Kyle Chalmers touched the wall, raised his head to check the results, then stood up and put his index finger to his lips.
The Australian had just won the men’s 100m freestyle, a Commonwealth Games gold six years running, his first in a major international event since becoming Olympic champion at Rio 2016.
And after a week of unfounded speculation and relentless questions about her private life, her time of 47.51 seconds symbolically silenced all unwanted attention.
“I thought about it before,” Chalmers told the Seven Network after the race, in which England’s Tom Dean and Scotland’s Duncan Scott won silver and bronze respectively.
“Usually I do a little more powerful celebration after a win, but one that probably means more than punching or flexing muscles.
“It’s special to win, but unfortunately I think it’s hard to enjoy the moment when everything that has happened has happened. It makes for a challenging time.
“I’m just thankful that I was able to block him enough to get up and win tonight. I hope this is a learning point for everybody, and I hope no one else has to go through what I went through.”
On a day where table leaders Australia once again added to their already large medal tally from Birmingham, with Emma McKeon leading the swimmers’ dominance and Matthew Glaetzer (track cycling), Georgia Godwin (gymnastics), Ellen Ryan (lawn bowls) and Tinka Easton. (judo) among the other gold medalists, Chalmers said he was unusually emotional before the race.
“These last 48 hours have been hell, it’s been an emotional roller coaster,” he said. “I appreciate all the support I’ve had. I wouldn’t have been able to pass [without] this
“There were points yesterday when I thought I wouldn’t continue. That just lets the media win. For me, I had to get up and do it, not for myself, but for everyone at home, everyone who was going through similar things. I hope to inspire and continue this conversation.”
It came as McKeon collected her fourth gold of the Games and 12th of her career, beating compatriot Holly Barratt, who tied for second with South Africa’s Erin Gallagher, to take her new record as the most successful Commonwealth Games in history.
Also in the pool, Kaylee McKeown claimed victory in the 200m backstroke to add to her 100m triumph, beating Kylie Masse and breaking Canada’s Commonwealth Games record in the process.
Matthew Glaetzer celebrates his men’s 1km time trial gold despite running on speed handlebars. Photograph: Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images
The men’s relay team won a fourth straight 4x200m gold in Games record time, and Matthew Levy took gold in the S7 men’s 50m freestyle to bring the curtain down on an illustrious run with a string of Paralympic, World and Commonwealth Games gold medals.
“It’s great to finish here and back it up from four years ago,” Levy said. “I’ve had a very long career and it’s great to continue at this high level for 20 years and I’m very proud of tonight and proud of my career.”
Meanwhile, Cody Simpson advanced to the men’s 100m butterfly final, qualifying fifth fastest with a third-place finish in his semi-final.
“Pretty wild, pretty special,” Simpson said. “That was my goal, to make sure I got into the night. I’m just relieved.”
In the velodrome, Glaetzer put two days of setbacks behind her to defend her 1km time trial from four years ago and equal Anna Meares’ Australian record of five Commonwealth Games cycling golds.
Despite being forced to use different handlebars for safety reasons, Glaetzer (59.505 seconds) and fellow Australian Tom Cornish (1:00.036) finished first and second ahead of Trinidadian Nicholas Paul (1:00.089).
The race, likely his last at a Commonwealth Games, was a fitting end to a nightmare 48 hours, during which the 29-year-old from Adelaide crashed during the keirin and needed to cut – his elbow to remove the splinters, and was later denied a bronze medal in the men’s sprint.
AusCycling had told the Aussies they should use less aero sprint handlebars over fears the aerobars would not support the riders’ power. The decision came as a result of a review following Alex Porter’s accident at the Tokyo Olympics, which found the governing body had not properly stress-tested the equipment.
“It was pretty last minute when we found out,” Glaetzer said. “We couldn’t control it. But we’d rather be safe and not break anything or lacerate our arm with something that doesn’t go wrong, so we took it easy.
Gymnast Godwin won the individual vault to secure two gold and two silver medals in a captivating campaign that has brought positive attention to the sport.
And Ryan claimed Australia’s first grass bowls women’s singles gold, the 25-year-old holding off Guernsey’s Lucy Beere 21-17.
The Diamonds remain unbeaten in net after dispatching South Africa 74-49, although midfielder Paige Hadley is a doubt for the team’s next game against Wales on Tuesday after injuring her calf.
The men’s 3×3 basketball team will play for gold on day five in Birmingham after beating Kenya and then Scotland on Monday to reach the final, but the women’s team lost their semi-final 20-13 to the nation hosts England.