Commonwealth Games records broken as sodden Scotstoun stages pulsating 100m finals

Torrential rainfall over the course of the evening made underfoot conditions extremely tricky for the elite athletes, with those who braved the elements intrigued to see how the venue's new running track would stand up to the inclement weather.

It didn't effect Emmanuel Eseme of Cameroon and New Zealand's Zoe Hobbs as the pair sprinted to Commonwealth golds in their individual finals in record times.

A race that has captivated sports fans since the ancient Olympic Games, the 100 meters remains a premium attraction and is decided by milliseconds, demanding flawless execution. Blink and you'll miss it.

In years gone by, all-time greats including Usain Bolt, Florence Griffith Joyner, Noah Lyles have turned the event into a mainstream show of sheer speed. Records have been shattered, national heroes formed.

The chances of breaking any records here appeared slim given the atrocious and deteriorating conditions. Not for Eseme, who is on track to take his seat in the higher echelons of the event and join such esteemed company as he motored across the finish line in a time of 9.83, setting a new Commonwealth Games record in the process. Silver went to Australia's Lachlan Kennedy (9.85) and Kayinsola Ajayi of Nigeria (9.90) clinched bronze.

Hobbs then stole the show in the final race of the night as the Kiwi celebrated a new Oceania record in a time of 10.93 as she edged out England's Amy Hunt (10.98) and Torrie Lewis of Australia (10.99) in a head-bobbing finish.

Butchart’s bid for 10,000m glory fizzles out

Scotland's medal hopes lay elsewhere. Andy Butchart was hunting a podium finish in the Men's 10,000m Final in what could prove to be a Games swansong for the 34-year-old, who is currently enjoying a career resurgence after a troublesome few years with injuries.

The Dunblane veteran and two-time Team GB representative at the Olympics had described his 2026 season the "best version" of his career after setting a new Scottish 10km record (27:44) in Valencia earlier this year. He had promised the home crowd to leave everything out on the track in his bid for glory after delivering some eye-catching displays in recent months.

Setting out on 25 gruelling laps in driving rain, Butchart was content to set the early fractions before dropping gradually back through the pack as the race began to warm up and the main protagonists came to the fore. He became detached from the leaders with six circuits remaining before crossing the line in a season's best time of 28 minutes and 16.75 seconds, but it was only good enough for 13th place.

"It was a tough one tonight," conceded the former parkrun world record holder. "I thought I was in better shape than that, but it was fun to race in front of the home crowd. I'll do it again [in the 5,000m], but I'll never experience that sort of thing again. So it was very enjoyable on a nice track.

"I actually was wishing for the rain beforehand, but it maybe came down a bit too much! The guys were sweeping the track whilst we were going round, so some laps were wetter than others, but the weather just added to the atmosphere, so it was nice. I'll go back, recover, fuel up and then go again on Saturday."

Explaining his decision to lead from the front in the early stages, Butchart said: "It wasn't a tactic to take it out, it was just to stay out of trouble. Last night, the women's 10k it was quite yo-yo, so I thought if I stayed near the front, I could control the pace in a way by either pushing the person in front of me or slowing it up if I had to, but I was basically just trying to stay out of trouble.

"We weren't running relatively quick the first half, it was smooth and no one wanted to really take it on, so I was comfortable and felt okay up there at the start for sure, but when the move came with five or six laps to go, I didn't have much left in the legs. I thought that it might slow down again but it didn't, so the field never came back to me and that was that. A bit frustrated with how I reacted at that point, but it's done now, so I can't do anything about it."

Asked how he will pick himself up mentally for the 5,000 meters, Butchart grinned: "The crowd does it for me. I've got family here, all my mates are supporting, so yeah, I'll come back in the 5k, hopefully put on a better performance than I did tonight, but we'll see what happens."

By the time Aberdeen debutant Angela McAuslan-Kelly kick-started the Women's Hammer Throw Final, a ripple of thunder overhead led some spectators seated in temporary stands at each end of the stadium to head for the exits early while others sought cover under umbrellas.

"I have never thrown in such bad conditions in my life," said the 20-year-old. "I went out thinking a bit of rain would be fun but that was carnage."

Edinburgh's Allie Routledge was Scotland's sole representative in the Women's Heptathlon, which commenced in the morning session. She got her campaign up and running by recording a personal best time of 14.20 in the 100m hurdles before leaping to a season's best of 1.67 in the high jump.

Reappearing later that evening and tackling one of her weaker events, Routledge threw 10.13 in the shot put and concluded her day's work by running 26.01 in the 200 meters to leave her languishing down in 14th place on 3102 points at the halfway stage, with the competition to be concluded on Wednesday.

Nicole Yeargin qualified for the Women's 400m semi-finals after breezing through her heat in a time of 52.44, but there was heartbreak for Jamie Phillips and Brodie Young as both men narrowly missed out on progression in the 800m and 400m events respectively.

Steven Stone retired early from the Men's Long Jump T20 Final after three failed attempts.