Non Stanford Calls On Wales Fans To Roar In Red

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Non Stanford has urged Welsh sports fans to get behind Team Wales’ bid for success as the countdown begins to the Commonwealth Games.

The former world triathlon champion is already out in Australia as she prepares for her event which is on the opening day of the Games on April 5.

But the majority of Welsh competitors are yet to make their way to the Gold Coast for events that run between the opening ceremony on April 4 and April 14.

Most fly out on Friday, March 23  when Sport Wales are asking all Welsh supporters to turn the nation red as part of the We Are Red campaign, #WeAreRed.

Stanford has extra motivation as both captain and athlete at the Gold Coast next month, as she was forced  to pull out of the 2014 Games in Glasgow due to a stress fracture in her left ankle. She had been crowned ITU World Triathlon champion in 2013.

She says: “I’m competing on the first day of the Games, so I want to give it my all and try to inspire the rest of the team for the duration of competition.

“We’re so patriotic as a nation and it is always a special moment in your career, and unlike any other, when you get the chance to compete for Wales. I really hope the rest of Wales will get behind the team and show their support for Team Wales.

“The Commonwealth Games has been a dream of mine since a young age and it was on my radar well before the Olympic Games,” added Stanford, who finished an agonising fourth at the Rio Olympics in 2016.

“Growing up, my dream was to be able to compete for my country. Missing out on the last Games in Glasgow was really tough for me so I’m just thrilled to now have the opportunity to wear the red jersey and lead a strong Team Wales out in Gold Coast.

“It will be my first Commonwealth Games, so this is really exciting for me and it has pushed me to want to do an even better job for Wales and for the team. It’s certainly another incentive to get the team off to a great start.”

As well as Stanford, a host of Welsh competitors will be aiming to do Wales proud, including many medal contenders.

  • The Welsh bowlers will head down under full of confidence with World Singles Champion of Champions title winner Laura Daniels leading the way. She won her crown in Sydney last year, while Ross Owen recently ended as runner-up in the World Youth Singles final on the Gold Coast.
  • Anwen Button already has two Commonwealth Games medals in the bag and now the 45-year-old is going for gold at her fifth consecutive Games, joining forces with Caroline Taylor and  Emma Woodcock in the Triples.
  • Lauren Price got a bronze in Glasgow in the boxing ring and wants to use the Gold Coast as a golden stepping stone on the road to her Olympic medal bid in Tokyo in 2020 in the 69kg class.

  • Laura Daniels – alongside men’s champions Aaron Teys – won the women’s World Singles Champion of Champions title in Sydney, Australia.
  • Sammy Lee will be hoping to add to the gold medal he won at the Commonwealth Youth Games in the Bahamas last year when he fights in the 81kg category, while British 60kg champion Mickey McDonagh is another medal prospect in the ring.
  • In the pool, Wales will have Jazz Carlin and Georgia Davies going for more gold as they defend their Commonwealth titles won in Glasgow four years ago,
  • Daniel Jervis and Calum Jarvis will be hoping to improve on their bronzes in 2014, while Chloe Tutton will try to improve on her fourth place at the Olympic Games over 200 metres breast stroke.
Georgia Davies. Pic: Getty Images.
  • Elinor Barker and Danni Rowe already have Olympic gold medals in their collection and they will form the core of what looks like being a highly competitive women’s team pursuit squad.
  • Barker won two medals in Glasgow and will be hoping for more in Australia, where she will be joined in the cycling events by her younger sister Megan.
  • In the men’s cycling events, look out for Team Sky road racer Luke Rowe as he tries to follow on from Geraint Thomas’s golden achievements in Glasgow and Lewis Oliva will be a major threat in the track sprints.

  • Geraint Thomas winning Commonwealth Games gold in the road race in Glasgow.Pic: Getty Images
  • Gymnastics earned Team Wales a record haul of medals in Glasgow and in Laura Halford they might just have the woman to step into the golden shoes of Frankie Jones. The multi-British rhythmic champion looks set to add to her medal collection.
  • On the shooting range, Craig Auden will be aiming to improve on his fourth place in the 10 metre Air Pistol event at the recent Commonwealth Shooting Championships in Brisbane and has a real shot at a medal.
  • So, too, Ben Llewellin in the Skeet event. He won gold in the Commonwealth Shooting Championships with a world record equalling score to lay down a marker for the Gold Coast.

  • Ben Llewllin (centre) with his recent gold medal at the British Grand Final.
  • Tesni Evans will travel to her second Commonwealth Games boosted by becoming the first Welsh squash player to win a British title and by capturing a sixth Welsh crown.
  • In table-tennis, Charlotte Carey will be attending her third Commonwealth Games at the ripe old age of 21, while Anna Hursey will be making her debut at the tender age of 11.
  • Olympic weightlifter Gareth Evans is hoping it will be third time lucky for him after just missing out on a podium finish in Glasgow as he battles for a medal in the 62kg class.

  • Anna Hursey is Wales’ youngest Commonwealth Games competitor.
  • Laura Hughes has already picked up gold at the weightlifting arena in the 75kg class at last year’s Commonwealth Championships and will have a quickfire double in mind.
  • Dai Green is back on track to compete at the highest level in the 400 hurdles after overcoming five years of injuries and will be eyeing up a second gold medal to go with the one he won in Delhi in 2010.
  • Heather Lewis and Bethan Davies will also be hoping to walk off with a gold medal in the 20 kilometre walk, an event in which both are currently ranked in the top three in the Commonwealth.

  • Bethan Davies leaves the rest of the field in her wake on her way to breaking the British 5K record in Birmingham. Pic: Owen Morgan.
  • In the team sports, the men’s and women’s hockey sides will be looking to continue their recent run of good form and climb the world rankings, as will the netball squad.
  • Welsh internationals Jusitn Tipuric and Hallam Amos have been brought in to bolster the men’s sevens squad and Olympian Jazz Joyce will head the women’s challenge.

 

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