Commonwealth Games 2022 LIVE: Laura Muir storms to 1500m gold after England win women’s hockey title

Bad to worse for Geraint Thomas - he’s desperately gesticulating to the car behind him, furiously shouting into his radio and presumably in need of assistance. Clearly something on his bike is bothering him, but his speed so far has been strong. If he stops, that’ll be that, surely, for his medal hopes.

Dan Bigham is fastest through the first time check! He looks strong, the Englishman, technically perfect as always as he looks to add another medal after securing team pursuit silver on the track.

But Bigham isn’t top for long - Rohan Dennis is flying! When he gets it right, there are few purer sights on a time trial bike and he is more than 30 seconds up on the rest of the field after 8.9km of the 37.4km course.

Here comes Geraint Thomas. What’s the damage? There or there abouts with Bigham, Aaron Gate and Fred Wright, as well as the unfortunate Lukas Plapp, who dropped out of contention earlier after an untimely late mechanical.

Disaster for the Welshman! Oh, an early error from Geraint Thomas and down he goes! Thomas came in to a corner slightly too quick, overcooking the turn and sliding in to the barriers as he tried to right his line.

Sadly, it’s a familiar tale for the accident-prone rider, who enjoyed an oddly incident free tour. That almost certainly ends his hopes of gold if Dennis’ legs are good - thankfully he is back on his bike, but he’ll have 30 seconds or so to make up.

But it would be a real surprise if both Geraint Thomas and Rohan Dennis don’t both end up on the podium. Both riders are underway with the whole of the field now out on course.

Next out of the start ramp is New Zealand’s Aaron Gate, who has hot-footed it up from the Lee Valley VeloPark after winning individual and team pursuit gold on the opening weekend of these Commonwealth Games. A gold is probably out of his reach here, but Gate has won national and continental time trial titles before, and might have an outside shot at a medal.

Scotland’s John Archibald follows Gate down, before aerodynamically-obsessed Englishman Dan Bigham sets off - the 30-year-old works for Ineos as a race engineer and is the holder of the British hour record. He is also the partner of Joss Lowden, who was a slightly disappointing 12th in the women’s time trial earlier less than a week on from finishing the Tour de France Femmes.

It looks a gorgeous afternoon in Wolverhampton, and the second group of men’s time triallists are making their way down the burgundy paths of West Park and on to the Black Country streets.

Fred Wright is getting comfortable in the leader’s chair, the likeable Londoner chewing the ear off of Lukas Plapp and Owen Doull alongside him - presumed favourites Rohan Dennis and Geraint Thomas begin in about ten minutes.

One English athlete has already made history at Sandwell during these Commonwealth Games, with Tom Dean’s haul of seven medals a record for the nation. Dean rather enjoyed the atmosphere inside the rather impressive aquatics centre.

“The crowd has been unlike any sporting arena for swimming I’ve experienced, and I doubt I ever will again,” the double Olympic gold medal-winning freestyler said. “It was so special, so electric. The roof came off that place every time an England team or an English swimmer walked out. It was just incredible.”

No qualification on the line, but a good chance for the male divers to settle in on the 1m springboard and test their limbs are in good working order ahead of this evening’s final. Jack Laugher started slowly at the Sandwell Aquatics Centre, making two errors on his first three dives, but his second three dives were much more solid, and he progresses fourth.

Australia’s Shizin Lee, a double world champion in this discipline when a representative of China, topped the standings. He and Laugher completed the podium at this year’s Worlds in Budapest behind young Chinese star Wang Zongyuan. The final starts in about four hours - 18.05 BST.

Jake Wightman admitted being introduced as the new world champion was just the boost he needed to kick his Commonwealth Games campaign into gear.

It’s just 16 days since Wightman claimed 1500m gold in Oregon and he admits emotions have been spinning ever since.

But it was back to business in Birmingham as he won his heat to advance to Saturday’s showpiece final, a high-quality highlight of the athletics programme here.

James Toney reports from the Alexander Stadium as Wightman began with a solid heat:

The Sandwell Aquatics Centre is the only entirely new venue of these Commonwealth Games, but the organisers required a first-rate venue for a busy programme of swimming and diving. The action in the 50m pool concluded last night, requiring a donning of the disposable overshoes and a hurry across the complex to the diving pool, where action has begun.

The men’s 1m springboard divers are the first to do battle, with eleven competitors doing battle in a preliminary round to decide which...eleven men are in the final.

Yes, all entrants will go through, meaning it is only start order to be determined in this first round.

England’s Jack Laugher has won this title at the last two Commonwealth Games.