Swimming: Poolside tears for defeated Kiwis

New Zealand's Lauren Boyle catches her breath after narrowly missing bronze in the women's 200m freestyle final. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Medley specialist Natalie Wiegersma's first Commonwealth Games final ended in tears late last night.

The Southlander was pipped for the bronze medal by a shattering .03s in the 200m individual medley final, having been in the top three throughout the four-discipline race until the last desperate strokes.

Wiegersma had qualified fifth fastest for the final and went toe to toe with Australian hotshot Emily Seebohm and her compatriot Alicia Coutts, only to be bumped out of the medals by Canadian Julia Wilkinson.

Wiegersma broke down in tears in the tunnel after emerging from the pool.

Coutts won in a Games-record time of 2min 09.07, with Wiegersma clocking 2:12.12. It was no consolation to the 20-year-old that it eclipsed her own national record. Wilkinson touched in 2:12.09.

Lauren Boyle's hopes of being New Zealand's first Games medallist sank in the final leg of the women's 200m freestyle final earlier in the opening finals session.

The slender, 22-year-old Aucklander was right in the frame at the 150m mark when she sat third.

However, she tied up in the final 50m to trail in seventh in 1min 58.96, .64s behind Melissa Ingram's national record.

Australian Kylie Palmer won the first gold of the Games meet, in 1:57.50, from Welsh swimmer Jazmin Carlin (1:58.29), with English swimming's golden girl Rebecca Adlington third, .18s back.

Boyle had little to say after the race, visibly disappointed after having qualified third for the final from the morning heats.

"I'm just disappointed I couldn't get my best time here," she said. Her season best is 1:58.58. She is now aiming herself at her better events, the 400m and 800m freestyle.

There was good news for the New Zealand squad in the men's sprint semifinals.

Daniel Bell and Gareth Kean both advanced to tonight's 50m backstroke final. Bell was fifth fastest in 25.44s, .46s faster than his heat time; Kean not far behind in seventh overall, in 25.87, fractionally slower than the morning swim.

Australian trio Ashley Delaney, Hayden Stoeckel and Daniel Arnamnart were the three fastest qualifiers, hinting at a green-and-gold clean sweep tonight.

Hayley Palmer dead-heated for third in her semifinal of the 50m butterfly. Her time, 27.14, matched that of Ellen Gandy, of England. That meant the option of a race-off for the pair to decide eighth spot. The decision was still being made early today.