Australian Sprinter Torrie Lewis Reacts to Cold Reception of Gold Medallist Adaejah Hodge

Australian sprint star Torrie Lewis says she is not surprised no-one embraced gold medallist Adaejah Hodge after the women’s 200m final. Lewis finished sixth in her pet event after something of a surprise bronze in the 100m final a few nights prior. The 21-year-old won her semifinal and was one of the fastest qualifiers into Friday’s final, local time, where she was drawn alongside Hodge, who broke the Commonwealth Games record in the semis. Hodge stormed to gold in 22.07 seconds, but the customary hugs and embraces between competitors were absent. “Let’s just say I’m not surprised no-one shook her hand and I’m not supposed to say any more than that,” Lewis said. She added: “I’ve been told not to say anything. I would love to say some words, but I’m not allowed to. “I think everyone knows what I would like to say, but just fill in the blank yourself.” If you are slightly confused, the context dates back to 2024. Hodge, from the British Virgin Islands, tested positive for a banned substance in a sample provided at the under-20 world championships in 2024, where she won the 200m ahead of Lewis on August 30 in Lima. Hodge tested positive for the banned metabolic modulator GW1516, also known as Cardarine or Endurobol, which increases fat metabolism and improves exercise adaptation, according to Sport Integrity Australia. Lewis was elevated to the gold-medal position when Hodge was banned in March 2025, with the Australian celebrating being “the 1st clean runner across the line” on Instagram. The findings from an Athletics Integrity Unit investigation at the time revealed that Hodge was told about the positive test in November, and she gave “an explanation” and “additional information” that convinced investigators she had accidentally (on the balance of probabilities) ingested the substance. Hodge’s explanation and “substantial assistance” in the case meant what would have been a two-year ban, taking her through to August 27 this year, was reduced by seven months, allowing her to resume competing in January and make it to Glasgow. Both runners received automatic places in the semifinals of the 200m, with Lewis winning the first race in 22.64 and Hodge running a Games record of 22.01 to win second, setting up their first rematch since that infamous race in Peru two years ago. Hodge said she came out with a point to prove. “I’ve put all that behind me. I just wanted to move forward and work extra hard to show I didn’t need it. I never will need it,” she said. “I just knew I had to put in extra work to prove to the people, the haters, that I’m Adaejah Hodge.” And she was unfazed by the lack of connection with her rivals. “It’s competition. Everybody’s goal out here is to win. I don’t really know what to say about that,” she said. “It’s about competing, and if you want to shake my hand, you want to shake my hand. If you don’t, you don’t. I’m going to be a good sport, I’m going to tell everybody ‘good job’ because we all put in the hard work to be out here and compete at the highest level.” As for Lewis’s embraces with the rest of the field: “This is my first time meeting some of the girls, but they all seem really nice.”