Abbey Caldwell didn’t do everything right. But she did do the right things right when they counted.
The 25-year-old, who was the bronze medallist over 1500m in Birmingham four years ago, led home an Australian 1-2-3 in a tactical masterclass at Scotstoun Stadium.
The only fault was non-consequential, with the Victorian getting boxed in on the second lap at a pedestrian pace that saw the first 800m covered in 2:33.8.
The second half would be run in 2:04.1, with a final lap of 57.2 seconds. It wasn’t just the speed she closed in that was impressive, but the focus, positioning and decisiveness of her run.
Caldwell wasn’t likely to be the first to move off the slow pace, but she wasn’t going to let anybody get away. When Canada’s Lucia Stafford surged to the lead with 500m to go, it was Caldwell first to respond and move to her shoulder, followed by Olympic silver medallist Jess Hull.
They remained that way until 200m remaining when Caldwell made her move. From that moment the only threat appeared to be the fast finishing Claudia Hollingsworth, who was closing slightly faster at stages, albeit from too far behind.
The clock offered little warning of history. Caldwell’s winning time of 4:39.31 — equivalent to roughly 4:19 for 1500m — was unremarkable in isolation, but the race was anything but: half a second separated gold from silver, and less than a second covered the medallists. Yet it is the distinction beyond the stopwatch that will endure. Caldwell is the first woman to win a Commonwealth Games mile title.
“To be the first female mile gold medallist is extraordinary. It’s something I’ve dreamed of for years now, and to execute it was an absolute dream come true. It was a privilege to be out there.”
Abbey Caldwell
The style of race was reminiscent of the controversial 1500m final earlier this year at the Australian Championships, but that race is now just a footnote to a grander story.
“We have such a great group of athletes across the entire team, and our middle-distance strength is like no other,” Caldwell said.
“To have the other girls there brings a lot of peace. The competitiveness and rivalry we have is so healthy, and it brings so much joy to the team. It really is comforting.”
“I’m so glad we could bring it home, and to have three Australians on the podium means a lot.”
Kerr too classy for Myers in men’s mile
It was the master, and the apprentice, in the Commonwealth Mile. New mile world record holder Josh Kerr was simply a class above in a tactical men’s mile, winning by over a second.
When 29-year-old Kerr kicked, there was no stopping him. A 52.1 second final lap for a 3:54.12 winning time, but with the final 200m in 25.3 seconds and the final straight in 12.5 seconds, this was a performance that would beat anybody in the world right now.
“I went out to prove that the mile is British a couple of weeks ago, so I can’t lose the first one back, can I? Obviously there was a bit of pressure on my shoulders, but that’s what I enjoy.”
Josh Kerr
20-year-old Myers is arguably the second best miler in the world right now. He closed in 53.4 but without the same explosive top-end speed as Kerr, and from too far behind.
“In all fairness, he was incredible,” Myers said of Kerr.
“The way I wanted to run it, I wanted to be ahead with 200 to go so that any kind of jump on these guys would work in my favour. Inevitably, it was the opposite, so that didn’t pan out too well for me, but that’s how it goes.”
Olli Hoare, the reigning champion, finished 5th in 3:56.28 while Adam Spencer was 8th in 3:56.62.
Myers and Hollingsworth leave Glasgow with medals, Games records from the heats and the sense that their best years still lie ahead. At 20 and 21 respectively, both appear destined to return to global finals many times before the road reaches Brisbane in 2032.
