TOKYO 2020: After 11 days of hot competition, the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games came to an end last night and the future of Australian Olympic sport is looking bright.

Australia topped the medal tally with 80 gold, 59 silver and 59 bronze, winning 61 more medals than Glasgow 2014, for a total haul of 198.

A number of Olympic athletes we know and love shone on the home stage, including dual Olympic medallist Mitch Larkin, who won the most gold medals of the entire Games, after taking a clean sweep of his events with five gold in the pool. Emma McKeon equalled the highest number of total medals won with four gold and two bronze.

Olympic gold medallists Cate and Bronte Campbell bettered their 4x100m freestyle relay World Record from Rio, and won seven medals between them, while four-time Olympian Mark Knowles captained the Kookaburras to gold in his final hockey match in the green and gold.

Four-time Olympic shooter Daniel Repacholi won gold in the men’s 50m pistol with a new Games Record, and Beijing 2008 Olympic silver medalist Melissa Wu won her first international gold at her fourth Commonwealth Games in the women’s 10m Synchro.

A number of young guns have also proven they have what it takes to match it with the world’s best, and have cemented themselves as athletes to watch as they train to Tokyo 2020.

Seventeen-year-old Ariane Titmus is one said athlete. Dubbed ‘the terminator’, Titmus won four medals in the pool, including 3 gold, and set a new Games Record in the 400m freestyle.

Gymnast Chris Remkes, 21, broke a 24-year Commonwealth Games vault drought for Australia when he won gold with a score of 14.779. And keep an eye on 16-year-old gymnasts Alexandra Kiroi-Bogatyreva who won bronze in the ball event, to help Australia place third overall in the Rhythmic Gymnastics.

Rio 2016 Olympian and three-time World Championships silver medalist, Stephanie Morton, is now following in track cycling legend Anna Meares’ footstep at the velodrome, after she won two individual and one team gold, and an individual silver on the Gold Coast.

Twenty-year-old race walker Jemima Montag won gold in only her third ever 20km international event, while Rio Olympian Kurtis Marchall, 20, brought the house down with his gold-medal winning pole vault of 5.70m. Also soaring to new heights was Sydney-sider Brandon Star who claimed gold in the men’s high jump.

At the age of 20 and 22 respectively, young guns Harry Garside (M60kg) and Skye Nicolson (W57kg) both fought their way to boxing gold for Australia. Along with fellow gold medallist, 31-year-old Anja Stridsman (W60kg), Australia’s boxing team brought home three gold, two silver and three bronze medals.

With the Triathlon Mixed Team Relay set to make its Games debut at Tokyo 2020, Australia would appear well placed after the quartet of Gillian Backhouse, Matthew Hauser, Ashleigh Gentle and Jacob Birtwhistle won gold on the third day of competition, almost a minute ahead of England in second.

As the Games on the Gold Coast come to an end, athletes will now turn their attention to the long haul towards the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Japan in just over two years’ time.

Full Commonwealth Games results are available via the GC2018 website HERE.

Georgia Thompson
olympics.com.au