There was no let-up in action at the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games as Team Scotland continued to impress at across the venues on day four.
Boxing: Scotland are guaranteed five Boxing medals as Taylor Hamilton, Sam Hickey and Lewis Johnstone won their quarter-final bouts on a busy day in the ring, to join Megan Gordon and Tyler Jolly in tomorrow’s semi-finals.
Taylor Hamilton, boxing at 52kg, went to work late in the first round and never looked back on his way to beating Australia’s Tully Scanlon while Sam Hickey faced a tough bout with Canada’s Hunter Lee in the 69kg weight category and was crowned winner by split decision.
Team Scotland flag bearer for the Games, Lewis Johnstone, put on a dominant first performance as he booked himself a semi-final spot to guarantee himself a medal finish at the. Speaking after the fight, he said: “That was a really tough fight so I am glad to have come through it. It was absolutely amazing to walk out representing the whole team and hearing the crowd behind me really got me fired up. I can’t wait to get out there again tomorrow.”
Beach Volleyball: Having impressed massively in their Youth Games debut, Scotland’s Beach Volleyball pair, Emma Waldie and Jennifer Lee, put up an incredible fight against favourites New Zealand, just missing out on a deciding set with a 21-5 20-22 loss. They now face Rwanda in a fight for the bronze when the medal matches take place tomorrow.
Tennis: Hamish Stewart and Alexandra Hunter were both out on court in the Singles event. Stewart came through a tricky match with Namibia’s Codie Van Schalkwyk on his way to a 6-2, 6-4 straight-sets win. Having put out the third seed in yesterday’s second round, Alexandra Hunter again played well in a close match with England’s Indianna Spink but was unable to progress, losing 5-7 4-6.
The duo then paired up once more for their second-round Mixed Doubles match against Cyprus where they fought hard throughout in an intense match. Having lost the first set, an inspired end to the second set almost forced a decider but unfortunately Cyprus were able to find the extra energy needed to progress 3-6 4-6.
Athletics: Team Scotland contested only one final, the men’s long jump, on the second day of action at the Thomas Robinson National Stadium, but were out in force as Alesaandro Schenini and Calum Henderson took to the runway. Aleasandro put in a competitive performance to finish 4th with a distance of 6.87m, with all three medallists jumping in excess of his lifetime best. There was disappointment however for Calum, as run up trouble saw him exit the competition with three fouls.
Fresh from victory in the 1500m last night, Erin Wallace was back in the track, qualifying comfortably for the 800m final in a time of 2 minutes 10.52.
Also in action were Lauren Greig and Fraser Angus, who both qualified comfortably for tomorrow’s semi-finals. Lauren claimed an automatic qualifying place finishing third in her heat, while Fraser raced to a new outdoor personal best of 21.84 and a fastest loser spot in 4th. Sprint hurdler Bethany McAndrew was just one tenth of a second outside her personal best as she finished 6th in her heat. Unfortunately it was not enough to advance to the final, in a highly competitive field.