ALL THE NEWS, ACTION AND REACTION LIVE FROM GLASGOW 2014 AS IT HAPPENS!

By Nick Butler and Paul Osborne in Glasgow
Click refresh for latest updates. All times stated are British

23:20 And finally, after the criticisms faced by Australian Channel 10 reporter Roz Kelly after she requested a "selfie" from Usain Bolt during the Jamaican's press conference yesterday, what better way to end our blog on day four of action here in Glasgow than with a "selfie" of the Australian 4 x 200m freestyle team after their gold in the pool this evening.

The Australian 4 x 200m freestyle team celebrate their gold with a selfie ©Twitter

Don't worry Roz. I'd have asked the same... If I wasn't in a press conference. With hundreds of media around me...

23:00 We're almost ready to leave you for the evening here in Glasgow.

Before we do here are a few of my favourite quotes and pictures of the day.

Katie Archibald sporting blue and white hair with GB team mate Laura Trott ©Getty Images
"You wouldn't believe me if I said it was accidental, would you? Of course it was."
- Scottish cyclist Katie Archibald sported a blue and white head of hair during her charge to a bronze medal in the 25km points race but appeared determined to convince onlookers otherwise.

Chris Pritchard completes the second successful marriage proposal of the Games

"We were all sitting and waiting to ride the gold medal race and this guy goes up and goes down on one knee. What was that about?"
- There's no room for romance in the schedule of Australia's Matthew Glaetzer , whose fellow cyclist Chris Pritchard of Scotland proposed to his girlfriend at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.

Stephanie Morton and Anna Meares acknowledge the crowd after the womens sprint final ©Getty Images

"It's like asking who you like better, your mum or your dad. Both are up there."
- Track cyclist Stephanie Morton of Australia refuses to distinguish between the Paralympic gold medal she won as a pilot at London 2012 and her success in the women's sprint at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.

22:45 A quick look back on the weightlifting now...

A new Commonwealth Games record of 149kg in the snatch sealed Sathish Sivalingam gold in the men's 77kg ahead of teammate Ravi Katulu, enabling India to regain the lead in the weightlifting medal table.

It came hours after Nigeria had won their first-ever weightlifting gold and silver combination in the women's 63kg, with Olauwatoyin Adesanmi and Obioma Okoli being separated only on bodyweight.

India lead the table with nine medals - three golds, two silvers and four bronzes - with Punam Yadav  also having taken bronze behind the Nigerians. Nigeria are second with six medals - two golds, three silvers and one bronze.

Sathish Sivalingam took gold in the men's 77kg weightlifting setting a Commonwealth Games in the snatch ©Getty Images

Quote marksPressure builds and you just have to play to your best ability. But it's disappointing. For maybe 10 or 11 minutes of that 20-minute final we were just a little bit off pace.
We knew South Africa would be strong on contact and we pride ourselves on that as well. It could have gone either way. They put pressure on us but we had a chance to win the game. But it didn't go to plan and that's rugby.
We're happy with second best, so to speak. We are part of the legacy that has gone before us - we'd never been beaten. As a country we have a lot of chances to win medals but as a New Zealand rugby player it is disappointing to come second.
- New Zealand captain DJ Forbes comments after his side's first ever loss at the Commonwealth Games.

Twitter logoWhat a great final of the Rugby Sevens. Well deserved by South Africa. @Glasgow2014 #CommonwealthGames
- Olympic and Commonwealth Games champion Allan Wells reflects on the rugby sevens.

Anna Meares looking pleased with her silver from the women's sprint ©Twitter

Anna Meares looks happy with the silver medal she won in the women's sprint earlier today where she lost to team mate Stephanie Morton in the final.

22:30 England will be hoping for a similar result in the badminton to that of the men's hockey where they have just beaten Malaysia 8-1 in the final match of the day.

All looked to be going well for the Malaysian's in that fixture when they went into the break at half-time but an impressive second half tally of seven goals saw the English boys storm to victory.

22:17 To the badminton now and the English pairing of Chris Adcock and Andrew Ellis have beaten the Indian duo of Akshay Dewalkar and Pranaav Chopra to seal England's place in the final of the mixed teams.

Wins from Adcock and wife Gabby Adcock in the mixed doubles, and Rajiv Ouseph in the singles earlier in the day ensured the 3-0 result with England set to face Malaysia in the final after they beat Singapore 3-2.

Black to reality

Glasgow 2014 gold medal22:04 It's back to reality with a bang for the All Blacks as they fall to a 17-12 loss to South Africa in the rugby sevens gold medal final.

A gold-medal winning try by none other than Cecil Afrika, as South Africa become the first team to beat New Zealand in five Commonwealth Games.

Akira Loane had a chance to pull it even for the All Blacks but a slippery Ibrox surface saw the ball skid away giving South Africa the scrum and the opportunity to put the ball into play.

Shakira's Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) now playing over the loudspeakers.... 

Australia, of course, took the bronze with their 24-0 defeat of Samoa in the earlier game.

All Blacks on the ropes?

21:55 Less than a minute into the second-half South Africa have taken the lead 12-7. Are we in for a shock?

Stat attack from the pool

21:50 Australia's Ben Treffers won his first Commonwealth Games gold medal tonight with victory in the men's 50m backstroke. His father Mark, who represented New Zealand, won 400m individual medley at the Christchurch 1974 Games.

