Coast, Australia at the closing ceremony at Hampden Park. Photo / Greg Bowker
The Commonwealth Games in Glasgow has wrapped up and the baton has been passed on to the Gold Coast to prepare for the 2018 Games. Rotorua Daily Post reporter Alison King looks back at our local athletes and how they performed.
Amanda Landers-Murphy.
Amanda Landers-Murphy
Rotorua squash player Landers-Murphy competed in threeevents. In the women's singles she lost in the second round to Jenny Duncalf of England 3-0. She teamed up with Joelle King in the women's doubles and made it through to the quarter-finals. The pair lost to India's Dipika Pallikal and Joshana Chinappa 2-0. Landers-Murphy, who was making her Commonwealth Games debut, also competed in the mixed doubles. She and Paul Coll progressed to the quarter-finals but they were beaten 2-0 by Australia's Kasey Brown and Cameron Pilley. Her mum, Delwyn Wharehoka, travelled to Glasgow to watch and said she was "extremely proud".
Heptathlete turned high jump specialist Cowley made it through to the finals but could not get close to the medals. The 30-year-old failed in all three attempts to clear 1.89m, leaving her in ninth place with a best clearance of 1.86m. The event was won by Australian Eleanor Patterson, who leapt 1.94m. She later tweeted "Thank you for all the love + support ... Amazing feeling to jump at Hampden Park. Gutted I couldn't go higher ..." Cowley chose to focus on the high jump after finishing 26th in the heptathlon at the 2012 London Olympics.
Valerie Adams
Champion shot putter Adams became New Zealand's 600th Commonwealth Games medallist when she won gold with a throw of 19.88m. The gold was Adams' 12th win of the year and her 54th successive title, dating back to August 2010. She said she felt her performance was "a bit flat". "I wanted more, but hey I won by 1.3m. Winning by another 2m sure I would have got the championship record but I'm pretty happy to be taking this puppy home."
Whakatane mountain biker Karen Hanlen finished sixth after an injury-ravaged build-up. She finished four minutes behind the lead pack but said afterwards she was proud of her efforts. "It was a great race and a cool course, so I'm happy. You always want to do better but I gave it my all." Hanlen underwent surgery in May due to the narrowing of the main artery in the leg.
Mike Collings
Whakatane shooter Collings could not back up his Delhi gold medal experience at the Glasgow Games. Collings won gold in the 2010 Games with shooting partner John Snowden. This time around they finished 8th in the Fullbore Rifle Queens Prize (Pair) - Open. Collings also competed in the singles competition. He finished 20th.
Patrick Bevan.
Patrick Bevin
The Taupo cyclist competed in one event in his first Commonwealth Games, the men's 4000m individual pursuit as part of the stellar New Zealand track team. Bevin finished seventh out of 19 in qualifying, some four seconds off the pace. He finished in 4:26.909. Fourth qualifier, teammate Marc Ryan - who finished with a bronze medal, was in 4:22.511.
