Wonderful Wednesday brings home a sensational eight medals

A sensational eight medals went around Orkney necks today on another spellbinding day of action at the Orkney International Island Games.

After the latest successes, Orkney are in sixth position in the overall medal table, with seven gold medals and a haul of 22 medals over four days of competition.

After magnificent Monday and terrific Tuesday, Orkney’s athletes ensured it was a wonderful Wednesday.

Two of Orkney’s top athletes enjoyed that golden feeling once more as Taylah Paterson and Eve Wood did the business again.

Paterson cemented her place as the sprinting queen of the Island Games with a dominant 24.22-second dash to the line to become a double gold medallist.

Wood’s place as the queen of Orkney swimming was not up for debate but here she again delivered on the Island Games stage, with a gold in the 50m freestyle.

Anna Tait enjoyed a stellar run in the 5,000m to cross the line in second place and pick up her second medal of the games.

Rebecca Reid and Jody Groundwater created their own slice of history by winning Orkney badminton’s first-ever Island Games medal.

They reached the semi-finals — losing out to a strong Faroese pairing — with the losing pairs in the last four each receiving a bronze.

It was a red-letter day for Orkney squash as three medals were collected from three finals.

Jane Thomson and Aimee Drever, and the two Adam’s of Stanger and Bews, won their respective bronze medal matches in the doubles competitions.

A medal hat-trick was achieved as Finlay Scott and Aimee Drever won a silver in the mixed doubles.

Another swimming talent, Alfie Price, won a bronze in the 50m butterfly in a time of 24.51 seconds.

Away from the medals, there were a host of positive performances from Orkney athletes.

Steven Rendall’s two-under-par round of 63 in Stromness has put him in firm contention for a medal in golf.

Darryl Callister, from the Isle of Man, boasts a six-shot lead over fellow Manx Robert Noon, with Rendall a shot further back in third.

Michael Schinkel is two shots further back in fifth after a third-round 66, and Lee Findlay’s 67 has him in seventh. Steven Walls is in thirteenth.

Nicola Sutherland is tied in eighth after her round in Kirkwall, shooting a 76 for a three-round total of 235.

Shona Croy is one shot back on 236 after an 81 today, with Michelle Clouston and Shona Slater 18th and 26th.

In the team events, the men’s side are currently in silver medal position, while the women occupy the bronze medal place.

Bowls triples side, Barrie Bruce, Greg Rendall and Kevin Watters, have a 100 per cent record after four matches and are well on their way to another medal.

Yvonne Rendall secured a fifth place finish in the shot putt; Emily McArthur and Ava Luke qualified for the 800m final; and Ewan Foubister and Alistair Mackenzie both competed in the men’s 800m final.

The cycling time trial took place in the West Mainland, with a host of Orkney riders pedalling.

Claire Rendall, finished sixth; Kirsty Watson was ninth; Olga Tierney eleventh; Alison Leitch thirteenth and Anna Livsey also racing.

In the men, Chris Petrie was 24th with Erik Bews, Roger Hall and Tom Lynch in action also.