by Justin Lagat
Justin Lagat sent RunBlogRun his six favorite moments from the 2022 Commonwealth Games, held in Birmingham, England, from August 1-7, 2022.
The Commonwealth Games brought 6,500 athletes, coaches, and officials from 72 countries to England’s second city, Birmingham, for a celebration of sports.
We had a lot of fun covering the Friendly Games, as they are called. Your editor visited the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2014 and truly enjoyed the competitions, the fans, and the haggis.
We like Justin Lagat’s top six moments. What are your top six? Send yours to runblogrun@gmail.com, and perhaps we will publish them!
Below are some of the top athletic Moments to remember from the 2022 Commonwealth Games:
1. Eilish McColgan’s historic run in the women’s 10,000mThe final stages of the women’s 10,000m final in Birmingham progressed into an exciting duel between McColgan and two Kenyans, Irene Cheptai and SheilaChepkirui. With 10 laps to go, the Kenyans had overtaken McColgan, and just like the two had been happy to follow her in the first stages of the race, McColgan took over their role and stayed at their heels.
The last two laps became even more exciting after Chepkirui had dropped and Cheptai fought hard to prevent McColgan from overtaking her. It was not until in the last 50m that McColgan, whose mother was among the fans in the Alexander Stadium, powered past her and went for the win. This was a historic win for her as she set a new Games record of 30:48.60 and finally got to follow in her mother’s footsteps. (Her Mom won in 1986).
2. Ferdinand Omanyala’s 100m win
After performing dismally at the world championships in Oregon due to delays in getting his visa and arriving in the US some hours before the start of his races, Africa’s fastest man finally got to show that he is indeed one of the big names to watch in the men’s 100m race.
Omanyala ran 10.02 to deliver the first gold medal for Kenya at the Games in the men’s 100m final after an amazing battle against South Africa’s Akani Simbine, who was the Games’ defending champion. Simbine ran 10.13 for the silver medal.
3. Elaine Thompson-Herah double gold medals in women’s 100m and 200m
With some of the big names from the Oregon World championships opting to skip the Commonwealth Games, Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson was a big name in Birmingham, and she didn’t disappoint.
In a fully packed stadium, Thompson thrilled the spectators as she won gold medals in both the women’s 100m and 200m races.
4. India’s Avinash Sable surprises in the men’s 3000m steeplechase
In the absence of Moroccans and Ethiopians, many predicted the men’s 3000m steeplechase event to turn into a 1-2-3 victory for the Kenyans.
However, India’s Avinash Sable stayed just behind the three Kenyans during the race and started turning into a real threat in the last stages of the race. In the end, it was only Abraham Kibiwot who survived to take the gold medal as Sable came closely behind him to take the silver medal.
Sable now becomes one of the threats to Kenya’s dominance in the steeplechase event.
5. Jacob Kiplimo rules the men’s 5000m and 10,000m races
The king of the distance events at the Commonwealth Games would arguably be Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo, having won both the 10,000m and 5000m events; the 10,000m was particularly in an impressive new Games record time of 27:09.19. Kenyans won all the remaining medals in the two events.
6. Oliver Hoare sets new record in the men’s 1500m race
The 1500m race has always been one race that is full of surprises, and it was no different in Birmingham. Australia’s Oliver Hoare came from behind to upset Kenya’s Timothy Cheruiyot and the newly crowned world champion, Jake Wightman of Scotland, just at the finish line.
Copyright Bobby Gavin
for Scottish Athletics
Not only was it a surprise that he beat some of the world’s best runners in the event, but he also set a new Games record of 3:30.12 in the process.
