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England men relay, Nigeria women grab gold at Commonwealth Games

England yesterday logged their first gold medal on the athletics track of the Commonwealth Games after successfully defending their 4x100m men’s relay title.

Jona Efoloko, Zharnel Hughes, Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake and Ojie Edoburun secured the win for England with ease to get the home nation’s track campaign well underway. 

Edoburun carried the baton home to help his team clock a time of 38.35 seconds to beat Trinidad and Tobago, who finished second.

A fast start helped get England underway before a nervy change over between Hughes and Mitchell-Blake.

But whilst Kenya dropped the baton, England kept it in hand, but again almost blew their much-backed win after the final handover.

When Mitchell-Blake passed the baton over to Edoburun, he pointed to the crowd to celebrate, almost impeding the Trinidad and Tobago lane and costing his team.

But he was cleared, and the team celebrated their gold with other track athletes following the result.

Speaking to BBC Sport after the race, Efololo said: “Honestly it was amazing. I am loving more and more. Second time, second medal. It’s a lot of pressure and you want to do well.”

Hughes added: “I was just focusing on getting the job done and I trusted Jona because we have run together. I ran into Nethaneel and once he made up the ground I knew that was it.”

Speaking on the issue with the handover, Mitchell-Blake said: “I didn’t hear him calling and he called out three times, I knew we would be in a shot and that’s what we delivered.”

In the women’s 4x100m relay event, Nigeria won gold medal with a timing of 42.10 seconds on Sunday.

It was the team’s personal best and an African record. England finished in second place with a season best timing of 42.41 seconds.

Gold medal favourites Jamaica ended in the third place and could only manage a timing of 43.08 seconds. Olympic champion Elaine Thomson Herrah ran the last 100m stretch and helped her team snatch a place on the podium.

India’s women’s 4x100m relay team finished in fifth place with a timing of 43.81 seconds. – MailOnline

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