Medal-winning finish: well done to our elite athletes as we farewell the 2022 Commonwealth Games!
Now that the 2022 Commonwealth Games have come to a close, we congratulate the Deakin elite-athlete students who made us proud in Birmingham.
In addition to last week’s stellar performances, we have cheered on more Deakin students and alumni in the final days of the Games as they represented their countries – and we’re pleased to report several medal wins!
Gold for the Diamonds and Kookaburras
Current Deakin students Kate Moloney, Liz Watson and Jo Weston led the Australian Diamonds to victory in netball over the weekend while taking out the record for Australia’s 1000th Commonwealth Games gold medal! Despite losing the lead and coming off second-best against Jamaica in a tense qualifier, the Diamonds held their nerve and defeated Jamaica 55–51 in the final, surpassing their previous silver medal win at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
Johan Durst, a Bachelor of Commerce graduate, also helped cement the Kookaburra’s 7–0 win over India in the Men’s Hockey final on the last day of competition – marking Australia’s seventh consecutive victory in the event! Johan kept his cool as goalkeeper in the closing stages of the game, displaying his sharp defensive instincts under pressure. Well done on your momentous Commonwealth Games debut, Johan!
Brooke and Shimona score silver
Congratulations to Brooke Buschkuehl and Shimona Nelson for scoring silver in their respective long jump and netball events!
Deakin alum Brooke, who recently broke her own Australian long jump record with a result of 7.13m mere weeks ago, now has two Commonwealth Games medals for Australia to her name after winning silver at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
‘I’m obviously over the moon, although it is not the gold, the silver makes me just as proud. It’s my third-furthest jump ever, I’m so stoked,’ said Brooke.
Making her Commonwealth Games debut in Birmingham, Bachelor of Psychological Science student Shimona was representing her country of origin Jamaica on the Sunshine Girls squad. Shimona’s finely-tuned scoring helped elevate her squad to deliver their outstanding finals performances, rendering them the first team to tally more than 100 or more goals at a match in the Birmingham Games. Well done, Shimona!
Congrats on your bronze, Abbey!
Also at her first Commonwealth Games, Bachelor of Health Sciences student and rising track star Abbey Caldwell won bronze after staging a spectacular late surge ahead in the 1500m.
‘Honestly I don’t know where that came from, 1500s are brutal, and I just think I saw those girls in front and I found that extra gear and to come from behind, it meant so much to me,’ said Abbey following her stunning debut.
Other notable performances in the final days of the Games include:
- Alum Henry Frayne finished sixth in the Men’s Long Jump final.
- Bachelor of Laws student Matthew Ramsden finished sixth in the Men’s 1500m Round 1.
- Alum Rhydian Cowley finished eighth in the Men’s 10,000m Walk final.
- Bachelor of Health Sciences student Natalie Rule finished 18th in the Women’s 5000m final.
Congratulations to all the current and former Deakin elite-athlete students who made us and their respective countries proud in Birmingham! You can read more about their amazing performances, including earlier medal wins for current students Kate McDonald (gold for Gymnastics), Emily Whitehead (silver for Gymnastics) and Marena Whittle (bronze for 3X3 Basketball), in last week’s 2022 Commonwealth Games round-up on Deakin Life and on the Deakin website.
*Some photographs by Getty Images.
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