With a smooth roll of a lawn bowl along the crisp green, the sporting action of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games officially got underway.
And after the Tokyo and Beijing Olympics and Paralympics were held under strict COVID protocols, the Friendly Games are also the first “free” Games.
Walking around the city there are hardly any signs of the enduring pandemic, and even around Games venues, there are no restrictions on fans or media.
Hand sanitiser and masks are optional, and you do attract some sideways glances when choosing to cover your face.
And mercifully for the athletes, a positive COVID test doesn’t rule them out of competing, although the Australian team has enforced stricter rules on its athletes than many others.
Fans are coming out in force too, with ticket sales on track to make it the most attended edition of the Games in the UK.
Hauser secures first medal, Linn ‘stoked’ with fifth
Australia is expected to clean up in the medal tally, so it’s a smart move to try to get in early with the mantle of first medal of the Games.
This time it went to triathlete Matt Hauser who won bronze behind England’s Alex Yee, and New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde.
“I was fourth by two seconds on the Gold Coast,” Hauser said.
“I would have liked to switch it around for my home Games but it’s good to get the job done four years later in Birmingham.
“You had all the crowds out there. My training partner was out there on the course. My mum and dad and grandpa and girlfriend were in the stands. That was incredible.”
Olympic champion and one of the all-time greats of the sport, Bermuda’s Flora Duffy, lived up to the hype to win gold by a long stretch in the women’s race.
Australia’s Sophie Linn produced the second fastest run of all competitors in the final leg, behind Duffy, to sprint home and claim fifth spot.
The 27-year-old was delighted with the result after only starting the sport four years ago.
“Coming around the last turn I know that no-one’s got a good sprint so I was like I’m just gonna go for it and absolutely necked it down the finish,” she said.
And the secret to her rapid success could be thanks to a four-legged friend.
“I have a little wiener dog called Willie and my boyfriend Alexey [Vermeulen] is a pro cyclist, so when we train together, he brings him on all of our rides,” Linn said.
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“We have this little backpack and it’s a perfect training environment. You can’t have a bad day, because if you’re having a shit workout, then I just look and give the dog a bit of a pet and it’s a bit of emotional support.”
The Australian mixed relay team is a strong chance to win gold after Hauser and Linn’s efforts, plus Jacob Birtwhistle’s fourth placing.
“I think the team morale is really high right now,” Linn said.
“We’re really coming together as a team and showing everyone that we never left. We’ve always been here, but we’re ready to get back in the game again.”
Team sports off to winning start
Women’s T20 Cricket made its Commonwealth Games debut, with Australia beating India by three wickets.
There were some suggestions there could be a sell-out at Edgbaston thanks to Birmingham’s large Indian population, but it was a considerably smaller crowd that came along.
Although those that were there, including the Gill family, soaked up the occasion.
“It’s the first time we’re seeing women playing, and it’s also actually our all of our first time watching a cricket match as well,” Birmingham local Jessica Gill said.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime sort of thing. It’s nice to tell generations after what’s happened.”
Australia’s win wasn’t straightforward – it rarely is against the best teams in the world — but in moments of crisis there always seems to be another player that swoops into the rescue.
After India finished at 8-152, the Australian chase was in deep trouble at 5-49.
But Ash Gardner and Grace Harris pulled the side out of the hole, as one of Australia’s most dominant teams across any sport started its march towards a historic gold.
“We’ve loved the atmosphere of the Commonwealth Games and are embracing this new experience,” Australia captain Meg Lanning said.
“It’s been a great build-up, and to be able to play in the opening game is something I will certainly remember for a long time.”
Basketball 3×3 and wheelchair basketball 3×3 are also making their debuts in Birmingham, and Australia’s women have started with a 21-9 win over Scotland.
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Like cricket, all the strongest netball nations come from the Commonwealth, and the Diamonds want to make amends for their one-goal loss to England in the gold medal match four years ago.
It’s clear netball is one of the fan favourites among the locals, with the NEC Arena packed and buzzing for England’s trouncing of Trinidad and Tobago.
Australia also had a one-sided win, 95-18 over Barbados.
Games to leave a legacy for the second city
It’s the biggest multi-sport event England has hosted since the unforgettable London 2012 Olympics, and Brummies want to prove England’s second city can do it just as well as the capital.
At the heart of any successful Games of course is the volunteers, including 19-year-old Jemima from Sutton Park – the venue for the triathlon.
“I think it’s absolutely phenomenal to have such a big event happening right here,” she said.
“To have such a crazy event from people all over the world coming over here, it’s fantastic.
“Especially in Sutton Park, which is quite small, it’s just like a little local park.”
In fact, it’s one of the largest urban parks in Europe, and if you were to be so foolish as to be dropped off at the wrong part, it could take an hour to walk to the triathlon venue.
But it’s one example of organisers relying on existing infrastructure to make it a more sustainable event.
The Sandwell Aquatics Centre is the only new venue built for the Games, and there isn’t a centralised athlete’s village, instead accommodation is spread across sites close to their venues.
It means people from Birmingham to Coventry to London can take in a taste of the Games over the next couple of weeks.
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