Ten lasting memories from the Commonwealth Games
The final day of competition is upon us. The finishing touches are being put on preparations for the closing ceremony. Gold Coast 2018 is coming to a close.
The Commonwealth Games has left some lasting impressions — good, bad and quirky — in Australia's sporting memory.
The friendliest folk in town: Gold Coast's volunteer army
Anyone working or attending the games will have had some interaction with the Gold Coast 2018 "Games Shapers", who left a lasting impression.
Always up for a chat and keen to offer a helping hand, the Commonwealth Games' army of volunteers clad in lime green and blue were the friendly face of the event at ground level.
High fives for kids, directions for fans and a handy source of ponchos whenever the heavens opened, the Games' volunteers were a credit to themselves throughout.
The inclusive games
Gold Coast 2018 saw athletes from all walks of life stand as one for their national teams.
Timothy Disken, Kurt Fearnley, Isis Holt and Cam Crombie were among a host of para-athletes who made huge contributions not only to Australia's medal tally, but to the Games spectacle as well.
Bringing able-bodied and para-athletes together as one was a major plus of this year's Commonwealth Games in a major step forward for inclusivity.
Medalling firsts for the minnows
Take a bow, British Virgin Islands. Not only do you have your first Commonwealth Games medal, it's a bright and shiny gold one to boot.
Kyron McMaster showed why he's one of world athletics' rising stars with victory in the men's 400m hurdles, providing a truly glorious moment for the tiny Caribbean nation.
It came a year after his coach died in the devastation brought about by Hurricane Irma. McMaster was in tears throughout his celebrations.
There were also first-time Commonwealth medals — all bronze — for Solomon Islands (women's 58kg weightlifting), Cook Islands (men's pairs lawn bowls), Vanuatu (women's F46 javelin, before another beach volleyball bronze) and Dominica (women's triple jump).
That medal music
After just under 300 medal ceremonies, the musical fanfare that accompanies them has a chance of getting stuck in your head.
That was definitely the case at Gold Coast 2018, with the musical theme — mixing Indigenous elements with classical orchestral motifs — providing a touch of class to proceedings.
Was it up there with the UEFA Champions League anthem? Maybe that's overegging it a bit. But it still managed to get you suitably hyped before yet another rendition of Advance Australia Fair.
Backstroker Larkin dominates as Bronte gets her moment
Usually the freestylers get to be the poster boys and girls of the swimming team, but Mitch Larkin, a backstroker, was the star of the show in the pool.
Five events, five golds. Larkin was a phenomenon in the water with victories in the 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke events, and the 4x100m medley relay. But his star was truly confirmed in the individual 200m medley, showing his ability in all strokes in a sensational meet for the man from Buderim.
There was elation too for Bronte Campbell, so often playing second fiddle to her sister Cate, pipping her sibling in the women's 100m freestyle, earning her a spot in the 4x100m relay finale.
Bronte took the chance with aplomb, stealing home to earn another Australian gold in nail-biting fashion.
Aussie athletes shine in the field events
Away from the pool, it was Australia's vaulters, jumpers and throwers who grabbed the spotlight during the athletics meets.
Brandon Starc enjoyed his moment outside his brother Mitchell's shadow by claiming gold and a personal best in the men's high jump — at 2.32m, it's the second-highest height ever reached by an Australian.
Kathryn Mitchell made Carrara Stadium her own personal playground by storming all over the women's javelin event in an emotional win, Kurtis Marschall lived up to the hype to claim gold in the men's pole vault, and Dani Stevens produced under pressure to take out the women's discus.
All about the sportsmanship
We heard a lot about it at these games, particularly in the wake of cricket's ball-tampering scandal, but the coverage was justified thanks to some truly touching moments.
The stand-out moment came in the women's 10,000m race when Australia's Eloise Wellings, Celia Sullohern and Madeline Hills — all unplaced — waited at the finish line as Lesotho's last-paced Lineo Chaka finished the gruelling race some five minutes after the winner.
Trans-gender weightlifter Laurel Hubbard also talked about feeling welcome amid cheers from the crowd during the women's 90kg+ weightlifting final, while South Africa's Caster Semenya received warm welcomes from the Carrara Stadium stands as she completed a historic 800m-1500m golden double.
Sprinter hits rival in mad dash
There was a mix of embarrassment and rancour in the men's 200m as England's Zharnel Hughes appeared to clash with Trinidad and Tobago's Jereem Richards in the final dash for the finish line.
Hughes looked to hold off Richards with his arm over the last 20 metres, prompting a brief stare-off beyond the finish line between the two sprinters.
But more recrimination would follow as Hughes proceeded on a victory lap around Carrara Stadium, only to be informed of his disqualification midway through the procession.
Beach volleyball at Coolangatta
Easily the most spectacular location of the games, Coolangatta was a sight for sore eyes with its wide expanses of gorgeous beach, capped off with a fantastic stadium to host the beach volleyball.
Two incredible gold-medal finals had an iconic feel about them, on the Gold Coast sands, as Australia and Canada shared in golds and silvers each.
But full houses for both finals — one held in the setting sun, the other on an atmospheric, rainy evening — will go some way to enforcing the growing feeling that beach volleyball is here to stay in Australia.
Ghost towns and protests
Parts of the Gold Coast were practically abandoned by residents in the lead-up to the event, with some preferring to 'get out of Dodge' rather than put up with road closures and other major inconveniences.
Businesses complained about a drop in revenue in certain parts of the Coast, while there were reports of price-gouging in parking lots and accommodation providers slashing prices to fill up rooms at the last minute.
While the local troubles were hard to see on TV presentations, protests led by Indigenous groups did catch the eye as they dominated the backdrop to the Seven Network's Sunrise breakfast show.
Protesting about the treatment of Indigenous people in Australia, the scenes forced Sunrise's hosts to address what was happening right behind them live on air, with David Koch and Samantha Armytage explaining they had to protect their younger audience demographic from some of the "language and aggression".
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