Sam strikes gold - Commonwealth Games Day 6

Sam Short, the former Albany Creek Swimming Club member, has won a sensational gold medal in the Commonwealth Games pool - one of four our region is celebrating this morning.

The 18-year-old, pictured above courtesy Commonwealth Games Australia, stormed home in the gruelling 1500m at Birmingham beating his personal best by 10 seconds on the way to victory.

Short, who also went to Prince of Peace Lutheran at Everton Hills, hit the front around halfway and pulled away to win in 14 minutes 48.54 seconds.

That beat Daniel Wiffen, of Northern Ireland, 14:51.79 by more than three seconds and England’s Luke Thomas Turley 15:12.78.

List of legends

Channel 7 interviewer Cate Campbell told Short he had just joined Australian swimming legends such as Grant Hackett and Kieran Perkins by winning this title.

“Sounds great, all those names … sound incredible to me. I didn’t think I would be in the same sentence as them,” he said.

“When Dan (Wiffen) fell off, I was just trying to put a gap on. My stomach was killing me. I don’t know if it was nerves. I can handle the pain. That hurt a lot.”

Short now trains at the Rackley club in Brisbane and added the 1500m gold to the silver he won in the 400m freestyle in a remarkable medal double by the teenager.

Kaylee McKeown has medalled twice again this morning, collecting gold and bronze - taking her Games tally to six - in two thrilling finals.

The former student at St Paul’s Lutheran in Caboolture was always in the mix for a medal in the 50m backstroke final with Aussie team-mate Molly O’Callaghan and Canada’s Kylie Masse.

But it was Masse who took gold in the final few strokes with a Games record 27.31 seconds, O’Callaghan was second in 27.47 and McKeown third with 27.58 seconds.

Sixty minutes later McKeown, who trained at Burpengary, was first to go for Australia in the women's 4x100m medley relay final.

Fast start

The Redcliffe-born swimmer gave the Aussies a led into the changeover, which was stretched by Chelsea Hodges (breaststroke), Emma McKeon (butterfly) and Molly O'Callaghan (freestyle).

Australia took the final gold in 3 minutes 54.44 seconds ahead of Canada 3:56.59 and England 3:59.44.

McKeown told Channel 7s Cate Campbell afterwards: "Relays really bring out a new side in you and we had some fun in marshalling and I think it lifted our spirits for the last race of the meet."

It was McKeown's fourth gold of the Games (100m backstroke, 200m backstroke, 4x100m mixed medley relay and women's 4x100m medley relay) to go with a silver (200m individual medley) and bronze (50m backstroke).

Narangba resident Charisma Amoe-Tarrant has stepped onto the Commonwealth Games medal podium again, winning bronze in the women’s 87kg+ weightlifting this morning.

Four years ago Amoe-Tarrant collected silver in the 90kg+ on the Gold Coast while representing Nauru, where she was born.

She then switched to Australia, where she has lived for 10 years, and this morning the 23-year-old lifted 100kg in the snatch and then 139kg in the clean and jerk for a 239kg total.

'I just had to do it'

That pipped Canada’s Emma Friesen (238kg) for third place by the narrowest of margins.

Gold went to England’s Emily Campbell with a Games record 286kg and Samoa’s Feagaiga Stowers took silver with 268kg.

Amoe-Tarrant, who trains at Cougars Weightlifting Club in Chandler, told Channel 7 afterwards: “Coming into this competition, I really didn’t know what to expect. When the bronze was there, I just had to do it.”

Renee Taylor, the former Redcliffe junior, helped Australia finish its Pool B program with another victory last night.

The Aussies beat Scotland 2-0, with goals in the second and fourth quarters. Midfielder Taylor, who played for Redcliffe's Under 11s for two years, had one shot but did not score.

Australia tops the pool with maximum points after previous wins over Kenya 8-0, South Africa 5-0 and New Zealand 1-0.

The finals matches start tomorrow evening AEST.