Commonwealth Games 2022: Team Wales announces athletes for Birmingham

Jeremiah Azu, Elynor Bäckstedt-Calvert (centre) and Non Stanford have been included in Team Wales for Birmingham 2022

Team Wales have announced 201 athletes across 15 sports to make the short journey to Birmingham for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

The last sport to announce its squad - rugby sevens - included two 15-a-side internationals in Tyler Morgan and Sam Cross who later had to withdraw through injury.

The team also includes the biggest para-athletes contingent of 19 among six sports: athletics, swimming, lawn bowls, triathlon, cycling and table tennis.

There are four sets of siblings in the team: Megan and Elinor Barker (cycling), Joe and Hannah Brier (athletics), twins Ioan and Garan Croft (boxing) and Tesni and Emyr Evans (squash).

Barker returns just three months after the birth of her first son Nico and is among a host of Olympians and Paralympians including Geraint Thomas, Aled Sion Davies, Olivia Breen and Non Stanford.

Anwen Butten is selected for her sixth Games in lawn bowls, while Olympic champion swimmers Matt Richards and Calum Jarvis are also included.

Mali Morgan, daughter of former Commonwealth Games diving gold medallist Robert, is among the gymnastics competitors.

Anna Hursey returns in table tennis after attending the last Games aged just 11, and cyclist Elynor Backstedt-Calvert follows in the footsteps of her mum, Megan, who went to the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Malaysia.

Team Wales enjoyed a record-breaking time at the Gold Coast in Australia four years ago. With 36 medals - 10 golds, 12 silvers and 14 bronze - the class of 2018 eclipsed previous leading efforts at Auckland 1990 and Glasgow 2014, and finished seventh in the medal table.

Athletics

Three-times Paralympic gold medallist Aled Sion Davies will be aiming for the podium again after winning silver in Glasgow in 2014.

Three returning Commonwealth Games medal winners from the Gold Coast have also been included in the line-up.

Olivia Breen will be hoping to take home gold in the T38 100m following her bronze four years ago, while Melissa Courtney-Bryant (1500m) and Bethan Davies (10k race walk) will also be aiming to improve on their third-place finishes in Australia.

Eleven athletes will be making their Commonwealth Games debuts including Tokyo 2020 Olympic 1500m finalist Jake Heyward and European Under-23 100m champion Jeremiah Azu.

Siblings Hannah and Joe Brier are also included in the 22-strong squad. Adele Nicoll has also been named in the shot put, just four months after being in the GB bobsleigh team at the Winter Olympics.

The 25-year-old took up bobsleigh after being spotted on Instagram in 2020, but will compete in a different discipline at her first Commonwealth Games.

Charlotte Arter, once the fastest woman in the world to run a parkrun, was originally named in the squad to contest the 5,000m and 10,000m but was forced to withdraw through injury. Beth Kidger replaces her and will run in the 5,000m.

Athletics (24): Jeremiah Azu, Olivia Breen, Joe Brier, Hannah Brier, Natasha Cockram, Piers Copeland, Melissa Courtney-Bryant, Clara Evans, Lauren Evans, Aled Sion Davies, Bethan Davies, Dewi Griffiths, Jake Heyward, Jon Hopkins, Osian Jones, Rhys Jones, Beth Kidger, Heather Lewis, Jenny Nesbitt, Adele Nicoll, Jac Palmer, Julie Rogers, Amber Simpson, Harrison Walsh.

Boxing

Pembrokeshire identical twins Garan and Ioan Croft, who both won medals at the recent European Championships, are among nine boxers named.

Rosie Eccles will be looking to build on her silver medal on the Gold Coast, where Lauren Price won gold before becoming Olympic champion last year.

Boxing (9): Zoe Andrews, Taylor Bevan, Ioan Croft, Garan Croft, Jake Dodd, Rosie Eccles, Owain Harris, Helen Jones, Haaris Khan.

Cycling

Elinor Barker, pictured with her son Nico, won Points race gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games

The cycling roster includes Olympic champions Geraint Thomas and Owain Doull, Tour de France stalwart Luke Rowe and the remarkable return of new mother Elinor Barker.

• New mum Barker included in Team Wales

Elynor Backstedt-Calvert, 20, and teenagers Joshua Tarling, Emma Finucane and Rhian Edmunds look like being ones to watch.

In addition to the 24 cyclists named for the road and track disciplines, there are an additional three pilots in Steff Lloyd, Matt Rotherham and Amy Cole who will ride in tandem with Alex Pope, James Ball and Nia Holt respectively.

