The Commonwealth Games taking place in Gold Coast, Australia begin on April 4th and its time to get ready for them by listing the sports that are sure to get you watching.
Lets start on the track with the traditional track and field blue ribbon event – the men’s and women’s 100 metres – the field is sure to be highly open this year with Asafa Powell not being named in the Jamaican team for the games due to injury and with England having 2 strong chances for medals in Adam Gemili (who won a silver medal in 2014) and Asha Philip who missed out on bronze in 2014 by a tenth of a second.
Also on track the Men’s and Women’s 400 metres is sure to be a tantalising watch with the men’s event being lead this year by current world leader Isaac Makwala of Botswana with the English trio of Matthew Hudson-Smith, Rabah Yousif and Dwayne Cowan all likely to be in with a shot at the medals come the final. Botswana could win the 400 metres double with the women’s event being lead by Amantle Montsho with England’s Emily Diamond, Perri Shakes-Drayton and Anyika Onuora and Scotland’s Zoey Clark all looking to be in the hunt for medals.
Elsewhere the women’s Table Tennis is sure to gather some attention as Anna Hursey of Wales will become the youngest ever Commonwealth Games competitor at 11 years of age. She will compete alongside compatriots Charlotte Carey and Chloe Thomas in the Welsh team.
In the cycling the men’s and women’s team pursuits are sure to be as competitive as ever with England, New Zealand and Australia set to resume their battle for dominance in the men’s event and the women’s event debuts in the Commonwealth Games this year.
The men’s and women’s squash is also sure to be competitive with the Commonwealth Games being the biggest event in international squash as it’s not an Olympic Event – England’s Nick Matthew enters as top seed for the tournament and defending gold medallist from 2014 but James Willstrop will look to avenge his loss in the final of the last games and beat his fellow Englishman and Laura Massaro looks to go one better than her silver in 2014.
In the hockey England, Scotland and Wales’ national teams line up in the men’s and women’s tournaments with the men’s team lead by veteran Barry Middleton with Nottingham’s Beeston Club represented by Adam Dixon and Mark Gleghorne also in the side looking to better the bronze they won in Glasgow 4 years ago while Australia will look to defend their gold medal.
the Rugby Sevens tournament will also be ultra competitive with England’s men in a group of death with Samoa – who beat them in 2014 and Australia who won bronze and the women’s team against Fiji, Australia and Wales as women’s Rugby Sevens makes its debut at the games.
Finally the diving is sure to be popular as Tom Daley aims to defend the 10 metre platform gold he won but will face a tough field looking to make a splash.
With all these sports on offer it’s sure to be a viewer’s paradise.