It’s all over, after 11 jam-packed days of sporting action that have kept you awake late into the night or had you setting your alarm for times normally only seen by those on the nightshift, Gold Coast 2018 is over.
It’s all over, after 11 jam-packed days of sporting action that have kept you awake late into the night or had you setting your alarm for times normally only seen by those on the nightshift, Gold Coast 2018 is over.
Never before had an English netball reached a Commonwealth Games final.
That hoodoo was broken on Saturday with their incredible 56-55 victory over Jamaica and they went one better today with a last-gasp 52-51 win over hosts Australia.
England trailed by one point at the end of the first quarter before outscoring Australia in the second and going into half time all tied up at 25-25.
The hosts retook the lead at the end of the third, leading 38-36 with just one quarter to play.
Australia edged their lead out to four points early in the final quarter but England kept hitting back and were soon level.
But in a topsy-turvy last quarter Australia re-established their four-point lead with nine minutes to go, only for England to respond and go into the final three minutes leading by a point.
England’s points were split between Joanne Harten and Helen Housby, and it was the latter who scored the all-important goal - netting with just a second left on the clock for a first win in five years over Australia.
"As a shooter you dream of that moment. Commonwealth Games final, last-second goal, but you never believe it's really going to happen. It's the best day of my life,” said Housby.
"To be honest it was kind of all a blur. All I remember was having the ball in my hands and then running away screaming because the final whistle had gone.
"We've been trying so long to break the curse of bronze. Every single box has been ticked.”
Marcus Ellis and Chris Langridge added Commonwealth Games gold to their Olympic bronze as England took two gold and two silver medals from the final day of badminton action.
Joining Ellis and Langridge on the top step of the podium were Chris and Gabby Adcock, with the latter overcoming injury to beat Lauren Smith and Ellis in the mixed doubles final.
While the remaining silver came from Smith and Sarah Walker in the women’s doubles as England ended the Gold Coast games with a total of six medals – Scotland picking up one with Kirsty Gilmour’s singles bronze.
The men’s doubles was the last final of the day and saw Ellis and Langridge complete a routine 21-13 21-16 victory over India’s Satwik Rankireddy and Chirag Chandrashekhar Shetty.
And after not reaching the top step of the podium at Glasgow 2014, Langridge was relieved to have reached it this time.
"I have been waiting for this one because the last Games I didn't manage to get a gold," he said.
"That was my main objective when I came here, to try and complete the set."
While Ellis, on his debut Commonwealth Games, has also won the full set, after also helping England to team bronze.
"It would have been completely disheartening if I had gone home without a gold. I've got a full set now," he said.
"We've played great in patches this tournament. Overall, we did deserve to win.”
Stumbling across the road before eventually collapsing to the ground not once, but twice, Callum Hawkins’ hopes of a Commonwealth Games marathon title evaporated in the blazing Gold Coast sunshine.
The 25-year-old from Paisley looked set for a maiden Commonwealth title and led the field by more than two minutes with just two kilometres to go.
But with temperatures touching 30 degrees and 60 per cent humidity his condition rapidly deteriorated in the closing stages and he ended up requiring medical assistance at the roadside.
As he lay on the ground teammate Robbie Simpson passed him and ended up taking the bronze medal.
“I’m absolutely delighted to get the bronze medal but I’m disappointed Callum couldn’t make it to the end because he was going so well and I really felt bad passing him lying on the ground,” said the 26-year-old.
“I saw him lying there and wanted to stop to see if he was alright.
“But at the same time I wasn’t feeling that great myself and thinking I need to get to the line before the same thing happens to me and hold on to a medal.”
Team Scotland issued a statement after the race saying Hawkins had been taken to hospital as a precaution but was sitting up and speaking with his father.
Home nations went into the final day of squash action with chances to win three medals, and they came away with two.
Laura Massaro and Sarah-Jane Perry missed out on the women’s double bronze after they were beaten 2-0 by Australia’s Rachael Grinham and Donna Urquhart, while Scots Greg Lobban and Alan Clyne also ended medal-less in the men’s doubles as they lost 2-1.
But that meant the men’s doubles bronze went to singles champion James Willstrop and his partner Declan James.
While England also took silver in the same event as Daryl Selby and Adrian Waller lost 2-1 in the final to Australia’s Zac Alexander and David Palmer.
"I'm proud of how we played this week, making the final is great, but I'm still gutted,” said Selby.
"We play to win, silver is great, let's not take away from a Commonwealth medal.
"We're proud that we are able to take it back to Team England, but you don't play sport to come second. You play to win and that's what we came here to do, so were disappointed."
Liam Pitchford became the most successful English table tennis player in Commonwealth Games history when he won men’s doubles gold alongside Paul Drinkhall on Saturday.
And he added an eighth medal to his tally on Sunday as he and Tin-Tin Ho claimed mixed doubles silver at Oxenford Studios.
Taking on Singapore’s Yu Mengyu and Gao Ning, the English pair were downed 12-10 12-10 11-9 in three tight games.
"We were so close at 9-8 ahead in the first and then 10-8 ahead in the second game,” said Pitchford.
“Then, at those key points, their experience just got us. It's hard to come back from 2-0 down. I'm a little disappointed as we never want to lose a final. We did our best. We came to do a job and came away with medals. We're proud and happy."
Also in the table tennis, England’s Sam Walker missed out on men’s singles bronze as he was beaten 11-7 11-9 9-11 11-6 12-10 by India’s Sharath Achanta.
England’s men and women’s sides endured tough draws and faced rugby powerhouse New Zealand in the semi-finals of both events.
The men lost 17-12 while the women were beaten 26-5 to leave them facing podium play-offs to ensure they didn’t leave the Gold Coast empty handed.
And they both succeeded with Phil Burgess touching down twice and Team GB’s captain at Rio, Tom Mitchell, getting the other score in a 21-14 victory over South Africa.
While the women shared out their four tries between Lydia Thompson, Jessica Breach, Deborah Fleming and Claire Allan as they beat Canada 24-19.
"We put in an unbelievable performance. We gave 100 per cent on the field. We did it for everyone who has supported us. To come out here and get a medal is just an amazing feeling,” said Amy Wilson-Hardy.
With Emily Scarratt adding: "It was tough [bouncing back from the New Zealand loss]. When you set your sights on something and you don't quite get there, it's disappointing.
“The good and bad of sevens is that you have to pick yourself up quickly and we managed to do that.”
Three players scored in double figures as Scotland came close to a surprise victory over New Zealand but eventually ended up losing 79-69 in the bronze medal match.
The Scottish campaign got off to a fine start when they beat England in the pool phase, and they continued their fine form with wins over Cameroon, India and Nigeria to set up a semi-final against Australia.
That ended in a 103-46 defeat but they regrouped and game out flying against New Zealand, taking the opening quarter 21-19.
The second and third periods took the game away from the Scots, though, as the Kiwis outscored them by 40 points to 23 to take a 15-point lead into the final ten minutes.
And although Scotland did pull back five of that deficit, it was not enough.
"I'm very proud, very proud of our guys,” said Kieron Achara. “We had some unbelievable spells in the game, we clawed our way back. As a leader of the team, I didn't bring my A-game today, I'm very disappointed in that.
"The effort, you can't doubt the effort, we were there from the start. We've represented our country well." Sportsbeat 2018