Glasgow 2014: Swimming evening session round-up

Daniel Wallace secured a gold and a new world record. Picture: TSPL

The Scot had who was born in Edinburgh but lives and training in Florida, had set a new Commonwealth Games record in qualifying for the final and although he was just shy of that is time of 4;11.20 was still enough to give the home crowd something to scream about.

He had to reel in Sebastien Rousseau in the final freestyle leg. The South African was also overwhelmed by the fast finishing Aussie Thomas Fraser-Holmes. But he couldn’t stop Wallace following of Hannah Miley and Ross Murdoch onto the top step of the podium.

It was undoubtedly the highlight of the evening for the fiercely patriotic crowd.

They had warmed up their vocal chords earlier in the session, when they saw Corrie Scott gain the bronze in the women’s 50m breaststroke.

The appearance of Thursday night’s hero Murdoch, was also the cause of much jubilation. He, along with Craig Benson qualified from their 100m breaststroke semi-finals but there was further disappointment for Michael Jamieson who failed to make today’s final.

In the women’s 100m backstroke Kathleen Dawson finished fifth in her semi-final and, also in the backstroke, Craig McNally, finished 7th in the men’s final.

A men’s 4x100m freestyle medal just eluded Scotland, finishing fourth behind Australia, South Africa and England.

In the opening race of the evening session Benjamin Proud opened England’s gold medal account in in the pool, triumphing in the men’s 50m butterfly ahead of South African duo Roland Schoeman and Chad le Clos, setting a new Games Record in the process.

If that result was cheered by those waving the St George’s Cross, moments later it was Saltires that dominated the scene as Corrie Scott produced a bronze-medal winning performance in the women’s 50m breaststroke. Team-mates Kathryn Johnstone and Andrea Strachan had to settle for 6th and 8th place respectively but, buoyed by the enthusiastic home crowd, Scott followed Australian Leiston Pickett and Jamaican Alia Atkinson in.

In a night of firsts for the other home nation sides, Wales were able to celebrate their first aquatics medal of these Games, when Calum Jarvis grabbed bronze. Defending champion Robbie Renwick challenged for bronze in the latter stages but had to settle for 5th.

Scot Sian Harkin was delighted to make it through to tomorrow’s women’s 50m freestyle final. But one of the biggest cheers of the evening was for Ann Wacuka in the women’s para-sport 100m freestyle S8 category. Young Aussie Maddison Elliott won the gold but the crowd reserved their most vocal support for the Kenyan who struggled in almost a full minute after her.