Lizzie Armitstead and Geraint Thomas won gold in their respective road races on the final day of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, on this day in 2014.

Armitstead – now Lizzie Deignan – led an England one-two ahead of retiring team-mate Emma Pooley in an exciting women’s race.

Pooley, in her last race before switching to endurance triathlons, played a brilliant selfless role in the 98-kilometres event – seven laps of a 14km undulating course – and finished with silver as 25-year-old Armitstead triumphed.

“I just feel like I deserve it,” said the Otley rider, who claimed silver behind Australia’s Rochelle Gilmore in Delhi four years ago and secured Britain’s first medal of London 2012 – with Olympic silver – behind Marianne Vos of Holland.

“I’ve trained so hard. I’m always on the podium, I don’t win that many races.

“It’s just a confidence thing. Once you’ve got a big title, you can call yourself a champion finally.”

England finished top of the medal table with 174, 58 of them gold.

Thomas won gold for Wales in the men’s discipline, triumphing in torrential rain in a race which became about survival and brute strength.

The 28-year-old from Cardiff, fresh from finishing the Tour de France a week earlier, twice suffered front-wheel punctures, including in the last six kilometres as his rivals neared.

But Thomas soloed to victory by one minute 21 seconds as Jack Bauer of New Zealand beat England’s Scott Thwaites to silver, the Yorkshireman having to settle for bronze.

“Riding the Tour before, it just adds to how good it feels to come away with two medals. I really didn’t expect it,” said Thomas, who also took bronze in the road time-trial.

“I was coming purely out of national pride and wanting to ride for Wales. I never really expected to medal, if I’m honest.

“To come away with a win and a bronze is more than I could’ve dreamt of.”

Gerrit Cole outpitched Shane McClanahan in matchup of All-Star aces, and Giancarlo Stanton drove in four runs as the New York Yankees avoided a sweep with a 7-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday.

Cole allowed a two-run homer to Wander Franco in the first inning but settled down to allow those two runs and four hits over seven innings. He struck out eight, walked two and improved to 6-0 after a Yankees loss this season.

New York sent eight batters to the plate and scored five times off McClanahan in the third inning as the left-hander was denied his 12th win.

Harrison Bader led off with a double and Anthony Volpe followed with his 14th home run. Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Gleyber Torres singled before Stanton launched his 15th homer to right-centre for a 5-2 lead.

Stanton added a run-scoring single in the seventh and the Yankees won for just the eighth time in 22 games since July 4.

Tampa Bay had a three-game winning streak snapped but remained 1 ½ games behind AL East-leading Baltimore.

Happ homers twice in another big offensive showing for Cubs

Ian Happ went deep twice and and Jeimer Candelario was 4 for 4 in the Chicago Cubs’ 16-6 rout of the Cincinnati Reds.

Christopher Morel, Dansby Swanson and Seiya Suzuki homered as Chicago beat up on the Reds for the second straight night. The Cubs won 20-9 on Tuesday and the 36 runs are their most in any two-game span since 1897.

Joey Votto hit two home runs for the first-place Reds, who matched a season high with four errors.

Braves hit 3 more homers in win

Ronald Acuna Jr., Austin Riley and Matt Olson homered off Lucas Giolito and the Atlanta Braves rolled to a 12-5 win over the Los Angeles Angels.

Acuna belted a three-run shot off Giolito in the third inning, then Riley and Olson went back to back in the fourth to cap a six-run outburst that ended the day for the Angels’ starter.

Giolito matched his career high with nine runs allowed in 3 2/3 innings in his second start with the Angels since he was acquired from the White Sox.

Atlanta has a major league-leading 206 home runs and is on pace for 315m, which would best the major league record of 307 set by the 2019 Minnesota Twins.

Andy Murray was triumphant in his first match since last month’s Wimbledon second-round exit and in the process exercised some demons in Washington.

Murray lost in the last-64 at the All England Club to Stefanos Tsitispas on July 6 but was back on court four weeks later to step up his US Open preparations and defeated Brandon Nakashima in straight-sets.

World number 44 Murray was in action at a familiar stomping ground and was able to clinch a first victory at the Citi Open since his tearful appearance there in 2018.