Cycling (24): Elynor Backstedt-Calvert, James Ball, Elinor Barker, Megan Barker, Ella Barnwell, Rhys Britton, Ellie Coster, Leah Dixon, Owain Doull, Rhian Edmunds, Emma Finucane, Joe Holt, Nia Holt, Eluned King, Harvey McNaughton, Anna Morris, Alex Pope, William Roberts, Jessica Roberts, Luke Rowe, Joshua Tarling, Geraint Thomas, Lowri Thomas, Stephen Williams.

Cycling pilots: Steff Lloyd (Alex Pope), Matt Rotherham (James Ball), Amy Cole (Nia Holt).

Gymnastics

Welsh Gymnastics named 13 competitors - three rhythmic gymnasts as well as five men's and five women's artistic contenders.

Rhythmic gymnast Gemma Frizelle and Josh Cook, of men's artistic, are heading for their second Games having been with Team Wales in Australia four years ago.

Jacob Edwards, whose older brother Matthew Hennessey went to the 2010 Delhi Games, is in a men's team hoping for what would be a first Wales men's team medal.

Wales' women are all in their first year as senior gymnasts with Mali Morgan - daughter of former Commonwealth diving gold medallist Robert Morgan - among them.

Gymnastics (13): Gemma Frizelle, Elizabeth Popova, Lauryn Carpenter, Brinn Bevan, Joe Cemlyn-Jones, Josh Cook, Emil Barber, Jacob Edwards, Mia Evans, Jea Maracha, Sofia Micallef, Mali Morgan, Poppy Stickler.

Hockey

The 36 players in the men and women's squads include Olympic medallists, Gold Coast and Glasgow Commonwealth athletes, 12 debutants, and three uncapped players.

Olympic bronze-medallist Leah Wilkinson will captain the women's side alongside Beth Bingham and Sian French.

Leading the men in Birmingham is Lewis Prosser, with Luke Hawker and Team GB athlete Rupert Shipperley also included.

Tokyo 2020 and current GB squad members Jacob Draper and Sarah Jones will both compete at the Games, making this Jones' third time representing Team Wales.

After impressing at the women's junior World Cup in South Africa, Rebecca Daniel has been called up, while Gareth Griffiths and Holly Munro have also been selected in their respective senior squads for the first time.

However, Joe Naughalty and Phoebe Richards were late withdrawals through injury with their places taken by Alf Dinnie and Amy Burton respectively.

Women's squad (18): Beth Bingham, Ella Jackson, Eloise Laity, Hannah Cozens, Holly Munro, Izzie Howell, Izzy Webb, Jo Westwood, Leah Wilkinson, Livvy Hoskins, Millie Holme, Amy Burton, Rebecca Daniel, Rose Thomas, Sarah Jones, Sian French, Sophie Robinson, Xenna Hughes

Men's squad (18): Toby Reynolds-Cotterill, Dewi Roblin, Gareth Furlong, Daniel Kyriakides, Hywel Jones, Ioan Wall, Steve Kelley, Lewis Prosser, Jacob Draper, Dale Hutchinson, Rupert Shipperley, Alf Dinnie, Gareth Griffiths, Rhys Bradshaw, Luke Hawker, James Carson, Ben Francis, Owain Dolan-Gray

Judo

Judo was not included in the Gold Coast programme four years ago, but the sport has returned in Birmingham.

Double Olympian Natalie Powell will be aiming to emulate the gold she won in Glasgow in 2014.

Gregg Varey, whose wife Amanda represented Wales in netball at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, made his debut at the recent European Championships at the age of 33.

Judo (6): Ashleigh-Anne Barnikel, Natalie Powell, Gregg Varey, Daniel Rabbitt, Jasmine Hacker-Jones, Callum Bennett.

Lawn bowls

Anwen Button will be competing in her sixth Games. Julie Thomas, who won bronze with Gilbert Miles in the VI mixed pairs four years ago, will this time be partnered in the event by Gordon Llewelyn, with Mark Adams and John Wilson acting as directors for the pairs.

Paul Brown and Chris Spriggs means Wales will have a second pair in the Birmingham for the Para-lawn bowls.

Lawn bowls (14): Jarrad Breen, Paul Brown, Anwen Button, Owain Dando, Laura Daniels, Gordon Llewellyn, Sara Nicholls, Ross Owen, Daniel Salmon, Chris Sprigs, Caroline Taylor, Julie Thomas, Jon Tomlinson, Ysie White.

Netball

Wales Netball have named Celtic Dragons duo Nia Jones and Suzy Drane once again as co-captains of the 12-player squad, who compete at the Birmingham NEC Arena.

Clare Jones and Ella Powell-Davies are the vice-captains, while there are also four reserves.

Wales, currently ranked eighth in the world, will prepare for the Games by taking on South Africa in two Test matches on 19 and 20 July.

