30 Jul 2014

NZ swim, bike to Glasgow Games gold

2:58 pm on 30 July 2014

Para swimmer Sophie Pascoe has joined fellow swimmer Lauren Boyle and mountain biker Anton Cooper on the gold medal podium in the latest Commonwealth Games action.

Sophie Pascoe with her second gold of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

Sophie Pascoe with her second gold of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Photo: REUTERS

Pascoe's win came in the 200m individual para medley and adds to the gold she took in the 100m breaststroke.

Pascoe, the Olympic champion and world record holder, said she had had a few health issues this week and so her aim was just to win rather than being concerned about times.

Boyle took out the 400m freestyle, winning in a Games record time of 4 minutes 4.47 seconds.

Boyle, who won a silver medal in the 800m freestyle, said she was happy with the win and did not want to finish second again.

Lauren Boyle after being presented with her Commonwealth Games gold medal in the 400m freestyle.

Lauren Boyle after being presented with her Commonwealth Games gold medal in the 400m freestyle. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Earlier, Christchurch's Anton Cooper, 19, won the gold and Tokoroa's Sam Gaze, 18, picked up the silver in the men's mountain biking.

The pair had been in the lead group of four for much of the race, which also included an Australian and a Canadian.

The New Zealanders opened a gap over the last few kilometres, with Cooper controlling the race and holding on for the win by a couple of metres from Gaze, with Australian Dan McConnell third.

Cooper won the junior world title in 2012 and currently rides for an under-23 pro team on the world circuit.

The 19-year-old has suffered from injuries and sickness which have hampered his push for higher honours during the past few years. He said before the race that beating McConnell, who is ranked in the top five in the world, would be difficult.

Karen Hanlon was sixth and Kate Fluker eighth in the women's race, which was won by Canadian Catharine Pendrel.

Anton Cooper takes gold and Sam Gaze silver in the 2014 Commonwealth Games mountain biking.

Anton Cooper takes gold and Sam Gaze silver in the 2014 Commonwealth Games mountain biking. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Liana Leota shoots

Also overnight, the Silver Ferns remain unbeaten in pool play after beating St Lucia 88-19.

Playing out of position, the shortest member of the Silver Ferns side Liana Leota was the star turn at goal attack.

Erring on the side of caution in giving shooters Maria Tutaia and Cathrine Latu extra recovery time for respective foot and calf strain injuries, coach Waimarama Taumaunu sprung a surprise when she put the diminutive midcourter Leota into the starting goal attack role.

Leota has played that position in club netball but never on the big stage.

Unbeaten through their first four matches, New Zealand turned in a slick and powerful performance ahead of their last pool match against Jamaica, which will determine the order of the semi-finals.

Leota gave birth to her third child only a few months ago but showed she was no slouch in her newfound role, slotting the first goal of the match as the New Zealanders got off to a sizzling start.

Ellen Halpenny recovered from a rolled ankle in her debut match against Scotland to make an appearance in the fourth quarter, as the New Zealanders continued to grow in confidence and, importantly, retained their consistency to finish strongly.

Leota returned to the more familiar wing attack role after delivering an impressive 19 goals from 26 attempts in a memorable outing.

Black Sticks win

The Black Sticks men's hockey team also had an overnight win, beating England 2-1 to book their spot in the Glasgow Commonwealth Games semi-finals.

Andy Hayward and Simon Child were the goal scorers and did it in dramatic fashion - Hayward scoring from a penalty stroke and world-class striker Simon Child securing the win with two minutes of play remaining.

Simon Child in action for New Zealand.

Simon Child in action for New Zealand. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

The win means that assuming, no major upsets, the unbeaten New Zealanders are likely to face India in the semi-finals rather than rivals and world number one side Australia.

Coach Colin Batch said the game was the most significant win the team had had in the past 18 months and said the team would be keeping focussed and preparing well for the games ahead.

The Black Sticks men's last group match is against Malaysia.

Australia remain unbeaten at the top of the other group after 4-2 win over India.

The unbeaten New Zealand women's team play Canada on Wednesday night in their last group match.