Lewis Clareburt laid the foundation and Zoe Hobbs shattered the glass ceiling. It was a golden day for New Zealand in Glasgow, scooping two gold and two silver medals at the Commonwealth Games on Wednesday. Swimming star Clareburt defended his men’s 400m medley title in the pool, while Hobbs lit up the track to be crowned the women’s 100m champion with an Oceania record. Dunedin-raised swimmer Erika Fairweather won silver in the women’s 800m freestyle — earning her fifth medal at Glasgow — and Lauren Bruce won silver in the women’s hammer throw. Clareburt, who had already won gold in the 200m butterfly, came home strongly in 4min 8.72sec, 0.02sec off his Games record from Birmingham. The 27-year-old earlier won silver in the 200m medley and could make the podium again in the 200m freestyle on Thursday. “It’s a pretty good feeling,’’ Clareburt told Sky Sport. Hobbs produced the race of her career in torrential rain to set an Oceania 100m record of 10.93sec. The 28-year-old — whose time was 0.01sec off the bronze medal-winning time at the Paris Olympics — was in tears after becoming the first Kiwi woman to win the event, having finished fifth in Birmingham. She joins Otago runner Don Jowett, who won gold in the men’s 220 yards at the Vancouver Olympics in 1954, as the only New Zealanders to win sprinting gold at a pinnacle event. “I can’t even put it into words — it’s crazy,’’ Hobbs said. “I just think about the time when I was told that I shouldn’t do the 100m because it’s too hard to do, that I should consider doing other events because I’ll never make it as a sprinter in the 100m. “Here I am making the Games — let alone getting a medal — it’s just crazy.’’ Fairweather, who has moved to Auckland, closed her campaign with silver in the 800m freestyle in 8min 24.97sec. She joins fellow Dunedin-raised swimmer Danyon Loader, who won five medals at the 1994 Commonwealth Games. “It’s so special to be likened to a legend like him,’’ Fairweather said. “It’s crazy. “We kind of came in with the goal as collecting as many as possible so to walk away with five is insane.’’ Bruce got her redemption medal — after falling at the qualifiers in Birmingham — winning silver in the women’s hammer throw with 69.82m. Weightlifter Cam McTaggart also won silver in the men’s 88kg division on Tuesday. Dunedin swimmer Caitlin Deans finished fourth in the women’s 800m freestyle. kayla.hodge@odt.co.nz
