Commonwealth Games: Australia’s Brandon Starc wins high jump gold

AUSSIE high jumper Brandon Starc has leapt out of the shadow of Test cricketer brother Mitchell, soaring to the Commonwealth Games high jump gold medal on Wednesday night.

Australia's Brandon Starc won gold in the high jump.

UPDATE: AUSSIE high jumper Brandon Starc has leapt out of the shadow of Test cricketer brother Mitchell, soaring to the Commonwealth Games high jump gold medal on Wednesday night.

The ecstatic fast bowler was among the first to congratulate his brother on the breakout victory, which headlined Australia’s third day at Carrara Stadium.

“How bloody good. (I’m) super proud of him,’’ Mitchell Starc said.

“Brandon has worked his backside off and this is such a fitting reward for him.”

For almost three years, Starc has seen high jump bars fall when sitting above his 2.31m personal best, achieved at the 2015 world championships.

In a three-man shootout at Carrara Stadium, Starc, 24 was the only man to make a clearance at 2.32m.

Brandon Starc celebrates on Wednesday night.

“It’s put my name out there now. 100 per cent,’’ Brandon Starc said.

“I’m not putting anything on Mitchell – what he has done is incredible. But it’s a good feeling.”

“My heel was hurting a little bit just here, but I pushed through. I knew I was in good form and I just had to back myself and believe in myself. That’s what I did and, look what happened.”

Four jumpers had better season-best heights than Starc’s 2.28m, but the Sydneysider gave Australia a first gold medal in the event since the win by Tim Forsyth at the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Canada.

Jamal Wilson, of the Bahamas, passed at 2.32m, giving him only one attempt at 2.34m, while under the rules Starc had as many as three.

Australia’s Brandon Starc on his way to winning gold in the high jump on Wednesday night.

Silver medallist Wilson hit the bar with his shoulder, giving Starc.the gold medal.

It was a tenacious competition by Starc, as he missed a height at each of three previous heights _ 2.24m, 2.27m and 2.30m.

Brandon Starc played cricket and also football when a boy before embracing the high jump and is a social media oddity because of his name’s similarity to the Game of Thrones character Brandon “Bran’’ Stark.

After his preliminary jumps on Tuesday, Starc had said he was over the “enjoy the experience kind of thing’’ of competing at a championships and forecast that he was pushing for “medals for sure, PBs’’.

Starc made the Rio 2016 Olympics final, but had to pick up the pieces late last year after a shin injury stopped him from going to the London world championships.

Brandon Starc (left) with his brother, Test cricketer Mitchell.

He placed eighth at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games as a 20-year-old.

Bronze medallist Django Lovett, of Canada, quit the competition after straining his left hamstring in missing his second attempt at 2.32.

England’s run of outs at Carrara Stadium continued when Robert Grabarz, the entrant with the highest season-best of 2.31m, exited the competition with just 2.19m.

Originally published as Commonwealth Games: Australia’s Brandon Starc wins high jump gold