Australian Men win doubles squash gold

From Glasgow adversaries to Gold Coast doubles gold, the love was real between David Palmer and Zac Alexander.

Australian women win doubles squash bronze

Four years after Australian squash's ugly 2014 Commonwealth Games spat, its two protagonists stood arm in arm with gold medals around their necks on Sunday, the reward for holding their nerve against England's indefatigable duo Daryl Selby and Adrian Waller.
Most of all, Sunday's nerve-racking triumph represented a symbolic line in the sand following the drama in Scotland, where a late Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling saw a furious Alexander ejected from the athletes' village and replaced by a player then coached by Palmer.
But it also marked a momentous individual moment for both men, the less likely of Australia's two male doubles teams after reigning world champions Ryan Cuskelly and Cameron Pilley exited in the quarter-finals.
For Alexander, 29, it was an "unbelievable" end to his belated Games debut.
"It's the best kind if you're going to win your first medal," Alexander said.
"This is as good as it gets."
For stalwart Palmer, it added a third gold medal and ninth overall to a decorated career at his sixth Games.
And after twice coming out of retirement for more glory, the 41-year-old former world No.1 confirmed there are no plans for another John Farnham-style final tour.


"No, this is it," Palmer said.
"I couldn't dream of a better finish for me.
"I'd love to be back sometime as a manager or coach or something but I'll finish on a high.
"It's been great with Zac. We rode under the radar this week as fifth seeds and it was nice not to have the pressure on us.
"It maybe wasn't our best squash today and they made it difficult for us the way they played but we found a way."
The Aussies took time to find their groove in the 11-9 3-11 11-6 win, coming from behind to claim the first game before England strolled to the second.
Down 3-0 in the third, their game finally clicked and the momentum shifted irreversibly.
"Zac was calling the plays all week and I was happy to follow his lead and energy," Palmer said.
"It's fantastic for him to take the gold, he really deserves it.
"It takes a good team. These things aren't won individually."
Earlier on Sunday, fellow Australians Rachael Grinham and mixed doubles gold medallist Donna Urquhart won bronze in the women's doubles.
The pair claimed a straightforward 2-0 play-off win over England duo Laura Massaro and Sarah-Jane Perry to ensure veteran Grinham added an eighth Games medal to her own prolific career.