Five years ago after victory against Marius Copil, a tearful Murray hobbled off court and had to withdraw from a scheduled quarter-final showing with Alex de Minaur due to exhaustion.

Murray’s troublesome hip injury plagued him in Washington in 2018 and he would subsequently have hip resurfacing surgery that would rescue his career months later.

The two-time Wimbledon champion lost in the first round of the Citi Open to Mikael Ymer last year, but was able to finally return to winning ways at the tournament with a 7-6 (5) 6-4 victory over Nakashima in the last-32.

Fellow Briton Dan Evans joined his compatriot in tasting victory in Washington.

Evans fought back from a set down to beat Gregoire Barrere to book his place in the next round.

The 33-year-old won a narrow contest 2-6 6-0 6-3 to end a run of three defeats after first round losses at Queen’s Club, Wimbledon and Atlanta during the past two months.

Liam Broady was unable to replicate Murray and Broady’s success after he was defeated 6-4 6-2 by Tallon Griekspoor.

Corey Seager's sprained right thumb healed even faster than the Texas Rangers had anticipated.

The Rangers activated Seager from the 10-day injured list Wednesday ahead of their game against the Chicago White Sox.

Just earlier in the day, Rangers general manager Chris Young told reporters that the All-Star shortstop had a chance to come off the IL later this week.

Turns out, it was just a few hours later he would be back in the Rangers' lineup.

Seager was placed on the IL on July 22, a day after he jammed his hand on an awkward head-first slide to beat out a double in the eighth inning of the Rangers' 11-5 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

X-rays after the game were negative, and an MRI revealed no structural damage.

The Rangers went 3-6 with Seager on the IL, and entered play Wednesday, one-half game ahead of the Houston Astros for first place in the AL West.

This ended up being Seager's second trip to the IL this season after he missed 31 games from mid-April to mid-May with a left hamstring strain.

Seager is hitting .350, which would be good enough to lead the American League in batting, but he doesn't have enough plate appearances to qualify because of his earlier trip to the IL.

Prior to exiting the July 21 game, Seager hit his 15th homer of the season and team-leading 29th double - tied for third most in the AL.

Seager, who was selected to his fourth All-Star game earlier this year, is in the second season of a $325million, 10-year deal with the Rangers.

The Toronto Blue Jays placed star shortstop Bo Bichette on the 10-day injured list Wednesday, two days after the American League's current batting leader injured his right knee against the Baltimore Orioles.

Bichette underwent tests Tuesday that revealed no structural damage and the 2023 All-Star has been diagnosed with patellar tendinitis. 

Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters Wednesday that the team does not anticipate a lengthy absence for Bichette, who's batting .321 this season and ranks second in the major leagues with 144 hits. Schneider said it's too early to tell, however, whether the 25-year-old can return when first eligible on Aug. 11.

“The quicker we can get Bo back the better, obviously,” Schneider told MLB.com. "But we’ve got to see how he goes with each day, with each treatment, with each activity.”

Bichette exited Monday's 4-2 loss to Baltimore in the third inning after his right knee buckled as he rounded first base after reaching on a single. He was able to walk off the field under his own power but was noticeably limping and grimacing.

The injury prompted the Blue Jays to acquire veteran infielder Paul DeJong from the St. Louis Cardinals at Tuesday's trade deadline. DeJong will make his Toronto debut in Wednesday's series finale against the Orioles.

DeJong has produced 13 home runs and 32 RBIs along with a .233 average in 81 games this season. The seven-year veteran was an All-Star with the Cardinals in 2019 and finished that season with career highs of 30 homers and 78 RBIs.

Gabriel Jesus will miss the start of the Premier League campaign after Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta confirmed the forward has undergone a minor operation.

The Brazil international missed three months of last season after suffering a knee injury at the World Cup.

Jesus impressed following his move from Manchester City last summer but now faces a short spell on the sidelines after going under the knife after “irritation” with the original knee issue.

“Unfortunately, he had a little procedure this morning,” Arteta said after Arsenal’s penalty shoot-out win over Monaco in the Emirates Cup.

“He had some discomfort in his knee that has been causing some issues and they had to go in and resolve it. It is not something major but he looks to be out for a few weeks I think.