Outgoing champion and world record holder Liam Tancock of England won a record third medal in this event, as he finished in third place, while also becoming the first male swimmer representing England to collect nine medals at the Commonwealth Games.

Arianna Vanderpool Wallace won the first Commonwealth Games swimming medal for the Bahamas with her second place in the women's 50m butterfly.

Swimming is only the third sport in which the Bahamas have won a Commonwealth Games medal, alongside athletics and boxing.

Weightlifting update

Glasgow 2014 gold medal21:45 India's Sathish Kumar Sivalingham has beaten team-mate Ravi Kumar Katulu to claim victory in the men's 77kg weightlifting.

They finished ahead of Australian Francois Etoundi as early leader, England's Jack Oliver faded to fourth.

Ibrox is gearing up

21:40 The loudest cheer of the night as South Africa and New Zealand take to the field for the gold medal match. It's set to be a frantic and high quality affair between the best two sides in the competition. But can South Africa break the gold medal monopoly of the All Blacks?

Meanwhile, Australia secure the bronze with a comprehensive 24-0 win over Samoa.

Gold number five for the Aussies

Glasgow 2014 gold medal21:35 Australia's men's 4x200m freestyle swimmers take their fifth and the final gold medal in the pool tonight as they smash their own Games record with a time of 7:07:38.

The Aussies finished ahead of Scotland and South Africa in a thrilling finale.

Swimming, weightlifting and rugby sevens finals

21:24 Australia have taken a 10-0 lead at halftime in the rugby sevens bronze medal match over Samoa.

21:21 Sathish Kumar Sivalingham has taken the lead in the weightlifting. Jack Oliver of England was the early leader, but remember the old proverb "snatch is for show, while clean and jerk is for dough". Sivalingham is proving that right and he leads from fellow Indian Ravi Kumar Katulu deep into that competition, with Oliver now fourth.

21:18 Onto the rugby sevens bronze medal match now. It's Australia against Samoa. A wonderful atmosphere on a grey but refreshingly warm and dry Ibrox evening. As well as the great and good of the rugby world, London 2012 chief Sebastian Coe and International Olympic Committee vice-president Sir Craig Reedie have been spotted in the crowd.

Unfortunately, neither Coe's England nor Sir Craig's Scotland will figure in the medal stakes.

Glasgow 2014 gold medal21:16 But wait a minute England hit back and it's gold number two for Halsall
Francesca Halsall secures her second gold of the Games and takes 0.06secs off her own Games record to boot as she touches home in 25:20 in the women's 50m butterfly.

The Bahamas claim their first medal in the pool in the form of silver medallist Arianna Vanderpool Wallace with Australia's Brittany Elmslie in third.

Ben Treffers celebrates 50m backstroke gold ©Getty Images

Glasgow 2014 gold medal21:12 Normal service resumed in the pool as Ben Treffers of Australia takes gold in the men's 50m backstroke ahead of compatriot Mitch Larkin while defending champion Liam Tancock of England has to make do with bronze.

21:04 A quick tour of the grounds before focusing on the sevens. England are 2-0 up against India in their mixed team badminton semi-final. The doubles is currently locked at 1-1 and India have to win if their gold medal chances are to remain.

In squash meanwhile, we have the dream final on the cards as Laura Massaro defeated fellow English-women Alison Waters 3-1 in the second semi-final. The world champion will now face Malaysia's world number one Nicol David in the final.

England's James Willstrop is currently up against India's Saurav Ghosal for the right to meet Nick Matthew in the men's singles final.

21:00 England's Sarah Davies came seventh in the 63kg weightlifting final earlier, but insisted afterwards that had no time to be despondent. "My boyfriend Jack Oliver is up next in the 77kg", said the former Miss Leeds beauty pageant winner.

Well, Oliver is currently in the gold medal position in the clean and jerk section. Are England going to have a Burton-Gibbons moment of their own?

20:56 England have just stolen the rugby sevens plate final with a 15-12  win over Wales right at the death. Philip Burgess with the last play of the game. So they finish fifth overall, and the best Northern Hemisphere team, after trailing heavily earlier on in that match.

Next up it is the medal matches!

Quote marks"It was a great atmosphere. I think it's even better than the Hong Kong Sevens"
- Sri Lanka's Fazil Marija pays perhaps the highest compliment to the Ibrox crowd at the rugby sevens.


A second successful marriage proposal!

20:48 News of another marriage proposal (see 14:08) - this time from one of the competitors.  Scottish cyclist Chris Pritchard quickly changed his shoes after finishing ninth in the Keirin finals and headed into the stands. He found his girlfriend Amanda, who was holding their son, and proposed to her as spectators watched on the big screens. Luckily, she said yes!

Chris Pritchard completes the second successful marriage proposal of the Games ©Getty Images

Gary Anderson"A really great moment here as Erraid Davies receives her bronze medal in the ceremony for the women's Para-sport 100m breaststroke SB9. The young Scot, who is just 13-years-old lapped up the huge cheer from the partisan crowd and as she makes her way round on the victory lap she is beaming from ear to ear."
- Reporter Gary Anderson on a stirring medal ceremony in the 100m breaststroke.

20:38 There could be a medal to come in the rugby sevens, and this has already been the day where Australia have overtaken and then opened daylight on England as far as the medals table is concerned. That all began with Michael Shelley's shock win in the marathon this morning.

