West Australian Nina Kennedy was blown off her course to claim back-to-back Commonwealth gold in the women’s pole vault final while Australia’s sprinters couldn’t quite back up their 100m success.

The reigning Olympic and Commonwealth champion had been heavily favoured to not only take gold but also chase the illustrious five metre mark, having cleared 4.95m in the lead-up to the Games.

But windy conditions, which have been a feature all week at Scotstoun Stadium, played havoc in the final, with the majority of the field being knocked out before Kennedy’s first jump.

She cleared 4.45m with ease, but the crucial moment came at 4.65m, where she failed on her first attempt, which New Zealand’s Eliza McCartney cleared first try to put her ahead on countback.

No one could get over 4.70m, with Kennedy forced to settle for silver, with Kiwi Imogen Ayris taking bronze with 4.55m.

Kennedy admitted she was bitterly disappointed with the result.

“If you don’t laugh, you’ll cry. I’m disappointed. I wanted the gold. I don’t think I’ve jumped that low in four years. The conditions which have been helpful for sprinters are terrible for us,” she said.

“I came second on countback, and Eliza is an incredible jumper. There have been so many positives about this, and seeing her win and crying touched my cold heart a little bit.

“I know I’m in really good shape and I didn’t show that out there today. I think that just shows I’m human and we all make mistakes and that’s OK.

“My family are still going to love me the same, my friends are still going to love me the same. They’re still proud of me, first, second or third, or no height. That’s what’s important.”

There was also no joy for Australia’s fastest man and woman as Lachlan Kennedy and Torrie Lewis settled for sixth in their respective 200m finals.

Kennedy was stuck with a tough draw in lane one as he was eventually swallowed up on the straight after a blistering start.

“I knew if I wanted to win I had to risk it; that bend is brutal, it’s so tight,” he said.

“I’m gassed; I just didn’t have enough left in the tank.”

“I would have liked to have run a bit faster, but I’m not the best of lane one.”

Lewis looked in a strong position coming round the bend of her final but couldn’t find a higher gear to finish sixth in 22.88.

“Not what I wanted for the 200, but I made the final so I’m still proud of that,” she says.

“I feel like we’ve tried to develop my speed and start technique this year, and the 200 will come. It’s all a process, and I’m not too upset.”

Despite the disappointment, there was still plenty for Australia to celebrate on the penultimate day of action with 19-year-old Isaac Beacroft taking gold in the men’s 10km walk.

For much of the race it looked as if he and WA’s Declan Tingay would finish in a one-two before Tingay copped a 60-second penalty, leaving him a lap down.

Beacroft, who was once part of Greater Western Sydney’s academy, burst away from Kenyan Stephen Kihu to take the win and was positively buzzing with the result.

“I’m pretty stoked; I knew it was going to be a tough race, but I was happy to hold on there,” he said.

“As soon as that pace was pretty honest, I knew it was going to come down to who’s got the most left in the tank with 300m to go.

“Kihu was kind of taunting me the entire race, telling me to go around ‘come on, lead it’, and I just said ‘in your dreams, this is not happening today’.

“I was happy for him to set the pace and then I took over late and with zero warnings I knew I had to risk it and I thought I’d floor it and break him as much as I could.

“It’s pretty good to have someone getting around it, having a bit of a tactical chat in the middle of the race. It’s all friendly, got to the end, shook his hand.”

He wasn’t the only athlete with an AFL connection to find success with Sarah Billings, sister of former St Kilda star Jack, claiming bronze in the women’s 800m final.

It is Australia’s first medal in the event since 1990 as she finished just 0.03 behind World Champion and silver medallist Kenyan Lillian Odira in 2:00.58.

Australia picked up a silver and bronze in the T38 long jump with Layla Sharp and Ayla Kowalczyk both setting personal best marks in the final.

Sharp almost claimed gold on her final jump with a mighty 5.06m, just 3cm behind Wales’ Olivia Breen.

Kowalczyk also saved her best for last, claiming bronze with 4.71m on a countback.

Eliza Ault-Connell bounced back from a crash in a rerun of the 1500m T54 final after Canadian Nandini Sharma was disqualified and stripped of her silver medal after cutting off Ault-Connell in the first final.

The 44-year-old claimed the fourth medal of her career, though Australian Mikaela Dingley, who claimed bronze initially after Sharma’s disqualification, missed out on the podium in the rerun.

“It’s almost like ‘cruel to be kind ’, but we all go through that, and those opportunities are going to help you grow as an athlete,” Ault-Connell said.

“To have the opportunity to have this race re-run and for everyone to be able to go out there and put on their best in great conditions is really the outcome that all the athletes want.

“It’s a pretty full-circle moment and an opportunity that as a senior athlete I didn’t think I’d be afforded.”