“It is a big blow because we had him back to his best, especially the way he played against Barcelona, and he was in good condition and we lost him.

“But he has been feeling some discomfort in the last few weeks and we had to look at it, we had to make a decision and the best one is to protect the player and get him back as quick as possible so we decided to do it.

“It is something related to the previous injury that he had and the surgery. He had some irritation in the knee and we had to get it resolved.”

Ash Tree Meadow put up a brilliant performance from the front to lift the Tote Galway Plate.

Fourth in the Ballybrit feature 12 months ago, Gordon Elliott’s seven-year-old was given a superb ride by Danny Gilligan, who had the company of the loose Andy Dufresne to deal with at times after he departed at the very first fence.

Willie Mullins’ Authorized Art looked a big threat under Danny Mullins after jumping the last, but Gilligan kept his cool and his mount was quickly on top again before being kept up to his work on the way to recording a two-and-a-half-length success at 13-2.

Another Elliott runner, Hollow Games, took third, with Joseph O’Brien’s A Wave Of The Sea in fourth. Last year’s winner Hewick showed up well for a long way before his big weight began to tell approaching the business end of the contest.

Stuart Broad has revealed the wicket of Todd Murphy on the final day of the Ashes series was going to be his last ball in international cricket.

The 37-year-old announced his retirement at the end of day three of his 167th Test.

England needed two wickets to win in the closing stages at the Oval and ultimately draw the series as Australia continued to knock off the 383 runs needed in order to claim their first series victory on these shores since 2001.

Broad says he had been told by captain Ben Stokes that he would be replaced by Mark Wood before his delivery to Murphy, but got the fairytale ending to his professional career by having Murphy caught behind before claiming his final victim, Alex Carey, a couple of overs later.

He told Sky Sports: “Actually Stokesy said to me before the Todd Murphy wicket that this will be my last over because we need to get Woody on with the extra pace.

“That (wicket) was the last ball of the over and I was running in knowing that was my last ball of professional cricket and my legs went a bit jelly like as I was running in.

“I just said to myself ‘just hit the pitch as hard as you can’ and he nicked it and that’s why I was like ‘oh my god he’s nicked it’.

“I managed to get another over so it felt really special to finish on a win and be in the changing room with all the guys I’ve played so much cricket with.”

Broad, England’s second-highest Test wicket-taker of all time, did not tell his team-mates until the morning of the day he went public with the news, admitting he was still “emotionally tired” on the decision.

He continued: “I was so focused on the Ashes series and the games were coming so thick and fast, I didn’t really have time to think of anything else and had to be fully dedicated to the task at hand.

“Probably towards the end of Old Trafford I started to think, the start of the last Test is next week, I’m thinking where should I go and just could not think clearly enough.

“I was emotionally tired on what was already a busy summer so far but I facetimed Mollie (Broad’s fiancee) on the Friday night and she said ‘you’ve just got to follow your heart and say what you think and I’ll support you either way’.

“I put the Facetime down and went to Stokesy’s room, shook his hand and just told him straight away ‘that’s me. It’s been an absolute pleasure to play with you as a team-mate and a friend, and you’ve been a dream captain so thank you’ and once I made that decision, I felt at peace with it straight away.”

The seamer developed a new tactic to switch the bails on top of the stumps in an attempt to disrupt the batter.

On both occasions a wicket fell – Marnus Labuschagne nicked Mark Wood straight into the hands of Joe Root in the first innings before Murphy edged behind to set England on their way to victory.

He said: “It was really special and really loud on Monday, the atmosphere was awesome out there and the little bail flick and getting a couple of wickets.

“I just made it up and I wish I made it about 10 years ago as I might have found a few more wickets!”

Danny Care has unfinished business with the World Cup but refuses to hold back during England’s warm-up games even if it means repeating one of his career’s most crushing disappointments.

Care was considered first choice scrum-half heading into the 2011 tournament only to sustain a serious foot injury against Wales in Cardiff during the build-up, preventing him from playing any part.

The Harlequins half-back had already paid for his parents to travel to New Zealand in anticipation of his involvement and while they watched England reach the quarter-finals, he remained at home on crutches.

