Without barely a chance to catch their breath from competing at the World Athletics Championships, athletes are gearing up for the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
Athletes from around the world have been competing in Eugene, Oregon, United States at the World Athletics Championships, and many will be heading straight to the Commonwealth Games, which starts this week.
Just a few days separate the end of the World Athletics Championship (Sunday 24 July) and the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games (Thursday 28 July). British athletes will not be competing as Team GB but will be representing their home nations, with recently crowned 1500m champion Jake Wightman looking to add Commonwealth gold running in the blue and white of Scotland.
Commonwealth Games Medal Hopefuls
Wightman, fresh off the back of becoming Britain’s first 1500m world champion since Steve Cram in 1983, will be expected to follow up his incredible victory with another in Birmingham. Fellow Scot Laura Muir competes in her second Commonwealth Games and herself has a medal to show for her efforts at the World Athletics Championships, winning bronze in the 1500m.
Team England is also blessed with plenty of medal hopefuls, including sprinter Dina Asher-Smith, another bronze medallist in Oregon, and heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson, who is defending her Commonwealth Games title, and swimmer Adam Peaty. This year’s edition of the Commonwealth Games will feature a women’s Twenty20 cricket tournament and England is expected to perform well with high hopes of pushing favourites Australia close for gold.
Cyclist Geraint Thomas competes in what is likely to be his final Commonwealth Games for Wales and the 2014 road race gold medallist comes into the event off the back of a good showing at the Tour de France, finishing third overall. Swimmer Matt Richards comes enters the Commonwealth Games with some degree of expectation, despite only being 19 years of age, having been part of the Olympic gold medal-winning 4×200-metre freestyle relay GB team in Tokyo. Twins Garan and Ioan Croft will be competing in the ring for Wales – Garan won silver at the 2022 European Amateur Boxing Championships at light middleweight, losing out to England’s Harris Akbar in the final, while his brother, Ioan, came away with a bronze at welterweight.
For Northern Ireland, Ciara Mageean (1500m) and Kevin Seaward (marathon) are widely considered to be the nation’s most realistic hopes of taking home athletics medals, while a team of 13 boxers will be hoping to add the haul of 61 medals won in the ring. Boxing is Northern Ireland’s most successful sport at the Commonwealth Games and Carly McNaul, Aidan Wash, and Michaela Wash will all be hoping to go one better than the silver medals they won four years ago in Australia.
Australia Lead the Way
Australia lead the way in terms of all-time medals won in the history of the Commonwealth Games, winning 2,416 medals (932 golds, 775 silvers, and 709 bronze). England sits second with 2,144 medals (714 golds, 715 silvers, and 715 bronze) with Canada third on 1,555 medals (484 golds, 516 silvers, and 555 bronze).
Shooters Phillip Adams (Australia) and Mick Gault (England) share the record for most medals won at the Commonwealth Games with 18 apiece. Gault won nine gold medals to Adams’ seven.
Australia romped home to overall victory in their home Commonwealth Games in Queensland in 2018, winning 80 golds and 198 total medals – a total of 35 golds more than second-placed England and 62 more medals overall. With the Games on English soil this time around, the hope is that the medal table will more closely resemble that of 2014’s standings when England topped the table with 58 golds and 174 total medals in Glasgow.
Whatever happens at this year’s Commonwealth Games, it is certain to be a spectacle to behold as elite athletes from around the world compete for gold.