Quote marks"He took it to them [the African runners] and we don't see that do we? We talk about the Africans and he has dropped and destroyed the Ugandans, the Tanzanians, the Kenyans behind, and he has run that race like he was the best runner and dominated it with real front running, with conviction like he was the best runner there, like he was the boss - and he was"
- Glasgow 2014 marathon champion Michael Shelley is praised by Australian Chef de Mission Steve Moneghetti, the last Aussie to win this event in Victoria 20 years ago‏

Rugby sevens medal matches coming up

New Zealand will be sure to prove a tougher challenge for South Africa than that posed by Samoa ©Getty Images

20:32 So, we're seeing the classification matches now in rugby as we wait for the gold and bronze medal matches to begin. Sri Lanka secure the shield competition after a comfortable 43-7 win over Trinidad and Tobago, before Canada crush Cook Islands 50-7 to win the bowl event. That puts the Canadians in ninth place overall.

Quote marks "We're feeling pretty pleased. There was a little bit of banter in the changing room, we saw a couple of emails that Australia put out, saying that the aura of the black jersey had fallen away, so I guess we wanted to make our mark out there on the field"
- New Zealand's DJ Forbes explains why they weren't going to fall for Australia's 'mind games' before their rugby sevens semi-final.

Glasgow 2014 gold medal20:20 Gold for England!

What a swim by England's Siobhan Marie O'Connor! The teenager led from the front in the 200m individual medley and saw off the challenge of reigning champion Alicia Coutts of Australia in style and also breaking her Games record with a superb time of 2:08:21.

O'Connor was over two seconds clear of Coutts while Hannah Miley delights the crowd once again by taking bronze.

Impressive stuff indeed from the young English athlete.

Somebody must have forgotten to tell her that Australia are supposed to win all the medals!

Quote marks"It's a pleasing feeling to know you can still do it. I'm one of the old girls in the team. World bowls is changing but there's still a place for the older ones. I'm not having a go at the young ones, they all deserve their place here"
- The 44-year-old New Zealander Jo Edwards after she defeated England's Natalie Melmore 21-15 in the women's singles gold medal match.

Familiar sights at the swimming 

A familiar sight at the pool in Tollcross as the Australian flag occupies all three podium places in the mens 100m freestyle medal ceremony

A familiar sight at the pool in Tollcross as the Australian flag occupies all three podium places in the men's 100m freestyle medal ceremony.

Glasgow 2014 gold medal20:10 First swimming gold for New Zealand!

No real surprise as six-time Paralympic and world champion Sophie Pascoe registers New Zealand's first gold medal in the pool, touching home in a time of 1:19:36 ahead of Australia's Madeleine Scott and home favourite Erraid Davies in the women's Para-sport 100m breaststroke SB9.

I wonder if the All Blacks sevens squad getting ready for their gold medal match with South Africa were watching Sophie power to gold in the Ibrox dressing room?

Facts from the track

20:00 Some facts from the track now after some exciting action on the final day of track cycling at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.

Sam Webster of New Zealand  took the silver medal in keirin, his fifth medal in track cycling at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. He has earned two golds, two silvers and a bronze.

Only two male riders have won more Commonwealth medals in track cycling, Gary Anderson of New Zealand with eight (no not the same man currently poolside for insidethegames) and Jocelyn Lovell of Canada with six.

Also, Shane Archbold won New Zealand's fourth gold medal in track cycling at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, matching the nation's highest haul of track cycling gold at the Auckland 1990 Games.

Earlier, Tom Scully (points race), Sam Webster (sprint) and the New Zealand men's team (team sprint) had already won a gold medal at Glasgow 2014.

Remi Pelletier took the bronze, Canada's 500th bronze medal in Commonwealth Games history in all sports.

Gary Anderson"The cargo planes bound for the south of the equator will be bursting at the seams at this rate. I would not like to be stuck behind the Australian swimming squad at the airport in Glasgow as they pass through the metal detectors. My advice would be to bring a flask of tea and some sandwiches and find a comfy spot. It could take a while..."
- Reporter Gary Anderson on Australia's gold medal rush in the pool.

Quote marks "I wouldn't say I'm back to 100 per cent. I've been living off porridge and I don't really like porridge"
- English cyclist Laura Trott, winner of the women's 25km points race, who has been suffering with illness at these Games

19:45 While we have a break from the medals, there's been news of a suspension in the women's hockey.

Nadal Abdul Rahman of Malaysia has been suspended for two matches after she struck England's Sam Quek in the face during the nations' preliminary match earlier today.

In a code of conduct hearing the appeal jury found the strike to be deliberate.

The Malaysian will miss the sides clash with Wales on Wednesday and the next scheduled match, which will be whichever classification match Malaysia qualifies in.

Malaysia lost the encounter 5-0.

Quote marks"I am very happy to beat the favourite and win this medal. I have never achieved anything like this before and it is my first time competing in the Commonwealth Games, so it is an incredibly big achievement for me."
- Kenya's Caleb Mwangangi Ndiku on winning gold in the men's 5000m final.

19:35 Three more tries from a clinical South Africa in the second half and they run out 35-7 winners over Samoa. The Pacific Islanders will have an opportunity to make amends in the bronze medal match against Australia later.

Can South Africa halt the All Black domination? Probably not, but if anyone can, it will be them. South Africa v New Zealand will be our final.

