DAY five at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games proved to be the best yet for Wales, with three golds, two silvers and one bronze taking the team’s tally to a sweet 16.

The victories for para-athlete Hollie Arnold, bowls pair Marc Wyatt and Daniel Salmon and swimmer Alys Thomas means Wales have now won more gold medals than they did at Glasgow 2014.

The country’s most golds in one Games came in Auckland in 1990 when they reached double figures with 10.

Ystrad Mynach’s Arnold, in the F46 javelin, Caerphilly’s Wyatt and teammate Salmon, and Thomas, in the 200m butterfly, weren’t the only successes for Team Wales yesterday.

Silvers came courtesy of shooter Ben Llewellin in the skeet and gymnast Latalia Bevan, who was second in the floor exercise, while Tesni Evans captured squash singles bronze.

Arnold needed a new world record to add Commonwealth gold to her Rio Olympic title and three world crowns.

New Zealand’s Holly Robinson had broken Arnold’s previous world record with her first throw of the competition and led pretty much all the way until the Welsh athlete’s last attempt of 44m 43cm.

“I knew I could throw that, I just needed that last throw to come together and it did,” she said.

“Holly broke the world record but it was mine and I wanted that back. The best Hollie won this time.

“It’s just one of those things where you have to take it all in, and it’s the first time the Commonwealths have come around for our disability and what a chance to win it and show the world.”

Wyatt and Salmon were big underdogs for their match against Scottish duo Alex Marshall and Paul Foster.

Marshall was chasing a gold that would make him his country’s most successful Games athlete – but it didn’t go his way.

Wales fought back from 5-1 down and led 11-10 going into the last end, although Scotland had the advantage of bowling second.

However, Wyatt delivered a superb final wood which Marshall couldn’t match, giving the Welsh pair a 12-10 triumph.

“We know Paul and Alex are a class act but we just knew we had to turn up and do what we could to make it hard for them,” said Wyatt.

“We have a very good side and if you are going to go anywhere you have to back yourself for the gold.”

Salmon added: “It is the best thing in the world. Marc has lost in the last two semi-finals, so for him it’s an amazing achievement.”

Meanwhile, Swansea’s Thomas set a new Games record and personal best to win the 200m fly, bagging Wales’ first swimming gold of Gold Coast 2018.

“I could not see anything because my goggles fogged up,” said Thomas.

“I just kept my eye on the blue lane and swam my own race.

“I counted my own strokes and made it to the walls and just did what I do in training.

“I’m 27 and this is my first major international medal. I’m finally breaking through now. It says something about being patient when you’re young.”

Double Olympic silver medallist Jazz Carlin was unable to defend her 800m freestyle title as she finished sixth behind Australian Ariarne Titmus.

Chloe Tutton, the 200m breaststroke bronze medallist, was fifth in the 100m, Xavier Castelli came seventh in the 200m backstroke and Calum Jarvis finished seventh in the 100m butterfly.

Gymnast Maisie Methuen finished her first Commonwealth Games with another seventh place in the final of the women’s beam.

The 16-year-old from Pontypool went into yesterday’s competition having also finished seventh in the uneven bars and fourth with her compatriots in the team event.

Methuen, crowned British beam champion last month, went into the final on the Gold Coast with hopes of getting in the mix for a medal.

She posted a score of 12.266 but it proved to be some way off the top three, which was led by England’s Alice Kinsella (13.700) – Methuen had beaten Kinsella to take the British crown.

Australia’s Georgia-Rose Brown (13.066) was second and England’s Kelly Sim (13.033) third.

Lauren Price joined fellow Gwent fighter Rosie Eccles in guaranteeing Team Wales a medal in the Gold Coast boxing ring.

Bargoed’s Price, who won Commonwealth Games bronze in Glasgow four years ago, made the women’s 75kg semi-finals yesterday.

She will box for a place in the middleweight final on Friday following a comfortable 5-0 defeat of Mozambique’s Rady Gramane in the last eight.

As for Chepstow welterweight Eccles, she fights again tomorrow after her 5-0 quarter-final victory over Tonga’s Magan Maka.

Pembroke Dock’s Mickey McDonagh also reached the quarter-finals of the men’s 60kg division after defeating Qhobosheane Mohlerepe of Lesotho.

Unfortunately, there will be no medal for hockey stars Rose Thomas, from Caerleon, and Newport’s Sophie Clayton.

Wales’ women can’t reach the semi-finals now thanks to yesterday’s 2-0 reverse to South Africa in Pool B.

An 85-31 thrashing by England left the Welsh netballers bottom of their pool with no points and two games left to play. They take on Uganda today.

Also in action today is Caerphilly’s bowls pairs champion Marc Wyatt.

He faces Canada in the fours alongside Newport-based Jonathan Tomlinson and Ebbw Vale’s Stephen Harris.