Commonwealth Games 2022: Embarrassing blunder costs Aussie marathon medal

Australian marathon runner Liam Adams finshed seven seconds out of the medals in the men’s marathon and then confessed to a terrible pre-race mistake.

Melbourne sparky Liam Adams has revealed he didn’t know the lay-out of the Birmingham marathon course after going out too fast early which cost him a bronze medal.

The gutsy Aussie ended up finishing fourth, seven seconds shy of getting on the podium after leading for more than half the race in a move he admitted was a mistake afterwards.

“I didn’t have a clue (about the course),” Adams said. “I was sent a map of the course but the format didn’t work on my phone so I didn’t have a clue.

“I was just guessing the whole way. I didn’t know how many hills there were and that last half was absolutely brutal.

“I probably went a bit too hard at the start and that just caused carnage in the end.”

Uganda’s Victor Kiplangat won the gold in 2hr10min55sec from Tanzania’s Alphonce Felix Simbu (2:12.29sec) with Kenya’s Michael Mugo Githae third (2:13.16sec).

Tanzania's Alphonce Felix Simbu and eventual winner, Uganda's Victor Kiplangat, on Australia's Liam Adams, lead the field in the men's Marathon final on the shoulder of Liam Adams.

Adams, who sprinted hard over the final 100m to finish in 2:13.23sec, said he was hoping to get under the guard of the Africans with his daring early tactics having him in the lead at the 25km mark.

“It was really slow at the start, it was just way too easy and I thought I might as well just make a bit of a gap,” he said.

“I thought that the Kenyans and the Africans would go, ‘This Muzungu is no good and just let him go’. So I tried to see if I could get a bit of distance but they never let me go.

“I don’t know how far I got ahead of them but they were always in touch. I just made it honest.

“Those guys are world-class, 2:05 and 2:06 type guys, I’m not in their league so I just thought I’d try and stick with them and hold onto them and I did alright considering.”

Adams, 35, whose fourth place was his best effort in three Commonwealth Games appearances, said it was tough combining a full-time job as an electrician with running marathons.

Lia­m Adams finished fourth in the marathone. Picture: Ben Stansall / AFP

“It’s pretty labouring on the body and I’m certainly not doing double-runs like those guys, I’m getting out there after work, sometimes I just have to go home and have a nap,” he said.

“Then I’m going for a run after work and still out at 10pm at night so eating dinner late, it’s a pretty shocking cycle I have got.

“So I’m proud (of today), it was a narrow miss in the end, he’s a quality runner so to be that close to him, it’s definitely a great run.

“Hopefully all the weekend warriors, anyone working the 9 to 5 who’s battling with the work-running type lifestyle, hopefully they can look at that and find some inspiration. If I can do it then they can do it too.”

Australia’s Andrew Buchanan finished seventh in his Games debut, clocking 2:15.40sec.

‘Brutal and cruel’: Madi’s record-breaking marathon feat

Madi de Rozario hopes her stunning success at the Commonwealth Games will inspire a new generation of wheelchair racers after a field of only four competed in Birmingham.

While the Australian superstar was unchallenged by her rivals in defending her Commonwealth crown, the toughness of the course certainly tested the reigning Olympic marathon champion.

“The actual course was one of the hardest marathons I have done in my life with the most brutal part of it being the last 5km which is the cruellest way to have to end the marathon,” she said after setting a Commonwealth Games record of 1hr56min.

Madison de Rozario crosses the finish line to win the para-women's T53/54 marathon final at the Commonwealth Games. Picture: Andy Buchanan / AFP

“It was definitely a tough race and I’m feeling it. It’s definitely a little motivator when you know what it is like to have been on the top of that podium. You want it a bit more.”

De Rozario, who defeated 21-year-old Englishwoman Eden Rainbow-Cooper by almost four minutes, said the quality of the field was there despite being small in number.

“Regardless of the size of the field, it’s an incredibly elite field,” she said. “Shelley (Oxley-Woods) is a silver medallist in this event. Christie (Dawes) is a bronze medallist in the 5k and yet it was Eden (Rainbow-Cooper) who was ahead of both of them.

“That talked to the calibre of the younger athletes coming through. Yeah it was a small field but it was a tough race.

Madison de Rozario celebrates with Coach, Louise Sauvage after her marathon victory. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

“There is so much we can do (as a sport), it is so hard to keep girls in the sport and we need more pathways and events like the Commonwealth Games where they get the coverage they get.

“Getting girls with disabilities into sport is incredibly challenging, the only thing more challenging is keeping us in it.”

De Rozario, 28, will now turn her attention to the track where she will look to defend her 1500m title from four years at the Gold Coast.

In the men’s race it was gold to England’s Johnboy Smith (1hr41min15sec) with Australia’s Jake Lappin finishing fifth (1:56.21sec)