Jamaica’s Yohan Blake was stunned into third as South African Akani Simbine swept to gold in the men’s 100 meters at the Commonwealth Games in Australia on Monday.
Blake, 28, the pre-race favorite stumbled at the start and never really recovered, clocking 10.19. Simbine stopped the clock in 10.03 with fellow South African Henricho Bruintjies taking silver in 10.17 seconds.
Blake, the 2011 world champion entered Monday’s final as the hot favorite after posting the quickest time of the season in the first two rounds.
Simbine, was fifth in the 100 meters at the 2016 Olympics and at last year’s World Cahampionships.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Michelle-Lee Ahye won her first gold medal at a major international meet, celebrating with an air punch as she crossed the finish line in 11.14 seconds. In doing so, she and relegated Jamaicans Christania Williams (11.21) and Gayon Evans (11.22) to silver and bronze. England’s Asha Philip was fourth in a repeat of her finish in Glasgow four years ago.
The win for Ahye, a finalist at the 2016 Olympics and the last two world championships, delivered Trinidad and Tobago its first Commonwealth title in the women’s 100 and meant a Jamaican hasn’t won the title since 2006. It came in the absence of the top Jamaican, Elaine Thompson, who won the Olympic 100-200 double in 2016 but is only running the 200 on the Gold Coast.
World champion Tom Walsh won the shot put gold for New Zealand at 21.41 meters after a setting a games record 22.45 in qualifying.
Nigeria’s Chukwuebuka Enekwechi took silver at 21.14, narrowly ahead of 2014 champion O’Dayne Richards of Jamaica.
Ugandans collected gold and bronze in the women’s 10,000 meters, with Stella Chesang letting the Kenyans set the pace for most of the 25-lap race before surging late to win in 31 minutes, 45.30 seconds.
Jamaica now sits 19th on the medal table with four medals — two silver and two bronze. Australia is leading the medal standings with 39 gold medals and 106 overall.
