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Commonwealth Games: How every WA athlete fared on day eight in Birmingham

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Carly LadenThe West Australian
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WA athletes are still in the running for gold medals.
Camera IconWA athletes are still in the running for gold medals. Credit: Supplied

Commonwealth gold continues to be within reach for a few of our WA athletes following strong performances. Here’s what happened during day eight.

Paul Burnett (Beach Volleyball)

A spirited comeback effort from Paul Burnett and Chris McHugh has earned them a spot in the men’s beach volleyball semi-finals.

Burnett & McHugh took on Sri Lanka in the second match of the quarter-finals at Smithfield on Friday.

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BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - AUGUST 05: Paul Burnett #2 and Chris Mchugh #1 of Team Australia serve against Jayasinghe Liyanage Ashen Rashmika #1 and Yapa Hamillage Sashimal Malintha Ya #2 of Team Sri Lanka during the Men's Beach Volleyball Quarter-Final match on day eight of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games at Smithfield on August 05, 2022 on the Birmingham, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
Camera IconBIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - AUGUST 05: Paul Burnett #2 and Chris Mchugh #1 of Team Australia serve against Jayasinghe Liyanage Ashen Rashmika #1 and Yapa Hamillage Sashimal Malintha Ya #2 of Team Sri Lanka during the Men's Beach Volleyball Quarter-Final match on day eight of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games at Smithfield on August 05, 2022 on the Birmingham, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images) Credit: Alex Livesey/Getty Images

Despite falling short 21-16 in the opening set, the pair fought back and held off the Sri Lankans to take the second set 21-16 to bring the scores level.

The Game AFL 2024

Australia proved too strong in the third set, holding strong with big serves and hard hitting spikes to take the third set 15-9.

Burnett & McHugh will go head to head with Rwanda once again on Saturday in the semi-finals.

Jane Claxton, Aleisha Power, Karri Somerville, Penny Quibb, Shanea Tonkin & Georgia Wilson (Hockey)

It was a tight contest in the Hockey semi-final as India forced the Hockeyroos into a shootout. Shanea Tonkin was again in form throughout the night but could not score. Australia won the shootout 3-0 to advance to the final against England. Karri Somerville left the field early with injury.

Karri Somerville of Team Australia goes off injured during the Women's Hockey Semi-Final.
Camera IconKarri Somerville of Team Australia goes off injured during the Women's Hockey Semi-Final. Credit: Alex Davidson/Getty Images

Kristina Krstic (Lawn Bowls)

Kristina Krstic’s quest for Commonwealth gold has continued on the upward trajectory as the Women’s Pairs event reached the business end of competition.

She and teammate Ellen Ryan pulled off an impressive 19-12 win over Norfolk Island during the quarter finals on Friday, progressing through to a semi-final match against Malaysia which took place later that morning.

After a fierce battle with the Malaysian pairing of Emma Saroji & Siti Ahmad, Krstic & Ryan held on to take the win 13-10 and book themselves a spot in the gold medal match.

They will take on England on Saturday.

Ying Xiang Lin (Badminton)

Despite showing strong form during the early stages of his campaign, Ying Xiang Lin’s journey towards Commonwealth gold has come to an end after successive losses.

Lin and mixed doubles partner Gronya Somerville fell short to the formidable combination of Kian Meng Tan and Pei Jing Lai from Malaysia in the round of 16 match on Friday.

Despite overcoming a slow start, Lin & Somerville were unable to catch Tan & Lai, who comfortably took the first game 21-10 and later backed up their strong efforts with a 21-11 win in the second game to take the match.

Australia's Ying Xiang Lin and Gronya Somerville compete during the Badminton Mixed Doubles game against Malaysia's Meng Kian Tan and Jing Pel Lai at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, Friday, Aug. 5, 2022. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)
Camera IconAustralia's Ying Xiang Lin and Gronya Somerville compete during the Badminton Mixed Doubles game against Malaysia's Meng Kian Tan and Jing Pel Lai at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, Friday, Aug. 5, 2022. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira) Credit: Rui Vieira/AP

Things did not improve during the evening session when Lin faltered to India’s Lakshya Sen 2-0 in the men’s singles round of 16.

It was another slow start during the first game with Sen managing five points in a row until Lin started to fight back.

Despite the glimpse of hope, including a burst of strong rallies following a technical time-out, Sen proved too strong and took out the first game 21-9.

Sen was quick to build an early lead once again during the second game, with Lin taking a tumble after his ankle gave out.

It was not until Sen held an eight-point advantage when Lin finally started fighting back, even sustaining a cut to his pinky finger, forcing a brief stop to the match to put a band-aid on.

In spite of several strong rallies, Sen held strong to win the second game 21-16.

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