Netball (12): Betsy Creak, Georgia Rowe, Phillipa Yarranton, Eleanor Roberts, Suzy Drane Bethan Dyke, Clare Jones, Shona O'Dwyer, Nia Jones, Christina Shaw, Leila Thomas, Ella Powell-Davies.

Reserves: Millie Carter, Celyn Emanuel, Lucy Howells,

Rugby Sevens

Olympic silver medallist Sam Cross had been named in a 13-man Wales Sevens squad for the Commonwealth Games with fellow 15-a-side international Tyler Morgan also included.

But Cross was forced out just before the Games after picking up a knee injury in Bucharest where Wales successfully qualified for the Rugby World Cup in South Africa.

Ospreys back row Cross, 29, helped Team GB finish as Sevens runners-up at the 2016 Rio Olympics. He was replaced by Chris Smith.

Rugby Sevens (13): Luke Treharne, Tyler Morgan, Morgan Sieniawski, Chris Smith, Tom Brown, Callum Williams, Owen Jenkins, Tom Williams, Morgan Williams, Cole Swannack, Lloyd Lewis, Ewan Rosser, Callum Carson.

Squash

Tesni Evans won a bronze in Australia four years ago and will be joined in the squad this time around by brother Emyr.

Joel Makin will head to Birmingham full confidence having won the Manchester Open in April, the biggest title of his career.

Squash (5): Peter Creed, Emyr Evans, Tesni Evans, Joel Makin, Emily Whitlock.

Swimming & Diving

Wheelchair backflipper turned swimmer Lily Rice was among the first 11 Para-athletes named.

Rice will compete in the women's 100m backstroke S8, while Dylan Broom has been named in the swimming team for the men's 200m freestyle S14. Rebecca Lewis and Meghan Willis both compete in the women's 200m individual medley SM10.

Olympic champions Calum Jarvis and Matthew Richards have been selected, while Alys Thomas returns after winning Commonwealth gold four years ago.

Olympic finalist Daniel Jervis will be looking to add a gold medal to the silver and bronze he won in Australia and Scotland when he races in the 400m and 1500m freestyle.

Wales will also take three divers to the Commonwealth Games for the first time.

High diving star Aidan Heslop has been selected for his second games after taking his first Red Bull World Series victory in Boston, and will team up with Ruby Thorne of Dive London in the platform synchro event.

Sheffield Diving's Lucy Hawkins, who is also aiming for success in the platform competition, completes the squad.

Swimming (20): Kieran Bird, Kyle Booth, Dylan Broom, Thomas Carswell, Charlotte Evans, Lewis Fraser, Medi Harris, Calum Jarvis, Daniel Jervis, Daniel Jones, Harriet Jones, Rebecca Lewis, Bradley Newman, Lily Rice, Matthew Richards, Joseph Small, Rebecca Sutton, Alys Thomas, Liam White, Meghan Willis.

Diving (3): Lucy Hawkins, Aidan Heslop, Ruby Thorne.

Table tennis

Anna Hursey, who was 11 when she became the youngest athlete to compete at the Commonwealth Games in 2018, returns.

Charlotte Carey and Chloe Thomas Wu Zhang, who also competed four years ago, are included along with teenage debutant Lara Whitton.

Joshua Stacey, who won bronze four years in Australia, will again represent Wales along with Grace Williams.

Table tennis (7): Charlotte Carey, Anna Hursey, Chloe Thomas Wu Zhang, Lara Whitton, Joshua Stacey, Grace Williams, Callum Evans.

Triathlon

Gold Coast Team Wales captain Non Stanford has been included in the mixed relay alongside Dominic Coy, Iestyn Harrett and Olivia Mathias, while Isabel Morris is named in the individual female race.

Rhys Jones will make history as the first para-triathlete for Team Wales at a Commonwealth Games with Rhys James as his pilot.

Triathlon (6): Dominic Coy, Rhys Jones, Iestyn Harrett, Olivia Mathias, Isabel Morris, Non Stanford.

Triathlon pilot: Rhys James (Rhys Jones).

Weightlifting

Christie-Marie Williams will compete at her third Commonwealths, while Amy Salt and Michael Farmer will both make their Games debuts.

Selected for a second Games are Hannah Powell, Catrin Jones, Faye Pittman and Jordan Sakkas.

Weightlifting (7): Christie-Marie Williams, Amy Salt, Michael Farmer, Hannah Powell, Catrin Jones, Faye Pittman, Jordan Sakkas.

Wrestling

Curtis Dodge has represented Wales at two Commonwealth Games, competing in judo in 2014 and then wrestling in 2018, when he won a bronze medal.

Wrestling (2): Shannon Alex Harry, Curtis Dodge.

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