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Dolphins dominate once more as McDonald, Hardy get in on gymnastics medals

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Mollie O'Callaghan has been sensationally dethroned as Commonwealth Games 100m freestyle champion by Meg Harris as Australia's tsunami of swimming medals continued in Glasgow.

Harris's shock triumph came after Jenna Forrester extended her brilliant meet with a second gold medal, adding the 400m individual medley title to her 200m backstroke crown.

O'Callaghan had been expected to again battle through the pain barrier to defend her crown but instead had to settle for the silver in another Australian 1-2-3, as Shayna Jack, in her final competition, grabbed the bronze.

Three swimmers in yellow caps celebrate a medal in the pool

But this time, it was Albury's Harris, the 24-year-old double Olympic relay champion, who had the measure of the five-time Olympic winner, leading her at the halfway mark, with O'Callaghan turning in third.

The Queensland star could not peg back the lead as Harris touched the wall in 52.90 seconds to O'Callaghan's 53.25 and Jack's 53.38.

"Very happy. Look, I wasn't meant to be here," O'Callaghan told reporters.

"So, to be on the podium with these two amazing ladies; Meg absolute killed it tonight, so did Shayna. Like, honestly, I'm just so happy."

Alex Perkins marked her 26th birthday with a perfect present as she lifted the 100m butterfly crown, her second triumph in three days after years of near-misses at major individual international events.

Perkins continues to enjoy the most extraordinary meet, winning her fourth gold in as many nights, and on a landmark day.

The 50m fly champion was in a different class from her chasers, stopping the clock at 56.38, with Scotland's Keanna MacInnes second, almost a second behind.

Swimmer Sam Williamson blows a kiss at the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

Sam Williamson, already champion in the 100m, again upset the odds to produce a thunderous late burst to get up for gold in the 50m breaststroke dash.

Williamson's charge for the wall in the one-lap breaststroke was one of the highlights of the meet as he powered through the second half of the race to prevail in 26.50, 0.27sec clear of South African Michael Houlie and 0.44 ahead of English Olympic great Adam Ramsay-Peaty.

Para swimmer Beau Matthews added another gold in the 100m breaststroke SB9 final, while Sam Short powered home to win the 800m freestyle final.

Matthews, seen as a future para star, came of age, clocking 1:09.41 to better Tim Hodge, Australia's baton bearer at the opening ceremony.

Hodge, who had won the 100m backstroke S9 the night before, had to settle for bronze behind New Zealander Joshua Willmer.

'Don't be poo': McDonald quells doubts with gold

Fighting off the voices in her head that tell her "don't be poo", Kate McDonald won Australia's second gymnastics gold medal at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

It was sweet redemption for McDonald, who banished haunting memories of her "pretty poo" finish at the 2022 Birmingham Games with a near-flawless performance at Glasgow International Stadium, scoring 14.333 points.

So dominant was the 25-year-old that she was the only gymnast to hit the 14.000-point mark and blitzed next-best, Canadian great Ellie Black, by 0.433 points, with Wales's Emily Roper following for bronze.

"I'm over the moon," McDonald said.

"I bombed in that (2022) final, and that's obviously in the back of my head.

"I did want this medal really badly."

Wearing her headphones during warm-up, McDonald said cycling through her competition playlist — from AC/DC to Dom Dolla — helped her fight off memories of the 2022 final.

Whether a coincidence or a good omen in her 2028 Los Angeles qualifying campaign, her final song before competing was a remix of California Dreamin'.

"Putting music in helps ground me, and that helps the voice in my head stay nice," McDonald said.

"''Don't be poo, don't fall. Be perfect, it's not going to be perfect.' There's a lot of background noise.

"I'm just going to again try and learn from this experience and bring it into LA; hopefully, we qualify a team for LA, hopefully I'm on that team for LA."

Gymnast James Hardy hangs from the rings at the 2026 Commonwealth Games

As McDonald led the charge in the women's field, James Hardy claimed bronze on the rings and the floor routine exercise.

Just as the team bronze was Australia's first since the 2010 Delhi Games, Hardy's two individual bronze medals ended the nation's 16-year drought on the apparatuses in the men's field.

The 23-year-old competed with a pink ribbon painted on the nail of his right hand ring finger in tribute to his mum, Sally, who has breast cancer.

She is in remission after undergoing surgery, but she and the Hardy family were unable to travel to Glasgow.

