Amy Hunt splashed her way to a Commonwealth Games 100m silver medal at a sodden Scotstoun in Glasgow. The 24-year-old, who won world 200m silver last year, finished in 10.98 seconds – just one hundredth outside her personal best – despite the foul conditions.
Slow start, strong finish
Hunt was seeking to become the first British woman to win the Commonwealth 100m title in 40 years, but a sluggish start left her chasing the field. Her top-end speed allowed her to claw back to second place behind New Zealand's Zoe Hobbs, whom she had beaten in the semi-finals.
“My first 60 metres was really, really terrible, so I'm proud of how I dug myself out of a hole there,” said Hunt. “It was pretty gross on the start – my fingers were underwater, which was a bit novel – but you have to roll with the punches at championships.”
Frustration and pride
Hunt admitted regret over a missed gold but focused on her achievement: “I got it really, really badly wrong, but my top-end speed is so formidable, and that's how I clawed back that silver. It was frustrating in the immediate aftermath, but having a medal is something you can't really describe.”
She now has a medal from every senior major championship, whether individually or in relays. “I've now got every senior major championship covered with a medal … so I'm really, really proud of those achievements,” she added.
Men's 100m and heptathlon update
Cameroon's Emmanuel Eseme won the men's 100m in a Games record of 9.83 seconds, holding off Australia's Lachlan Kennedy and Nigeria's Kayinsola Ajayi. Welsh sprinter Jeremiah Azu was fifth in 10.03 seconds.
In the heptathlon, Kate O'Connor leads after four events despite struggling with the weather. The world silver medallist leads England's Jade O'Dowda in the absence of Katarina Johnson-Thompson. “It's a new feeling coming into a major championship with all the pressure on,” O'Connor said.
