Games-Gold and green night in pool for dominant Australia

Reuters

By Sam Holden GLASGOW, July 26 (Reuters) - Australia grabbed eight swimming medals, including three golds, in a record-breaking session in the Commonwealth Games pool on Saturday. Teenager Taylor McKeown, Emily Seebohm and the women's 4x200 metres freestyle team all took golds and their colleagues also secured three silvers and two bronzes at the Tollcross Swimming Centre. "Oh my goodness - Commonwealth champion," the 19-year-old McKeown told reporters after winning the women's 200 breaststroke final. "In the last 50 metres I couldn't see where I was so I just went for it and tried to hold on." Australia began the evening well when Grant Irvine claimed the silver behind Olympic champion Chad le Clos of South Africa who retained his 200 butterfly title with a Games record time of one minute 55.07 seconds. McKeown then stormed to gold, with team mate Sally Hunter snatching silver to ensure an Australian one-two. Cate and Bronte Campbell became the first sisters to pick up medals in the same individual swimming event at the Games when they took silver and bronze respectively in the 50 freestyle behind English winner Fran Halsall. Another gold and bronze followed for Australia when Seebohm edged out Georgia Davies of Wales and fellow countrywoman Belinda Hocking in the 100 backstroke. Arch-rivals England also enjoyed a good night in the pool with Halsall beating the Campbell sisters in a Games-best time of 23.96 seconds. Eighteen-year-old Molly Renshaw swam a personal best in her first major final to take the bronze in the 200 breaststroke and Adam Peaty, 19, added to England's tally with a surprise gold and another Games record time in the 100 breaststroke. Peaty pushed Olympic champion Cameron Van der Burgh of South Africa and Scotland's Ross Murdoch, a gold medallist in the 200 equivalent on Thursday, into second and third positions. Fittingly, the night ended with another record and yet more gold for Australia as they edged out Canada and England in the women's 4x200 freestyle relay. (Editing by Tony Jimenez)