"It's been in the back of my mind, but obviously nice to know that she's just doing really well," Hardy said.

"Spoken to mum and dad before, they're absolutely, you know, just so, so, so proud.

"It's very emotional. They would have loved to be here."

Catch up on all the action from day four of the games in our blog below.

AAP

Recap

Here are the Australian gold medals from today:

Tue 28 Jul 2026 at 8:34am

Have a good Tuesday!

Another day done and dusted with more medals, more fun and more Aussie spirit.

Seven gold in the pool, including two podium sweeps, and a sensational gold in the 10,000m women's track event.

We'll be back tonight for day five to do it all over again and we've got a jam-packed schedule to look forward to.

Here's what you'll be able to catch the Aussies in:

3x3 basketball/wheelchair basketball
Artistic gymnastics
Athletics
Bowls
Boxing
Netball
Swimming
Weightlifting

Pete, Jon and I are going to get some much needed rest so bye for now and catch you next time 😊

Tue 28 Jul 2026 at 8:00am

📸 More precious metal for the Aussies to take home

Tue 28 Jul 2026 at 7:50am

On the Che's lens

You've probably already seen a few of his shots around the blog and the ABC website, but we're lucky enough to be have as part of our team at these Games an incredible camera operator and photographer named Che Chorley.

Let's have a look at a few of his photographs, which run the gamut.

From beautiful cityscapes...

Action shots...

Profile pics...

And just generally good gear...

All while fulfilling broadcast duties alongside our colleague Jessica Stewart.

Freak.

Tue 28 Jul 2026 at 7:38am

Take a bow, Ullrich Muller

A nice silver medal to take home.

Tue 28 Jul 2026 at 7:27am

WHAT A FINISH AT THE MEN'S 79KG

Well Rory Scott might have been out but I hope you stayed tuned in to the men's 79kg weightlifting because Erry Hidayat Muhammad and Valluri Ajaya Babu just chucked metaphorical haymakers at each other for an incredible finish.

The pair set back-to-back-to-back Commonwealth Games records in the run home.

Valluri Ajaya Babu of Team India competes during the Men's 79kg Weightlifting on day four of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games

India's Babu blasted 181kg to sit in gold medal spot and throw the challenge to Malaysia's Muhammad to come and take it.

With his last lift, Muhammad went all the way up to 184kg - another Games record - and dug deep to get the three green lights and snatch the win.

Erry Hidayat Muhammad of Team Malaysia celebrates a lift in the Men's 79kg Weightlifting on day four of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games

Babu takes home the silver, with Englishman Chris Murray in third.

Thrilling stuff!

Tue 28 Jul 2026 at 7:17am

Need a catch up? We got you

Maybe you're just waking up or you're on your way to work via public transport and you're desperate to find out what happened overnight and this morning.

Here's what you need to know as the ABC Sport desk work allll the way through the night to bring you all the action from Glasgow:

Gymnast Kate McDonald won a glorious gold on the uneven bars
James Hardy had a sensational day, coming away with two bronze gymnastics medals, one on floor and one on the rings
Sprinter Rohan Browning slammed the qualifying system saying "it's not fair"
Heartbreaking injury forced Breanna Mae Kean out of the women's 53kg weightlifting

And don't forget our domination in the pool and our first athletics medal, which was a gold!

Tue 28 Jul 2026 at 7:08am

Boxer Paul Trainor into quarterfinals

In the midst of all the swimming and athletics events, we just wanted to provide an update on the boxing.

Aussie Paul Trainor won his men's 80kg round-of-16 fight 3-2 against Namibian Gebhard Tonateni Ipinge.

That means he will take on Welshman Daniel Pitt in the quarterfinals on Thursday morning around 5:45am AEST.

Tue 28 Jul 2026 at 7:01am

Annnd no good for Rory Scott!

That was another STRONG catch from Scott on his final attempt at 170kg.

But when he tried to get it off the front rack it wasn't ever steady, and the bar goes tumbling.

Rory Scott of Team Australia competes during the Men's 79kg Weightlifting on day four of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games

That'll leave him in fifth spot and out of the medals with some lifts still to come in the men's 79kg. A fantastic effort from Rory Scott.

And, MY WORD, as I type Babu of India has just come out and shown exactly why he's been chilling while everyone else lifts. He crushes 174kg like it's nothing. Woof.

Tue 28 Jul 2026 at 6:53am

Medal tally update, as requested

Jon and team. Love your coverage! Where can I find the medal tally?