Four years later, he had slipped down the pecking order and was confined to a single match against Uruguay, and when 2019 arrived he was among the victims of Eddie Jones’ leftfield approach to scrum-half selection.

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France this autumn offers a final chance for the 36-year-old to realise his World Cup dream, but first England must revisit the setting for his misfortune of 2011 when they face Wales at the Principality Stadium on Saturday.

“I’m desperate to try and play more World Cup games, try and win some more games for England,” Care said.

“It will be a dream come true to get on that plane and hopefully I’ve done enough to get on the plane.

“I got named in the squad in 2011, played a warm-up game and ended up missing the tournament. Touch wood that doesn’t happen again, but it is rugby, it happens.

“One thing you can’t do going onto a rugby field is think about staying fit and no one will be doing that.

“It is the nature of the beast – you’re not playing tiddlywinks. It’s a tough old sport and you can get injured at any point, in any training session.

“It’s the way it is, there is a bit of luck involved sometimes. You try and not think about it, just crack on and put your head 100 per cent into everything and then hope for the best.

“Everyone will be flying in to win Test matches. We are going to try to win games and the best way to be prepared for France is to go and win some Test matches.”

Sports stars and clubs across the world continue to provide an insight into their lives on social media.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the best examples from August 2.

Gianluigi Buffon retired.

Rob McElhenney continued to help Paul Mullin’s recovery.

Ian Wright and Usain Bolt enjoyed the success of the Reggae Girlz.

The shy and retiring Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Kammy had work to do.

South Africa reached the last 16 at Italy’s expense.

England were still celebrating.

Emma Raducanu was back out there.

Kevin Pietersen found a zebra crossing.

Luke Donald welcomed Jose Maria Olazabal to his Ryder Cup team.

Jason Robinson completed an early-morning gym session.

Big news in the boxing world.

Judd Trump took in the sights in China.

Andrew Balding’s The Goat routed the opposition in the curtain-raising Coral Handicap to spark a double on day two of Goodwood for the Kingsclere handler.

Despite being placed in three of his four previous races, the Cracksman colt was a 25-1 chance stepping up to a mile and a half in the hands of Jason Watson and clearly relished the testing conditions.

Amleto, the 5-2 favourite, did his best to bridge the gap inside the final furlong but The Goat was away and gone and passed the post with 12 lengths in hand.

Balding said: “The Goat stands for the ‘greatest of all time’ – the greatest in this race, anyway!

“He loved the ground and he’s a horse who’s just had a tough spring and took a couple of runs to hit his form at home.

“He was very good – I thought he might be in a bit of trouble, but I’m very happy with the way he pulled clear. He’ll love the autumn ground and there might be something for him.”

Balding completed his brace when Flora Of Bermuda (5-1) made a mockery of her poor draw to land the British EBF 40th Anniversary Alice Keppel Fillies’ Conditions Stakes under Oisin Murphy in similarly emphatic style.

Having tracked across towards the stands rail early, the Andrew Balding-trained daughter of Dark Angel powered home in the five-furlong contest and had the race won at the furlong pole.

Having been unlucky when runner-up in the Hilary Needler at Beverley and again when first of the far-side group when drawn on the wrong side in the Queen Mary at Royal Ascot, she gained just compensation, surging clear of Juniper Berries to score by four lengths, with a further three lengths back to Indispensable.

Balding said: “We think a lot of this filly, and it was a bit of a bump on the ground, but we felt we’d learn something if it didn’t work, but she took to it and she’s pretty tough.

“In a way, the draw was a plus because we didn’t get involved in any barging to hold our position. She has a lot of talent, enjoyed the ground and would have no problems getting six (furlongs). He couldn’t pull her up, by the looks of it.

“As long as she stays in one piece, black type won’t be a problem for her. She’s in the Lowther and that was always the plan.”

Proven mudlark There’s The Door (6-1), dropping back in trip, outstayed her rivals in the 10-furlong British European Breeders Fund EBF Fillies’ Handicap.

In a race where David Egan was unshipped by Decoration coming out of the stalls, the David Evans-trained three-year-old tracked Chips And Rice and took it up from the dogged La Isla Mujeres inside the final furlong, having enough to hold the staying-on Persist by half a length.

