Mark Swan of England secured the opening gold medal of the Commonwealth Games in the men’s lightweight para powerlifting competition, claiming victory in one of the closest finishes in the sport’s history.
The 25-year-old lifted 222kg to finish level with Nigeria’s Roland Ezuruike on 153.9 points after the second round of lifts. Both athletes failed on their final attempts, and Swan was awarded gold after his score proved superior to Ezuruike’s when compared to the second decimal place. The Englishman appeared uncertain about the victory immediately after the competition, initially believing he had finished in third place before his coaching staff confirmed he had won. Swan also attempted a world record-equalling lift of 232kg, which was ruled out following a challenge, though he noted the attempt represented a significant personal achievement regardless of the outcome.
Malaysia’s Bonnie Bunyau Gustin, a two-time Paralympic champion and defending Commonwealth Games title holder, took the bronze medal after finishing 0.4 points behind the leading pair. Gustin arrived at the Games as the world record-holder in the under-72kg category and had dominated the lightweight division throughout much of the decade. Swan acknowledged that competing against Gustin and Ezuruike, a Rio 2016 Paralympic champion and Commonwealth gold medallist, provided considerable motivation.
Swam expressed satisfaction at delivering England’s first gold medal of the Games. Fellow England para powerlifter Liam McGarry attended the competition despite ruling himself out of the Games after battling sepsis earlier in the year. Scotland’s Finlay Davidson competed in his Commonwealth debut in the same event, finishing fifth with lifts of 156kg, 161kg and 166kg, an improvement over his Commonwealth ranking despite suffering a trap strain during the week leading up to the Games.
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