— Tim R

Hi Tim,

Thanks for your very nice comment, I know all of us on the ABC Sport desk appreciate it.

Now, just take a look at how far ahead our Aussie athletes are on the medal tally!

There's no stopping us noowwww.

And if you want a detailed list of every Australian medal from the Games so far, head to this story for the breakdown.

Tue 28 Jul 2026 at 6:52am

Scott misses first crack at 170kg

It was a really solid catch ... but Rory Scott was immediately off balance trying to hoist the bar up.

That miss has left him in fourth position with just the one lift still to come.

Importantly, Malaysia's Erry Hidayat Muhammad and India's Valluri Ajaya Babu have indicated they'll lift first at 175kg and are yet to lift.

Tue 28 Jul 2026 at 6:43am

Wilson out of gold medal contention!

Oh nooooo, Aaron "Disco" Wilson has been defeated by Izzat Dzulkeple in the bowls semifinals!!

Wilson won the first set 5-2, but Dzulkeple fought back to claim the second 4-9. And then the tiebreak went to the Malaysian. What a heartbreaking way to see the possibility of a gold slip through the Australians fingers.

His dream of back-to-back-to-back Commonwealth Games victory ends.

But he'll still play for the bronze medal.

Tue 28 Jul 2026 at 6:41am

Turn your attention over to the men's 79kg weightlifting

Because just when thought I'd earned a breath this guy ...

Rory Scott of Team Australia celebrates a lift during the Men's 79kg Weightlifting on day four of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games at SEC Armadillo on July 27, 2026 in Glasgow, Scotland

... Rory Scott for those unfamiliar ... is in medal contention!

We've got plenty of lifting still to come, so we'll keep watch to see if Scott can hang on to a spot in the podium.

Stay tuned!

Tue 28 Jul 2026 at 6:40am

'Disco' Wilson forced to tiebreak in bowls!

Aaron 'Disco' Wilson has taken the first set in the men's singles semifinals against Malaysian Izzat Dzulkeple.

But Dzulkeple has fought back and claimed the second set.

We're off to a tiebreak!

Tue 28 Jul 2026 at 6:38am

Stick a fork in me ...

... because I am DONE after all that excitement from the track and swimming programs which, mercifully for Hanan and my typing fingers, have wrapped up for the evening.

Phew.

Tue 28 Jul 2026 at 6:29am

🥇GOLD FOR 4X200M FREESTYLE RELAY

A seventh gold medal tonight for Australia in the pool!

A dominant performance from Lani Pallister, Hannah Casey, Inez Miller and Mollie O'Callaghan who led the race the whole way.

Speaking with Seven Sport, Casey said it was a "dream come true to be here with these amazing athletes and humans".

England ended up pipping New Zealand for silver after a close-run battle.

This win now means Australia has 23 gold medals at these Commonwealth Games so far with soooo much more to come.

Tue 28 Jul 2026 at 6:29am

🥈 SILVER FOR ULLRICH MULLER!

Muller BURST out of the blocks and held a narrow lead at the 50m mark.

But England's Thomas Young found another gear to surge ahead in the final 15m to claim the gold.

But a sensational silver for Muller who is all smiles on the track after that one!

And what an effort from fellow Aussie Thomas McGough, who at just 15 years of age finished in fourth. Won't be the last we see of him at this level you'd think.

Well done lads!

England's Thomas Young crosses the finish line to win the men's 100m t38 final ahead of second place Australia's Ullrich Mulle

Tue 28 Jul 2026 at 6:27am

Comfortable hold for Australian relay team

The women's 4x200m relay team have a six second gap in front.

They're asking England and New Zealand to "catch me if you can".

And in goes Mollie O'Callaghan to bring it home.

Tue 28 Jul 2026 at 6:26am

It's men's 100m T38 time

The speedsters are making their way our on to the track through the dry ice cannons.

Ullrich Muller and Thomas McGough are our green and gold chances here.

Buckle up folks! Here. We. Go.

Tue 28 Jul 2026 at 6:25am

So close for Archie Hewett!

He's finished in fourth position just outside of the medals.

But that is a MIGHTY run from Archie, who's turned in an Australian record AND a personal best time of 4:07.01 in the men's 1500m T20 final. So much to be proud of!!

Fellow Aussie Daniel Milone finished up in eighth place with a time of 4:17.18