Winning rider Richard Kingscote said: “She loves this ground so we were delighted when the rain came for her.

“I felt last time at Ascot just stretched her a little bit, but a mile and a quarter on heavy ground is spot on for her.

“She has a good attitude and we had a lovely smooth run.”

Murphy completed his own double when Rhoscolyn (2-1 favourite) defeated Wobwobwob by a lengths as the pair drew clear of the remainder in the concluding seven-furlong World Pool Handicap.

The David O’Meara-trained five-year-old had been steadily dropping down the weights and the heavy ground played to his strengths, with Murphy’s mount grinding down the gutsy Wobwobwob to gain a fifth career victory.

In driving rain on the South Downs, the casual television viewer could have been forgiven for thinking the footage had been taken from a November National Hunt meeting and not the linen suit and Panama convention that is usually the Qatar Goodwood Festival.

Though the weather denied racegoers the summer garden party they may have hoped for, the quality of the racing and the promise of seeing a true superstar in action was compensation enough for the sodden shoes and obliterated umbrellas.

The horse in question was Aidan O’Brien’s Paddington, a three-year-old son of Siyouni whose swiftly accelerating run of form brought him to the Qatar Sussex Stakes less than a month after his superb Coral-Eclipse victory.

Only four horses opted to take him on and even the relentless rain and deteriorating ground could not dissuade punters from sending him off as the 4-9 favourite under Ryan Moore.

Those that did back him experienced just the briefest moment of worry when an outsider, Jerome Reynier’s Facteur Cheval, loomed up in the final furlong, splashing happily through the rain-soaked terrain.

Paddington was not for passing, however, and his class snatched him away from any danger as he pulled clear to cross the line a comfortable length and a half ahead of his French rival.

The heaviest rain of the day fell when he returned to the paddock, but the weather did not prevent a warm reception as the horse strode back in looking as damp and imposing as a winning hurdler on a wet day at Cheltenham.

In his coat colour he bears little resemblance to Giant’s Causeway. But his Goodwood victory saw Paddington match his extraordinary treble of the St James’s Palace, Coral-Eclipse and Sussex Stakes.

His next step he is likely to mirror the ‘Iron Horse’, too, as the Juddmonte International at York beckons, a race Giant’s Causeway won by a head in 2000.

O’Brien – who was all smiles when posing for pictures with the ‘real’ Paddington Bear after the race – said: “We love these big days and I’m delighted that the lads are happy to run on them. York is a massive festival as well. We’ll definitely look at it and consider it very seriously.

“We’ll have to see how he comes out (of the race). But he’s very special, we think. We weren’t expecting the ground to be as tough as it was today, but knowing the horse he could take it with a smile on his face.”

Australia for the Cox Plate has also been mentioned, alongside the Breeders’ Cup, the latter meeting being the scene of an unforgettably agonising defeat for Giant’s Causeway in the final run of his career, going down by a neck to Tiznow in the Classic at Churchill Downs.

The Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe is even a tantalising possibility, which would mean stepping up to a mile and a half for a race that can be run in gruelling autumn conditions, as it was last year when Alpinista prevailed on very deep ground.

“The Breeders’ Cup is an option and Tom (Magnier, of Coolmore) mentioned something about Australia,” said O’Brien.

“We made an Arc entry because there doesn’t seem to be any end to his stamina. He could go anywhere or do anything. He’s had a busy season. You run in any one top-level race and you know it, but he’s doing them one after another.

“I thought he wanted good ground or better because he’s quick, but he has handled the soft ground and he’s won on heavy before – but when a horse can quicken like that you’d think he’d want good ground.”

Moore, who is not often overly effusive in his praise, hinted that Paddington could be one of the most talented horses he has partnered in a career that has seen him ride many champions.

“It’s a hard thing to say, but he gives you the feel that he might be as good a horse as I’ve ridden,” he said.

“He’s exceptional. And he’s handled everything that we’ve put in front of him, whether it’s a mile, 10 (furlongs), good ground, soft.

“He’s a straightforward horse who thrives on his racing. Someone asked me yesterday if he’d go on this ground and I said he’d go on snow.”