Canada’s Maya Laylor broke two Commonwealth Games records en route to a gold medal in the women’s 76kg weightlifting event in Birmingham, England on Tuesday.
The 27-year-old Toronto native lifted 100kg on her first start attempt to take the program lead before posting Commonwealth records of 128kg in the straight and 228kg total.
Silver medalist Taiwo Liadi of Nigeria lifted 96kg in the deadlift and 120kg in the clean and jerk, finishing 12kg ahead of the Canadian.
Maximina Uepa of Nauru had a total of 216 kg for the bronze.
WATCH Maya Laylor claim women’s 76kg weightlifting gold in style:
Maya Laylor sets 2 Commonwealth records on her way to weightlifting gold
The Canadian set Games records with her 128kg clean lift and 228kg total on Tuesday.
Laylor also won gold in the same category at the 2021 Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent. Two years earlier, the Canadian won the 71kg title in Apia.
Their gold medal adds a seventh top prize for Canada at the Commonwealth Games in 2022. Canadian athletes have also won a total of 11 silver and 16 bronze for a total of 34 so far.
Spence gets 3rd bronze
Cambridge, Ontario’s Emma Spence won her third Commonwealth Games bronze medal in the women’s balance beam event.
The 19-year-old gymnast had scores of 5.100 in difficulty and 7.966 in execution to finish with a total of 13.066, 0.400 behind gold medalist Kate McDonald of Australia. Georgia Godwin, also from Australia, took silver with 13,433 points.
Spence also won bronze in the women’s team event on Saturday and in the women’s final on Sunday.
WATCH Spence take the women’s balance beam podium:
Emma Spence takes bronze on the balance beam for her third medal of the Games
The Canadian gymnast’s performance on the balance beam resulted in her third Commonwealth Games bronze medal.
Felix Dolci of Laval, Que., narrowly missed the podium in the men’s vault and parallel bars finals, placing fourth in both events.
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(CBC)