Canada’s Tammara Thibeault captured gold in the women’s middleweight boxing final on Sunday, highlighting the country’s fourth gold medal day at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.
The 25-year-old from Montreal defeated Rady Adosinda Gramane of Mozambique by unanimous decision.
Thibeault added to her recent success, following a world championship gold medal at the 2022 IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in Istanbul in May.
“It’s more than the Commonwealth Games, it’s been a very long and challenging year, full of great moments… And I’m very proud not only of what I’ve achieved, but also what my team has achieved.” Thibeault said.
“We’ve been through some tough times, and we just keep getting more resilient and come out of these tournaments better than we came in.”
WATCH Tammara Thibeault win the gold medal:
Tammara Thibeault wins gold in Commonwealth Games 75kg boxing final
Tammara Thibeault of Regina defeated Rady Gramane of Mozambique 5-0 in the final of the women’s 70-75 kilo boxing competition.
The Canadian, who was beaten in the quarter-finals at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, improved on winning a bronze medal in the same event at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
“Those are the big moments. People see those moments. They don’t see the little moments in the gym, and that’s what makes this happen.”
Canada has won 26 gold, 31 silver and 34 bronze for a total of 91 medals at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, which has them third in the standings.
The Games conclude on Monday.
Canadian women claim 4x400m relay gold
The Commonwealth Games women’s 4x400m relay final involved an incredible late push by a Canadian athlete, a photo finish, post-race drama and another gold for Canada.
Natassha McDonald, Aiyanna Stiverne and Micha Powell took charge of Canada’s first three outings, placing the country in third place behind England and Jamaica.
Kyra Constantine then made a strong final push to put Canada well ahead of the last Jamaican runner. The 24-year-old crossed the finish line shoulder to shoulder with the English athlete in a photo finish.
Canada’s Kyra Constantine, left, propelled Canada’s 4×400 relay team to a photo finish with England, which was later disqualified, at the Commonwealth Games on Sunday. (Michael Steele/Getty Images)
Official results initially had Canada’s time of three minutes and 25.84 seconds to 0.01 of England’s athletes, who celebrated their gold medals on the track after the announcement.
Moments later, England were disqualified from the event due to a lane violation, propelling Canada to the gold medal and Jamaica, who clocked 3:26.93, to the silver.
WATCH Canada’s women’s 4x400m relay team run to gold:
Canada received the 4x400m relay gold medal at the Commonwealth Games
The team’s final time of 3:25.84 initially saw them settle for silver behind England. The English were later disqualified after the race for a lane violation, and Canada rose to first place.
“Everybody did their part really well,” said Constantine, a Toronto native. “I took the baton in a really good position and I just had to fight, I guess. I’m proud, I’m happy.”
Scotland inherited the bronze, coming in 4.31 seconds behind the Canadians.
The English team protested the decision without success.
Canadian beach volleyball duos take gold and silver
Canada’s Sarah Pavan and Melissa Humana-Paredes defeated Australia in three sets in the women’s beach volleyball final, securing Canada’s 26th gold medal of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
The Canadian duo bounced back from a 24-22 deficit in the first set, posting 21-17 and 15-12 wins in the second and third to complete the comeback against Australia’s Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy and get the gold.
Pavan and Humana-Paredes, who also won the tournament in 2018, leave Birmingham unbeaten with six wins. Vanuatu’s Miller Pata and Sherysyn Toko won bronze for the country’s first medal of the Games.
WATCH Canada’s Pavan, Humana-Paredes win women’s beach volleyball title:
Canada focuses on winning gold in women’s beach volleyball at the Commonwealth Games
Sarah Pavan and Melissa Humana-Paredes came back from losing the first set to win the next two and Commonwealth Games gold.
“To win a second Commonwealth gold medal, it’s a great feeling and it was a much better performance from us than [Saturday’s semifinal]” said Pavan, of Kitchener, Ont. “So it’s good to end like this. It’s great to walk away with a gold medal for Canada and this has been an incredible experience.”
“Oh my gosh, being able to defend a title is one of the hardest things to do,” added Toronto’s Humana-Paredes.
“That carries a lot of weight because it’s been four years since our last one and a lot can change in that, and a lot of teams have improved since then. So the fact that we can produce another gold medal is rare. and , so it’s very special. That means a lot.”
In the men’s beach volleyball gold medal match, Canada’s Sam Schachter and Daniel Dearing finished with a silver medal after falling in three sets (21-17, 17-21, 18-20) to the Australians Chris McHugh and Paul Burnett.
