Australia Dominates Commonwealth Games Athletics and Cycling, Faces Netball Setback

Abbey Caldwell has led an Australian clean sweep of the women's mile, putting a golden seal on Australia's stunning Commonwealth Games athletics campaign on a medal-laden night in Glasgow.

Caldwell underlined a historic night for Australia when she surged home in four minutes 39.31 seconds, ahead of Hull (4:39.86) and Hollingsworth (4:40.20).

It was a second silver for Hull, who was second to fellow Australian Rose Davies in the 5000 metres.

It came after sprint king Lachie Kennedy spearheaded a dramatic victory in the men's 4x100m relay in 38.07 secs.

Kennedy and his teammates sent a message to the world when they stunned Olympic champions Canada, who were second across the line.

The last time the country won a medal, it was bronze in 2002.

National record holder and 100m individual silver medallist Kennedy gave Australia a strong start, teaming with Josh Azzopardi and Calab Law before Rohan Browning brought it home.

"These guys did all the hard work, put me in a winning position," Browning said.

"All I had to do was hold on.

Making the result even more impressive, Australia pulled it off without teen sensation Gout Gout and former Kiwi Eddie Nketia.

Gout prioritised the U20 world championships, before he was sidelined with a serious hamstring injury.

He and Nketia, who reached the individual 100m final in Glasgow, could be part of an even more formidable relay team for the Los Angeles Olympics in two years' time.

Kurtis Marschall (pole vault), Mackenzie Little (javelin), Matt Denny (discus), Jemima Montag (10,000m race walk) and Rhiannon Clarke (200m T38) also won gold on the final day of the athletics program.

Emerging star Cameron Myers had to settle for silver behind Scotland's dominant world record holder Josh Kerr in the men's mile, while Ky Robinson added 5000m silver to his 10,000m gold and Luke Boyes claimed his first major international medal with silver in the 800m.

Robinson dug deep late in a gruelling 5000m tussle to cross the line second behind Kenya's Mathew Kipsang. India's Gulveer Singh was third.

The 24-year-old said silver was "nothing to be sad about" despite falling just short of his target of matching compatriot Rose Davies' historic 5000-10,000m double.

"The plan is always gold and gold. Unfortunately, it fell a little short, you know," Robinson said.

Australia's women's 4x100m relay team were a whisker away from a medal, finishing a gallant fourth.

Aussie cyclists send Olympic warning shot

Leigh Hoffman has won his second gold medal in Glasgow, admitting he wished Matt Richardson was competing before a massive crash marred the men's scratch race.

This event was supposed to be one of the top stories of the Glasgow Games, given Richardson's stunning defection from Australia to Great Britain after winning three medals at the Paris Olympics.

But Richardson, the heir apparent to Dutch sprint great Harry Lavreysen, pulled out of Glasgow after a nasty crash while racing in the Japan keirin series.

Instead, Hoffman set a Games record in 200m qualifying and then tore through the field on Sunday morning, beating Trinidad and Tobago's Nicholas Paul two heats to nil in the final.

Fellow Australian Tayte Ryan, who lost to Hoffman in the semi-finals, won bronze.

For all the obvious rivalry, Hoffman said he felt for Richardson.

"It would have been great if he was here, I could see how I stack up against him, but we'll have to see if he can beat my Commonwealth Games record, or I can beat it again next time."

After his sprint gold, Hoffman was asked about Richardson's pre-Games comment that he only had one bike while racing for Australia, and now he travels with five.

"Every time I see an article it goes up … I think eight bikes now, it just keeps going up and up and up," Hoffman said.

"I only need one bike to get the job done."

Hoffman said his silver medal the day before in the keirin gave him "a bit of fire", adding Australia's strong cycling performance in Scotland was a good sign two years out from the Olympics.

Day three of the Games' track cycling also ended with a crash that took out seven riders on the second-last lap of men's scratch race.

The three Australians in the field avoided the pile-up and Tom Cornish won silver.

Claudia Marcks also won a surprise silver in the women's 1km time trial, but Georgia Baker did not add to her gold medal haul, claiming bronze in the women's points race.

Marcks, who won gold in the women's team pursuit, was a surprise medallist in the 1km time trial.

Showing her track endurance pedigree, Marcks was only 13th fastest after the first of four laps. But she powered home ad only Finucane could beat her.

Baker's bronze in the 25km women's points race means her bid to become the first Australian cyclist to win six Games gold medals will come down to the elimination race on the last day of competition

Baker has won two gold medals in Glasgow.

Jess Gallagher and her pilot Jacqui Mengler-Mohr took silver behind New Zealand in the tandem B 1km time trial.

Kane Perris and pilot Luke Zaccaria beat Malaysia in the bronze-medal ride-off for the men's tandem B sprint.

Australia lead the cycling gold tally at the Games with seven.

Diamonds shock loss, walkers triple treat

One of Australia's most anticipated gold medals went begging earlier in the day, as the Diamonds suffered a shock 46-45 loss to Jamacia in the final second of the netball semi-finals.

Veteran Diamond's centre said the loss was a "full team" one.

"We have the players to get the job done, but we just didn't do it today," she said.

"Credit to Jamaica, but we needed to be better today."

The Diamonds will now take on England tomorrow for the bronze medal.

There was no such disappointment for Australia's race walkers Jemima Montag, Lizzy McMillen and Bec Henderson, who won gold, silver and bronze respectively to sweep the event.

Montag said she had the utmost respect for silver medallist McMillen and bronze medallist Bec Henderson, but there were no friends out on the track.

"Not in a race. In training, absolutely, but in a race you have to be selfish. Unfortunately it's an individual sport, not a team," she said.