Women’s 800M final at the Commonwealth Games

The reigning world champion from Kenya, Lillian Adira. Good wins on the circuit, particularly the Prefontaine Diamond League, where she ran away from all the best women there. Oritol Noe of Botswana will go in lane six. African silver this year. She is a national record holder with 156 from last year. Georgia Hunterbell, Olympic bronze medallist, world silver medallist, world indoor champion. Whose title spread across 800 and 1500. But she selected the two laps for this championships. Billings of Australia broke the Oceanic record this season, 157.01. She's very good at judging her effort. St Vincent and the Grenadines are represented in this final by Shafika Maloney. She's their national record holder. 157.25 last year, close to that this year. This year's Jamaican national champion will go in lane two, Kellyanne Beckford. First round looked a little shaky. She looked brilliant, though, to make this final in her semifinal yesterday. And the final athlete in lane one, Rachel Koppenstein of Mauritius. In her Commonwealth Games debut, most of her career, competing for Switzerland. She got married this year and switched to represent Mauritius. Changed her surname and her nation. She's still a high quality athlete, of course. Eight women for the women's 800 metre final. I believe Georgia Hunterbell doesn't already have a Commonwealth Games medal, given the accolade she's already built up. Lillian Adira, as well, is here in her Commonwealth Games debut. Let's see if we got anybody that fancies leading this race. Or until Norway of Botswana, just darting to the front and then looking around and saying, I don't want it to be me. Koppenstein trying to hold her own on the inside. She wouldn't want to get squeezed by the pack here. And Isabel Boffi of Wales pulls up alongside Georgia Hunterbell. I'm not sure Hunterbell would want to lead this ideally, but it was a decision she made down the back straight there in the big pack. Yeah, Hunterbell has found herself at the front. Isabel Boffi has positioned herself nicely and Adira just poised exactly where Adira is never, ever going to lead a race. She's so tactically aware. But we do know that Hunterbell is very, very strong. The athletes are really bunching up now. And you see Billings just coming, making her way towards the front as they approach the bell. It's not that quick, through the bell, 60 seconds. And Georgia Hunterbell could squeeze this to the front. It was a good move from Billings at around about 300 metres when she probably saw the split there and thought, this isn't all that fast. Hunterbell staying at the front, but I think she's just starting to lift. I think Hunterbell will try and lift every 100. Billings is on her shoulder. Koptenstein on the inside. Shafiqa Maloney looking for space on the outside. And Lillian Adira, the world champion. We're nearly in the last 200 and the world champion is in sixth place. It's so tight down there on the track. Everybody trying to find some positioning. And Hunterbell has gone for the long kick for home. That was a pace into the final 200 metres. She checks the screens. Billings is right behind her. Adira grits her teeth on the outside. Games title, striding away from Lillian Adira. Up to her in that final 100, it's a tight 59.50s. Best of Adira over the last...