Commonwealth Games: Siobhan-Marie O'Connor and Fran Halsall set record times in finals
Last Updated: 27/07/14 10:33pm
Siobhan-Marie O'Connor won her first Commonwealth Games gold medal with a Games record swim in the 200m individual medley.
Having won four medals at the Games already, O'Connor came in to the event full of confidence and it showed as she led from the start and effectively had the race sewn up by the halfway stage.
Australia's Alicia Coutts was her main challenger but after another incredible start O'Connor found herself comfortably in front even after the first 50m.
Earlier, O'Connor was dominant as she qualified for the final. The Bath swimmer touched home in 22:11.42 having been able to ease off considerably in the freestyle leg and still win by a distance.
There was no letting up this time though and the Bath swimmer hammered home her advantage in the final 50m freestyle to set a new Games record and a British record of 2:08.21 - more than two seconds ahead of the field.
It was Coutts who took the silver in 2:10.30 with Hannah Miley (2:10.74) claiming the bronze for Scotland.
The host nation almost saved the best until last when their men's 4x200m freestyle relay team pushed hot favourites Australia all the way before claiming a silver, much to the delight of the crowd inside the Tollcross International Swimming Centre.
Games record
Meanwhile, Fran Halsall set a new Games record as she took gold in the 50m butterfly final.
The 24-year-old made it a double following her 50m freestyle triumph by posting a time of 25.20 to claim her 10th Commonwealth Games medal in total.
England team-mate Liam Tancock took his personal tally to nine medals when he picked up a bronze in the men's 50m backstroke, finishing behind the Australian pair of Ben Treffers and Mitch Larkin.
It was another case of nearly but not quite for England's Lizzie Simmonds as she finished fourth in the 200m backstroke final with Australia's Belinda Hocking the winner.
Welsh swimmer Jazz Carlin earlier set a new Games record in qualifying for Monday night's 800m freestyle final, finishing more than 11 seconds ahead of her nearest rival in 8:22.69.
England's Adam Barrett finished fastest in the 100m butterfly semi-finals ahead of 200m gold medallist Chad Le Clos while Yorkshire teenager Sophie Taylor won both her heat and semi-final in the 100m breaststroke.