Glasgow 2014 gold medal19:28 It's all over at Kelvingrove as Jo Edwards takes gold in the women's singles.

The New Zealander led from start to finish against England's Natalie Melmore with the final score at 21-15.

Bronze goes to South Africa's Colleen Piketh after a comfortable 21-10 victory over Northern Ireland's Catherine McMillen.

19:24 Back to Ibrox and it's equally as close in the second semi-final.

Samoa strike first through the suitably named Samoa Toloa, but then Cornal Hendricks hits back for the Springboks. But then, disaster for the Pacific Islanders, as two Samoans receive yellow cards. They are down to five and Hendricks duly capitalises for a second try.

It's 14-7 at half time.

The view from Ibrox

19:22 That's three in a row for the Aussies. They're flying ahead in the medals table now!

Glasgow 2014 gold medal19:20 World champion and Olympic silver medallist James Magnussen adds the Commonwealth 100m freestyle title to his collection as he leads home an Aussie clean sweep ahead of Cameron McEvoy and Tommaso D'Orsogna.

Can anyone stop the green and gold machine?

Glasgow 2014 gold medal19:17 Here we go again. Australia are straight out of the starting blocks as Belinda Hocking takes women's 200m backstroke gold with a Games record time of 2:07:24 ahead of team mate Emilty Seebohm and Canada's Hilary Caldwell.

Glasgow 2014 gold medal19:15 Gold for Australia's Matthew Glaetzer at the Velodrome.

The Aussie finishes a whisker ahead of New Zealand's Sam Webster and Malaysia's Mohd Azizulhasni Awangin in a photo finish in the men's keirin.

Gary Anderson"It's night four of the swimming finals here at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre and as has been the case over the past three nights the arena is packed and anticipation is building for another top night of pool action. And what can we expect this time round? Well, there are eight finals down for decision and once again it looks like Australia will be the team to beat. Fresh from retaining her 100m backstroke crown last night, Emily Seebohm will be looking to add to that as she goes in the 200m backstroke and the 200m individual medley. The awesome threesome of James Magnussen, Cameron McEvoy and Tommaso D'Orsogna line up side-by-side in the men's 100m freestyle while McEvoy will also be part of the 4x200m freestyle team that will be looking to defend it's title from Delhi 2010.
Meanwhile, New Zealand's Paralympic star Sophie Pascoe will be the hot favourite in the Para-sport 100m breaststroke SB9 event."
- Reporter Gary Anderson takes a familiar seat at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre.

19:06 If Nostalgia can wait for a second then we have news from the Ibrox...

It's a clinical performance by New Zealand, as Scott Curry manages two tries in the second half and the All Blacks manage a 19-7 win.

They have won a gold medal in every Commonwealth Games and that run doesn't look like ending today

19:04 There may be plenty happening today in the world of sport but if you fancy wallowing in a bit of nostalgic why not take a look at David Owen's Big Read on the 1984 Los Angeles, which started 30 years ago tomorrow.

Take a read here.

19:00 Australian Channel 10 reporter Roz Kelly who told Usain Bolt she was at his press conference as "a fan" and asked for a "selfie" has been pilloried on social media. Kelly, who is engaged to South African cricketer Morne Morkel, has been accused of making a fool of herself by asking for the picture.

"Embarrassing sycophancy, 1, sports journalism 0," Richard Hinds, an award winning Australian sports journalist, wrote on Twitter. "I hope they supplied buckets for real reporters at the Usain Bolt press conference."

Lee Jeloscek, a rival reporter of Kelly's on Seven Network, tweeted: "The Usain Bolt press conference was cringeworthy. Was there some sort of race to ask the most embarrassing question?"

But Kelly got the picture, so probably doesn't care...

Roz Kelly gets a picture with Usain Bolt ©Twitter


18:56 Back to the rugby sevens now and it's all level at seven points apiece in the first semi-final at Ibrox - one of the biggest rivalries in the sport, New Zealand versus Australia.

Tim Mikkelson scores to put the All Black favourites ahead, but then, with virtually their only attack of the half, Sean McMahon touches down for the Aussies. Its all to play for in the second half.

Glasgow 2014 gold medal18:53 And there's goes the gold! Shane Archbold of New Zealand takes it.

Silver goes to Glenn O'Shea of Australia while Canada's Rene Pelletier takes third.

18:50 The men's 20km scratch final is in the closing stages at the Sir Chris Velodrome. Four riders currently sit a lap up on the rest of the field. 

18:45 A late scare for England as speedy winger Dan Norton is yellow carded and Scotland hit back, but they can't quite pin back the gap and lose 15-12.

First semi-final between New Zealand and Australia is up next.

Kiwis in the Zone

New Zealand make their way to the Ibrox for tonight's finals ©Twitter

18:34 Talking of them semi-finals, the New Zealand team look well in the zone for this evening's encounters. They face Australia in the semi-finals.

18:30 A good win for Wales in the first plate semi-final, by 28 points to 5. England swiftly move 10-0 against Scotland in the other semi-final. These contests are effectively for places five to eight, with the all-Southern Hemisphere medal matches to come later.

Nick Butler"My first trip to Ibrox, for football or rugby, and the first thing that strikes, even though I knew it was going to be the case, is the sheer number of people here. Barely a seat seems empty as the crowd roar on Papua New Guinea and Cook Islands. There were 90,000 here yesterday and it is likely a world record willl have been set for a sevens tournament after this weekend. We bump into Danny Rumbles, the IRB communications director, who tells us how delighted they are with this weekend, and see the crowd as more family-orientated than on the normal sevens circuit." They certainly seem just as vocal as normal, as they cheer on Wales v Kenya now"
- Nick Butler is taken aback by the support at the Ibrox.

