In the perfect finish to a dream month, Barber won gold in dramatic fashion weeks after claiming her second world title and testing positive for Covid-19.

Barber was behind Australian teammate Mackenzie Little with just one throw left on Sunday night.

But she saved her best for last, revealing a "let it be free" mentality helped her send her javelin 64.43 metres to snatch the lead.

"I'm actually a little bit in shock still," a beaming Barber said.

"I think I went over to the fence to [husband and coach] Mike and said, 'it's a bit fuzzy, I don't know what just happened'.

"I've worked really hard to find myself in a really free space on the runway. That's what it came down to again, one more opportunity to take the win.

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"There was nothing I can do to control that throw, so let it be free. I've worked hard ... just go and enjoy it and see what you can do."

But she saved the best for last, sending her javelin 64.43 metres to snatch the lead.

Little had the last opportunity of the competition, but she couldn't better her 64.27 metres, a personal best, and Barber continued her stunning form.

"I gave it my best ... I'm having the best time in the world," Little said. "All I can do is work on my own throw. I know I have it in me. Having that competition [with Barber] is so fun."

Barber entered elite company when she became dual world champion last month. She is one of only a handful of Australians to win two world titles and she won an Olympic Games bronze medal last year, but the Commonwealth Games title almost proved elusive.

She won Commonwealth Games bronze in 2014, and then silver in 2018 and looked destined to miss her target again.

But the 30-year-old has cultivated a reputation as a clutch thrower and she didn't disappoint.

"It was always unknown territory with the short turnaround, but I had to rely on trusting the training I'd put together," Barber said when asked about the challenge of backing up after the world titles.

Her win extended Australia's lead on the medal tally. It was the 61^st gold and took Australia's overall haul to 164.

Australian Michelle Jenneke produced another fast time but it proved only good enough for fifth in a red-hot women's 100m hurdles final.

World record holder Tobi Amusan from Nigeria blew the field away with a winning time of 12.30 seconds, smashing the 16-year-old Games record of 12.65 in the process.

Minor medallists Devynne Charlton from the Bahamas (12.58) and England's Cindy Sember (12.59) also dipped under the 12.6 mark.

Drawn alongside Amusan in lane six, Jenneke was also impressive, finishing fifth in 12.68 - just a couple of hundredths of a second outside her personal best set last month at the world championships in Eugene.

"That is like by far the fastest race that has ever been at a Commonwealth Games," said Jenneke.

"The previous Games record was 12.65 and that was just absolutely obilterated.

"Fifth at the Commonwealth Games probably doesn't sound that impressive but in that field, I tell you what, it really is because that was red-hot.

"All the girls are absolutely incredible."

Fellow Australian Celeste Mucci was seventh in 13.03.

Declan Tingay was overtaken by Canadian veteran Evan Dunfee in the final lap of the men's 10,000 race walk and had to settle for silver.

Dunfee clocked a winning time of 38:36.37 ahead of Tingay in 38:42.33.

Muzala Samukonga (44.66) won Zambia's first gold medal of the Birmingham Games, storming home over the top of local hope Matthew Hudson-Smith (44.81) in the men's 400m final.

Australian Steve Solomon was seventh in 46.22, ending another injury-blighted season where he had to overcome a hamstring tendinopathy issue.

Julian Konle was 10th in the men's triple jump with 15.90m.

- With AAP

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