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Opinion
As the Commonwealth Games come upon us again, it brings plenty of world-class sportspeople vying for gold. Here I will tell you the men and women you do not want to miss.
To mix it up, I have only allowed myself a maximum of one athlete per sport.
Cycling- Mark Cavendish (Isle of Man)
Cavendish had a superhuman return to the Tour de France in 2021, where he won four stages and equalled Eddy Mercx’s record of stage wins at cycling’s showpiece event.
To the dismay of many, he was then not selected for the 2022 edition, being replaced by Fabio Jakobsen. Can he prove his bosses wrong? It would take a brave soul to doubt the Manxman, expect him to cause carnage in the road race and time trial.
Running- Joshua Cheptegei (Uganda)
For the 5000 and 10000m world record holder’s standards, the 2022 World Athletics Championships was a disappointing one.
Yes, that is harsh. The Ugandan won gold in the 10000m but finished 9th when he raced half that distance. Cheptegei will be looking to improve on that in Birmingham, and pick up two gold medals.
Cricket- Alice Capsey (England)
Cricket makes its debut at the Commonwealths this year, with the women’s T20 tournament. If you remember one name from that event, it should be that of 17-year-old wonderkid Alice Capsey.
The teenager burst onto the scene last year in The Hundred, and made her international debut earlier this month. Watch this space.
Heptathlon- Katerina Johnson-Thompson (England)
Just like that of Cavendish, KJT’s recent story has been one of setbacks. Once world champion, she has gone through a string of injuries and before the World Athletics Championships she didn’t have a world ranking.
However, she proved she was still competitive, with an eighth placed finish. Johnson-Thompson will be looking to build on that in front of a home crowd.
Gymnastics Rhys McClenhagen (Northern Ireland)
McClenhagen first rose to fame with a shock pommel horse gold medal at the Gold Coast in 2018.
Since then the Northern Irishman has won European gold and World Championships bronze, so should be favourite to retain his title, with Max Whitlock opting out of the Commonwealths this year.
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