Golds on both tracks!

Caleb Ndiku wins gold in the men's 5000m final at Hampden Park ©Getty Images

18:13 A one, two, three for the home nations in the women's points race. Maybe unsurprising really after the dominance of Trott, Barker and Archibald in the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Cali, Colombia, earlier this year alongside another gold medallist from these Games, Joanna Rowsell. 

18:10 A manic few minutes there as Trott and Ndiku take gold within moments of the other. 

Ndiku ran a great race for in the 5000m. A brave choice to dye his hair golden before the Games but maybe it was just a sign of things to come...

Glasgow 2014 gold medal17:58 Laura Trott takes gold for England on the track as she secured victory in the women's 25km points race.

The double Olympic champion was pipped on the line at the final sprint by Scotland's Katie Archibald resulting in a tie for first between Trott and Elinor Barker of Wales. 

Trott takes the gold, however, on virtue of her position in front of the Welsh rider in the race's final sprint. 

Archibald seals the bronze.

Laura Trott takes gold in the women's 25km points race ©Getty Images

17:55 Biggest cheer of the race goes to Rosefelo Siosi of the Soloman Islands, however, as he comes home almost a lap behind the rest of the field with a time of 15:33.17. That's a National Record, mind.

Glasgow 2014 gold medal17:53 And it's Ndiku who takes it!

The Kenyan surges away from his compatriot on the final bend to take the first track gold of the Games in 13:12.07.

Koech finishes second in 13:14.06 with New Zealand's Zane Robertson in third on 13:16.52

17:52 The Kenyans have moved up as Koech leads team mate Caleb Mwangangi Ndiku.

17:50 Its a New Zealand one and two at the minute with the two Robertson's, Zane and Jack, at the front. Three laps to go.

17:42 No Mo Farah in this final of course but it's still a top quality field with Kenya's Isiah Kiplangat Koech, Uganda's Moses Kibet.

17:38 There's also more news from the 400m heats that have just finished, but more from that later.

First, we've got the start of the men's 5,000m final!

17:30 A couple of events to update you on now at Hampden Park. 

Qualification for the tomorrow's women's hammer throw final is over with 12 athletes set to compete in that. Canadian Sultana Frizell, who threw a Games record of 68.92 is joined in the automatic qualifying spots by New Zealand's Julia Ratcliffe and England's Sophie Hitchon.

Glasgow 2014 gold medal17:27 Nigeria's Olauwatoyin Adesanmi wins the women's 63kg weightlifting gold medal. She pushes Commonwealth number one and compatriot Obioma Okoli into the silver position by virtue of her lighter weight, after each lifted a total of 207kg. India's Punam Yadav, the youngest lifter at 19, took bronze with 202kg.

17:23 More action inside the velodrome as the women's 25km points race final gets underway. 

England's Laura Trott currently leads Australia Annette Edmondson and Welsh rider Elinor Barker.

Women's 25km points race ongoing at the Velodrome ©Twitter


Glasgow 2014 gold medal17:15 It's gold for Stephanie Morton at the Velodrome as she beats Australian team mate Anna Meares in the women's sprint.

A gold in this event, an event she is defending champion in, would have made Meares the most decorated Australian cyclist in Commonwealth Games history, however, her young compatriot proved better on the night as she took the gold medal final 2-0.

England's Jess Varnish completed a similar score in the bronze-medal final as she beat India's Fatehah Mustapa.

17:00 And on the track at Hampden Park, the women's 400m heats have just got underway.

The first heat saw Sri Lanka's C Rasnayaka Mudiyanselage beat Nigeria's Regina George and India's Poovamma Machettira to the line, while Jamaica's Christine Day led Bahama's Shaunae Miller and England's Kelly Massey in the second.

16:58 Sticking with the athletics and Canada's Sultana Frizell has thrown a Commonwealth Games record in the women's hammer throw qualifiers.

Her throw of 68.92m is one of just three to reach the automatic qualification distance of 65m as we move into round two of that competition.

Australia's Michael Shelley lifts his marathon gold inside Hampden Park

16:55 Speaking of that men's marathon from this morning, we've just had the medal ceremony here at Hampden Park.

England back on top of medals table!

Glasgow 2014 gold medal16:50 Sophie Thornhill and Helen Scott of England win the women's 1,000m time trial B2 tandem. Like they did in the tandem sprint event, they win ahead of Scottish pair Aileen McGlynn and Louise Haston. They also set a new Games record time of 1:08.187.

Brandie O'Connor of Australia and pilot Breanne Hargrave took bronze. 

Leading the-Way to a healthier lifestyle

16:46 We've focused a lot on the winner of the men's marathon earlier but behind him, England's Steven Way, who seven years ago weighed 16.5 stone and had high-blood pressure, a 20-a-day  cigarette habit and an addiction to takeaways and chocolate, finished in a strong 10th place.

He ran a PB of 2:15:16, the fastest ever time by a British runner aged 40 or over. "It is the best day of my life apart from my wedding day," he said. "Mixing it up with the Africans was amazing. I even led in the opening stages."

