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Aussie report card from Glasgow 2014

 

Aussie report card from Glasgow 2014

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AOC
Aussie report card from Glasgow 2014
The following is a report card on each Olympic sport from the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland after the 10 days of competition, courtesy of AAP.

The following is a report card on each Olympic sport from the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland after the 10 days of competition, courtesy of AAP.


Athletics

Athletes: 99

Medals: 12; 8 gold, 1 silver, 3 bronze

Sally Pearson, Kim Mickle, Dani Samuels and Alana Boyd lived up to expectation in a campaign highlighted by Michael Shelley's sensational marathon win and the emergence of high jumper Eleanor Patterson. It wasn't smooth sailing however, with head coach Eric Hollingsworth sent home mid-meet and near misses resulting in Australia finishing outside the top two nations for the first time since 1938.

Rating: 6/10


Badminton

Athletes: 10

Medals: 0

A campaign that had realistic hopes of at least one medal ended in disappointment with no Australians reaching the semi-finals. Top hopes He Tian Tang and Renuga fell in the quarter-finals and the squad's performance will prompt an internal post-Games review.

Rating: 2/10


Boxing

Athletes: 11

Medals: 3; 2 gold 1, silver

One of the big improvers for Australia. After the boxing team failed to win a single medal in Delhi, Melbourne flyweight Andrew Moloney and women's lightweight Shelley Watts won gold medals while super-heavyweight Joe Goodall collected silver in a reflection of new head coach Kevin Smith's influence.

Rating: 8/10


Cycling

Athletes: 41

Medals: 24; 7 gold, 9 silver, 8 bronze

One of Australia's strongest contributors in Glasgow, the cyclists topped their sport's medal tally with seven gold. There were some very encouraging signs ahead of Rio, with new stars such as Matthew Glaetzer (track gold), Stephanie Morton (track gold and silver), Katrin Garfoot (road bronze) and Rebecca Henderson (MTB bronze) all winning medals.

Rating: 8/10


Diving

Athletes: 12

Medals: 8; 2 gold, 3 silver, 3 bronze

Australia's campaign started slowly but steadily picked up with two gold medals on the penultimate day of competition. Matthew Mitcham and Domonic Bedggood teamed up for platform synchro gold while Esther Qin was a surprise winner in the women's 3m springboard. Consistency and depth still remain big issues for the team going forward.

Rating: 5/10


Gymnastics

Athletes: 13

Medals: 4; 4 silver

It was always going to be tough to duplicate the success of the 12 gold medals in Delhi but no gold and four silver means Glasgow can only be deemed a failed campaign. Women's coach Peggy Liddick claimed the slump was cyclical, but with the star of the English team a 16-year-old sensation, it could be a while until the Aussies return to the top.

Rating: 3/10


Hockey

Teams: 2

Medals: 2; 2 gold

Australia's men's and women's hockey teams came, saw and conquered in Glasgow to live up to the pre-Games hype. While the women's side needed a miraculous late escape to beat England the final, the all-conquering men's side were just about flawless as they built further on their World Cup triumph last month.

Rating: 10/10


Judo

Athletes: 13

Medals: 4; 4 bronze

Australia's young team came away with four bronze medals. The team couldn't match it with powerhouses Scotland and England, but showed plenty of promise for the future.

Rating: 5/10


Rugby sevens

Teams: 1

Medals: 1; 1 bronze

Breezed through the pool stages and produced a stirring comeback to beat Wales and reach the semi-finals. However when it comes to the crux, Australia still aren't quite good enough. Out-muscled by New Zealand, Australia were able to salvage bronze against Samoa.

Rating: 7/10


Shooting

Athletes: 29

Medals: 8; 6 gold, 2 bronze

With a target of three to six medals of any colour, Australia's shooters exceeded all expectations by finishing with six gold and two bronze. Veteran Michael Diamond was disappointed with his fourth place finish in the men's trap, but teammate Adam Vella stepped up to claim gold.

Rating: 9/10


Swimming

Athletes: 59

Medals: 57; 19 gold, 21 silver and 17 bronze

Australia swimmers took another strong step in the right direction with a dominant performance in the pool. World champions Cate Campbell and James Magnussen were impressive as a young bridge led by Emma McKeon (four gold medals) made a strong contribution. Christian Sprenger (shoulder) and Alicia Coutts (illness) were well before their best and the team fell just short of its medal target to emphasise a need for further improvement heading towards Rio.

Rating: 7/10


Table tennis

Athletes: 10

Medals: 2; 1 silver, 1 bronze

Hardly a powerhouse of table tennis, Australia managed to pick up two medals in Glasgow, doubling their output from four years ago. Veteran Jian Fang Lay played a role in both, taking a women's team bronze and a silver from the women's doubles.

Rating: 6/10


Triathlon

Athletes: 6

Medals: 1; 1 bronze

Australia's triathletes failed to win a medal in the individual events as England dominated on the back of the impressive Brownlee brothers. Emma Moffatt, Aaron Royle, Emma Jackson and Ryan Bailie regained some pride for Australia with a fighting bronze in team relay.

Rating: 4/10


Weightlifting

Athletes: 19

Medals: 3; 1 silver, 2 bronze

Australia had won 53 Commonwealth weightlifting golds leading into the 2014 Games but couldn't add to the tally in a performance they feel reflects a lack of government funding. The weightlifters finished with a silver and two bronze, including one to two-time Olympian Damon Kelly in the 105kg super-heavyweight.

Rating: 4/10


Wrestling

Athletes: 8

Medals: 0

Australia's wrestlers never really posed a threat to countries like Canada and India, where the sport is an established part of the sporting culture. The youngest member of the team Jayden Lawrence showed his promise by making it to a bronze medal match.

Rating: 5/10


Overall

Medals: 137; 49 gold, 42 silver, 46 bronze

Australia's largest Games team to compete on foreign soil arrived amid high expectation but depart having settled for second place on the medal tally for the first time since 1986. Still, the campaign featured many fine individual and team achievements. Losing the title of the Commonwealth's top sporting nation to England will hurt but may ultimately strengthen the event's future. The next Commonwealth Games will be held on the Gold Coast in April 2018.

Rating: 6/10


AAP 

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