The Canadian duo entered the gold medal match undefeated after five consecutive victories.
They cruised to a straight sets victory in the quarterfinals against Cypriots Antonios Liotatis and Charalambos Zorbis on Friday, booking their place in the final with a 15-21, 21-13, 15-7 win over the Javier twins and England’s Joaquin Bello on Saturday.
Schacter also won silver at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia alongside Sam Pedlow.
WATCH l Schachter of Canada, Dearing finished in silver:
Schachter, Dearing settle for silver in beach volleyball final at Commonwealth Games
Daniel Dearing of Toronto and Sam Schachter of Richmond Hill, Ont., fell to Australia’s Paul Burnett and Chris McHugh 2-1 in the final of the men’s beach volleyball competition.
Dunfee takes the gold with a record performance
Canada’s Evan Dunfee won the men’s 10km race walk in a record performance.
The 31-year-old from Richmond, BC finished the race in a Games record time of 38 minutes 36.37 seconds, while also breaking his own Canadian record and setting a new personal best.
It was 3.35 seconds faster than his previous national record of 38:39.72 set in June 2021 at the Harry Jerome Track Classic.
Dunfee fell behind at the halfway point, but worked his way up from fifth and took the lead in the closing stages. It is his first Commonwealth Games medal in his third appearance.
WATCH Dunfee top the podium in the men’s march:
Evan Dunfee wins 10km walk gold in historic Commonwealth Games performance
The Richmond, BC native’s time of 38:36.37 set a Games record and also broke his own Canadian record.
“To believe in me today as much as my friends and family back home believed in me. That was the goal today, just to come in here and have the same belief that everybody else has in me, and support me, and that’s what I did and I’m excited,” Dunfee said.
Australia’s Declan Tingay won silver in a personal best time of 38:42.33, while India’s Sandeep Kumar also ran a personal best to claim bronze (38:49.21).
Sunday’s race was a big change for Dunfee, as it was held on the track at Alexander Stadium.
“It was amazing, coming out here, being in the stadium, we’ve never experienced anything like that as walk-ons,” he said.
Canada’s Evan Dunfee poses with his gold medal after winning the final of the men’s 10km race walk at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England on Sunday. (Phil Noble/Reuters)
Dunfee’s win comes after a tough season that saw him struggle with a nagging hamstring injury and a lack of motivation largely surrounding his elimination from the 50km event, in which he won bronze both at last summer’s Tokyo Olympics and at the 2019 world championships.
Dunfee had lobbied fiercely to keep the event, but eventually withdrew from the world and Olympic programs.
Dunfee finished sixth in the 35-kilometer race at the World Athletics Championships last month in Eugene, Ore. He also holds the Canadian record in the 50 kilometer event.
Wiens climbs to silver on the 10m platform
Canadian diver Rylan Wiens won silver in the men’s 10m platform final later Sunday after falling out of first place on the final dive of the event.
The 20-year-old from Saskatoon amassed 492.80 points in six dives at the Sandwell Aquatics Center in Birmingham. Wiens was in second place going into the final round, but momentarily moved into first place with his best dive of the day — back 2 ½ turns and 2 ½ spins in the pike position — to earn 97.20 points.
WATCH Wiens capture diving silver:
Rylan Wiens takes silver in the 10m platform diving final at the Commonwealth Games
The Saskatoon competitor finished with a collective score of 492.80 points after 6 dives, good enough for 2nd place.
Australia’s Cassiel Rousseau took gold with a spectacular final dive for the spectacular finish.
He did 4 ½ forward flips in the tuck position to earn 103.60 points in front of the cheering crowd, including a perfect score of 10 from one of the seven judges. Rousseau finished with 501.30 points.
What a dive to win gold!
Australia’s Cassiel Rousseau scores 103.60 on the final dive in the men’s 10m platform final and scores a total of 501.30 to claim Commonwealth Games gold
Canada’s Rylan Wiens takes silver with a total score of 492.80 🇨🇦🥈 pic.twitter.com/p1yj3Pcigr
—@CBCOlympics
England’s Matthew Lee (477.00) won the bronze medal with his final dive, relegating Canada’s Nathan Zsombor-Murray to fourth.
Zsombor-Murray accumulated 447.85 points. The 19-year-old from Pointe-Claire, Que., won silver alongside Wiens in the 10m synchronized platform…