Twitter logoLead the first few miles of the Commonwealth Games Marathon - 10th Place..... PB and British V40 Record #BestDayEver #DBS @weRengland
- England's Steven Way after 10th place in the men's marathon earlier

Medals action at Hampden Park and in the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome

16:41 The women's 100m semi-final line-up has also been decided with Nigeria's Blessing Okagbare leading the way in 11.20 followed closely by Jamaicans Schillonie Calvert, Veronica Campbell-Brown and Kerron Stewart. England's Bianca Williams is fifth fastest.

16:35 Is there an upset on the cards in the cycling. Stephanie Morton has drawn first blood in the all-Australian women's sprint final against five-time Commonwealth champion Anna Meares. She wins race one in the best of three contest. 

16:32 We've got the finalists for tomorrow's men's shot put competition as qualification comes to an end inside Hampden Park.

Tom Wales of New Zealand, O'Dayne Richards of Jamaica and Orazio Cremona of South Africa are the only three to throw the automatic qualifying distance of 19.90 but will be joined in the final by the next best nine from qualifying.

16:29 A good day for England in the double trap, while we're on the subject of English success. Steven Scott and Charlotte Kerwood each secured gold earlier, with silver for Matthew French and bronze for Rachel Parish.

Four English shooting medallists display their metal after double trap domination ©Getty Images

16:23 The final session has begun in the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, and it's begun in a slightly controversial fashion in the women's individual sprint bronze medal race, as Fatehah Mustapa of Malaysia is relegated after veering out of the sprinters line, a dangerous and illegal move, to put off English opponent Jess Varnish. 

English flag16:20 An English flag it was always going to be, but it is one of the Nick Matthews variety as the Yorkshire-man completes a 11-3 13-11 11-6 win over compatriot Peter Barker.

Reaction to Rhys Williams doping test

Quote marks"I've know Rhys for a long time and I can't imagine him knowingly doing something like that with his reputation and obviously his father's [former Wales rugby union wing JJ Williams] reputation"
- Welsh 400m great Jamie Baulch does not want to believe that Rhys Williams, who is missing these Games are testing positive for banned drugs, has doped deliberately.

Squash and athletics medals action

16:13 Nick Matthew is one game away from the men's squash singles final. He wins a humdinger of a second game against fellow Englishman Peter Barker 12-0 to move 2-0 up in the best of five contest. England's James Willstrop - yes, another Englishman - or Saurav Ghosal of India await the winner.

16:11 The women have now taken to the track as we get underway with the women's 100m heats. And while the Caribbean nations are not so strong in hockey, they certainly are in sprinting. Jamaica's Veronica Campbell-Brown currently leads the way after a time of 11.29 in heat one.

Veronica Campbell-Brown of Jamaica wins her 100m heat ©Getty Images





The men's shot put is also ongoing on the field where New Zealand's Tom Walsh has set a Games record with a throw of 21.24m. He is one of three to have met the qualifying distance for tomorrow's final alongside Jamaica's O'Dayne Richards and South Africa's Orazio Cremona

Hockey joy for Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago Flag16:04 Trinidad and Tobago's women's hockey team are celebrating after scoring their first goal and losing only 4-1 to Canada today. It followed earlier 16-0 and 14-0 defeats against South Africa and New Zealand respectively. The historic goal was scored by Brianna Govia. "I feel proud - and happy," she said. "We want to be motivated by this result."

Lawn bowls reaction from South Africa

Quote marks"I think we played well. The whole team the whole team kept focussed, which was important. We were using the swing of the green as it wasn't conducive to the straight bowl. We started to play more aggressive bowls. It was all about getting bowls in the head."
- South African women's fours skip Susan Nel on her side's lawn bowls win over Malaysia.

Gold for Australia in the T37/38 long jump

That means Australia are back on top of the medals table. They're edging England by 20 golds to 19. And a first medal for Namibia!

Glasgow 2014 gold medal15:55 And it's all over in the women's long jump T37/38 final with Australia's Jodi Elkington taking the gold medal with a world leading jump of 4.36m.
England's Bethy Woodward takes silver with a personal best jump of 4.00m, while Namibia's Johanna Benson takes the bronze. 

God Save The Queen

15:51 You may remember yesterday's story in the blog about how London Mayor Boris Johnson proposed for the Opening Ceremony of London 2012 to include a sketch featuring a Benny Hill look-a-like chasing women across the stage. Today marks two days to the day since the opening of those Olympic Games in the British capital and the Sex Pistols have claimed they turned down the opportunity of taking part.

The Sex Pistols had considered playing at the London 2012 Opening Ceremony ©Getty Images


Former bassist Glen Matlock revealed their decision was made after they heard about London 2012 inviting Keith Moon to perform along with The Who, even though he had died from drugs overdoes in 1978, at the age of 32. "They had asked us to perform but the story about Keith Moon and The Who didn't help their pitch to us," Matlock said. "That was one of the reasons we said 'no'."

First day of athletics action

Twitter logoWhat's this clapping about after being DQ'd in the 100m!? You're not getting subbed off after playing 80 minutes and scoring.
- British sprinter Jeanette Kwakye is not impressed with the spectator reaction to the red cards dished out in the 100m heats.

15:43 The men's 100m heats have come to an end with 24 athletes qualified for tomorrow's semi-finals. Leading the way was England's Adam Gemili with a time of 10.15 seconds, followed by Jamaica's Kemar Bailey-Cole; Trinidad and Tobago's Keston Bledman; the Cayman Islands Kemar Hyman and Jamaica's Jason Livermore.

15:39 Defending champion Nick Matthew takes the opening game of his men's squash singles semi-final with fellow Englishman Peter Barker 11-3. Action is also ongoing in weightlifting and boxing at the moment, although we are focusing on the athletics...

15:36 We are getting ready for tonight's first athletics track final of Glasgow 2014, the 5,000m, at 17:55. If the finish is half-as-good as this one from Auckland 1990 then we are in for a treat...



15:28 Namibia had a near miss in the women's marathon earlier when Helalia Luleiko Johannes faded to fifth after lying in bronze medal position until the closing stages. But the southern African nation could be about to win their first medal, in the T37/38 long jump.

Paul Osborne"We've also got the men's 100m heats taking place in front of me on the track. Jamaicans Kemar Bailey-Cole and Jason Livermore, Nigeria's Mak Jelks and Cayman Islands's Kemar Hyman have taken wins in the first four heats.

 Did you know? The Namibian currently sitting in the bronze medal position in the women's long jump T37/38 final, Johanna Benson, took gold in the T37 200m and silver in the T37 100m at the London 2012 Paralympics."
- Reporter Paul Osborne taking in the athletics at Hampden Park

Squash semi-final round up

15:21 It's an all-English first semi-final in the men's singles also getting underway. Yorkshireman Nick Matthew, who carried the England flag at the Opening Ceremony, against Londoner Peter Barker. Neither player has dropped a game to reach this stage.

Another Englishman, James Willstrop will feature in the second semi later on. He will play Saurav Ghosal of India.

15:15 Medals action is hotting up in the squash this afternoon. World number one Nicol David of Malaysia will defend her Commonwealth title in the final after seeing off New Zealand's Joelle King 11-6 11-8 11-5. She will face English opposition in the final, either in the form of world champion Laura Massaro, or Alison Waters. They will play soon in the second last-four clash.

England back on top...for the moment

15:08 And that double trap gold puts England back on top of the medals table. It's nip and tuck all the way there but, despite having four fewer medals, their greater number of silver medals put them ahead...for the time being at least. 

The table tennis gold for Singapore earlier sneaks the Asian nation into the top ten. 

Glasgow 2014 medals table ©ITG


Gary Anderson"New Zealand have assumed the role of party poopers at Kelvingrove as they secure a 21-16 win to take the bronze medal. The Kiwis were 14-9 ahead after ten ends and extended that by two in the 11th but then the Scots mounted a late surge thrillingly bringing the deficit back to a single point going into the final end. The Scots were looking good until a superb final bowl by New Zealand skip Mandy Boyd cleared out the Scottish ball to pick up a five-pointer and the bronze on a scoreline of 21-16."
- Gary Anderson tidies up the lawn bowls medals action.

Scott wins all-English double trap shooting final

Glasgow 2014 gold medal15:03 A brilliant gold medal for Steven Scott of England in the men's double trap final. He successfully shot 30 out of 30 targets in the final to defeat compatriot Matthew French.

That's two double trap titles today for England to follow Charlotte Kerwood's win earlier. India's Asab Mohd took the bronze ahead of Nathan Xuereb of Malta.

Athletics underway with 100m heats

14:55 There's two red cards handed out for false starts in the first heat of the 100m - Tahir Walsh from Antigua‏ and Leon Reid from Northern Ireland‏. "Rather like an Old Firm match at Hampden Park then," quips Duncan Mackay.

Paul OsborneAfter a brisk afternoon jog from the Ibrox I have finally found my seat inside the impressive Hampden Park for the day's athletics. Ongoing at the minute we have the women's long jump T37/38 finals where Australia's Jodi Elkington currently leads England's Bethy Woodward at the top of the rankings. Both athletes have set Personal Bests so far with the Aussie on 4.29m and Woodward on 4.00m.
- Paul Osborne has completed his run from Ibrox to Hampden Park

Gold for South Africa in lawn bowls

Glasgow 2014 gold medal14:50 South Africa has claimed the first lawn bowls gold medal of the day as they put on a late charge to overcome a Malaysian side who had looked in control for much of the game.

While the early exchanges saw each side trade points Malaysia took a four-point lead in the eighth end and in the context of a tight match that lead looked like it could be decisive. But in the very next end the South Africans drew level with a four-point pick-up only for the Malaysians to retake the lead in the 10th. That would prove their lat point of the contest however as South Africa levelled in the next before going on to pick up five more points over the final four ends to take the gold.

14:42 So, after a slightly quieter period over the last hour or so, the medals action is hotting up again now. Up in the men's double trap shooting, an English success is now guaranteed, as Steven Scott and Matthew French are facing off for gold. 

With defending champion Stephen Walton and Olympic champion Peter Wilson absent, there is a lot of strength in depth in this event for England. Scott leads by a single point at the moment.

Asad Mohb of India is up against Nathan Xuereb of Malta in the bronze medal match. Could this be the first Maltese medal of the Games?

Quote marks"Everyone in Singapore expected us to win, so we felt a lot of pressure. They expected us to win, but many other teams were training and they have many excellent players. So we had to fight especially hard to win." 
- Singapore coach Jing Junhong after his team beat Malaysia to win gold in the women's team table tennis.

14:30 One of those Australian marathon legends is Steve Moneghetti, now of course the Chef de Mission of the Australian team. Here he is with insidethegames editor Duncan Mackay yesterday.

Editor Duncan Mackay with Australian marathon legend Steve Moneghetti ©ITG

insidethegames historian Philip Barker on a rich pedigree of Aussie marathon success

Philip Barker"Michael Shelley joins a distinguished club of Australian marathoners to have won gold at the Commonwealth Games. Dave Power was the first to do so in 1958 at the Games in Cardiff. He had won the six miles earlier in the week and won over the classic 26 miles and 385 miles despite intense heat, heavy traffic  and the odd misdirection by officials. In Brisbane in 1982, the man they call the Deek won before an adoring home crowd in Brisbane and repeated his triumph in 1986 in Edinburgh. Steve Moneghetti , now Australian Chef de Mission won bronze in his  debut appearance at the distance and won bronze."I'd never run a marathon before, it would probably never happen today that someone ran their first  in the Commonwealth Games "he said. Moneghetti's win in  Victoria BC in 1994 was the last by an Australian man before today  but Kerryn McCann won back to back golds in Manchester and Melbourne. Lisa Martin-Ondieki  had won the first two Commonwealth Games women's marathons."
- Philip Barker on the historical continuity of Michael Shelley's win. The rise of African runners over recent decades make it all the more of an achievement, in my opinion

14:16 Who says insidethegames journalists are not out in the field? Just heard from an out of breath reporter Paul Osborne, who is currently running the three miles from Ibrox to Hampden Park to cover the first session of athletics action. "It's quicker than a bus," was his reasoning.

The programme is beginning with the women's para-sport long jump T37/38, and the session was also feature men's 100m action and the final of the 5,000m.

Sunshine on a rainy day...

Gary Anderson"The elusive sun has finally made an extended appearance here at the lawn bowls and the steam rising from the saturated jackets, umbrellas and the odd wet bald head is being matched by the action on the drying greens. We have reached 10 ends apiece and just as it has been all the way through so far, there is little separating the protagonists in the gold medal match.

Malaysia had looked like they were turning the screw as they went into a four-point lead at one stage but the South Afrcians played a blinder of an eighth end to level at 8-8. The Asian quartet hit back again though in the tenth to lead 9-8. In the bronze medal game, Scotland relinquished a three-point lead after seven ends and now trail the New Zealanders by five with scores at 14-9. However, as they say in these parts, "ye cannae write us off just yet"
.- Lawn bowls, like the weather, is warming-up for reporter Gary Anderson today.

More excitement at the rugby sevens

14:08 Rugby fan James Collette popped the question to his girlfriend in front of a packed Ibrox at the rugby sevens today.  James, 32, from London, chose the special moment to propose to 27-year-old Lucy Sargison , who is in the Army and recently completed an eight-month tour of Afghanistan. Luckily, she said "Yes".

A successful wedding proposal at the rugby sevens ©Glasgow 2014

James, who works in IT, had planned the proposal weeks before, had the ring specially made and asked Lucy's dad's permission. He then contacted Glasgow 2014 organisers to see if they could help him make it happen. Halfway through the event, organisers called on James and Lucy to come on to the field of play - under the pretence they were being chosen randomly to take part in a Commonwealth quiz. But instead, James took the microphone and popped the question. Lucy said: "I was completely shocked. I had no idea and it was just amazing. I said Yes straightaway."

The crowd gave a big round of applause to the happy couple as they went back to their seats. "This has been the most exciting time in my life, Lucy and I met two years ago," said James. "We've been through a lot together, all of which has made our relationship stronger. She means everything to me."
13:58 More on the news we brought you at 12:06, and throughout the day yesterday, that Barbados have a celebrity-son in their rugby sevens team. They lost to the Cook Islands earlier on...

Quote marks"My dad loves rugby, in fact he loves sport. He has always encouraged me since I took up the sport when I was at boarding school. He used to come and see me play"
- Barbados sevens player Anthony Bayne-Charles, the son of legendary British singer Billy Ocean

Singapore continue dominance in table tennis

Glasgow 2014 gold medal13:53 Singapore win the women's team table tennis gold medal with a 3-0 final victory over Malaysia. Lin Ye and Yu Mengyu win the final doubles contest in a comfortable win.

Singapore are by far the most successful nation in the history of Commonwealth Games table tennis. They have won 34 medals of which 12 were gold since Manchester 2002. England are next with four golds in a 10 medal haul.

This Singapore team are ranked second in the world, behind only China, with Malaysia down in 55th. So no shame in that loss at all for the Malaysians.

Bowlers bowling their way towards medals

Gary Anderson"After five ends apiece in both medal matches here things are really delicately poised. In the gold medal encounter South Africa and Malaysia have been trading points in each end to be locked together at 4-4. Meanwhile New Zeal

About the author

Duncan Mackay Editor

Duncan Mackay

Duncan Mackay is the founding editor of insidethegames.biz, the world’s leading and most influential independent Olympic news website. He was voted the British Sports Writer of the Year in 2004, British News Story of the Year in 2004 and British Sports Internet Reporter of the Year in 2009. Mackay is one of Britain's best-connected journalists and during the 16 years he worked at The Guardian and The Observer he regularly broke several major exclusive stories. He was also the only newspaper journalist in Britain to correctly predict that London would win its bid for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

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