EVENT PREVIEW | 2022 COMMONWEALTH GAMES

The 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games are officially here with WA’s best athletes set to descend on Alexander Stadium and the Birmingham area. With a stacked athletics team fresh off a successful 2022 World Athletics Championships campaign, Australian athletics fans are in for another golden week.

WA’s contingent boasts a stronger than ever group of athletes with defending Commonwealth Games Champions Madison de Rozario and Kurtis Marschall, recent World Championship bronze Medallist Nina Kennedy and Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Medallists Sarah Edmiston and Robyn Lambird.

Madison de Rozario will launch the Australian campaign on Saturday afternoon Perth time with the Marathon. De Rozario’s resume in the event is enviable with the wheelchair athlete currently holding the Commonwealth and Paralympic titles. With a starting list of only four, expect to see the West Aussie out in front and ready to reclaim her gold. Madison will then return for the 1500m event later in the week, where she will once again look to defend her 2018 Commonwealth Games title.

Next off the rank will be training partners Rhiannon Clarke and Ella Pardy in the Women’s T38 100m heats. Both athletes already have at least one major Championship medal to their name, with Clarke finishing second at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. With a growing talent base in the event, Clarke and Pardy enter ranked two and three respectively, but will undoubtedly be ready to push each other for the top spot.

Flying high of a season jump of 4.80m, expect to see big things from Nina Kennedy when she lines up in the Women’s Pole Vault final in the early hours of Wednesday Morning. Claiming bronze at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Kennedy has since gone on to set a new Australian record of 4.82m and win a World Championship medal.

Australian favourite Peter Bol will be looking to maintain his finals form after making it through a packed field at the Olympics and World Championships to line up in both Men’s 800m Finals. Currently ranked fifth in the Commonwealth, there is no doubt that Bol’s hunger for a medal will be on display from the early stages. Round One of the 800m’s gets underway on Wednesday night Perth time.

Paralympic Bronze Medallists Robyn Lambird and Sarah Edmiston are both looking to better their results over in Birmingham. Lambird will face some fast Great Britain racers in the 100m T34 on Wednesday morning when she lines up for the Women’s final. While an in-form Sarah Edmiston goes in with high expectations for the Women’s F42-44 Discus throw. Setting an Australian Record of 39.13m, the Perth Track and Field club athlete is ready to unleash and go for gold.

Defending Commonwealth Games Champion Kurtis Marschall will have to wait until the final few days before he can reclaim his title. Marschall will be joined by training partner Angus Armstrong in the Men’s Pole Vault final on Sunday morning. Both athletes will be fighting to get on the podium with Marschall holding the number one Commonwealth ranking and Armstrong just on the fringes of a medal with the number five ranking for the season.

Finally, Matthew Ramsden and Declan Tingay will wrap up WA’s contingent at this year's games. Both athletes have been busy in 2022 with multiple World Championship appearances. Ramsden will line up in the Men’s 1500m and 5000m, while Tingay looks like a potential medal threat in the Men’s 10,000m Race Walk.

VIEWING SCHEDULE 

The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games will be held from Thursday 28 July to Monday 8 August with the Athletics competitions to be conducted from Tuesday 2 August through to Sunday 7 August, with the competitions to be held at Alexander Stadium.

For more information and to follow all the upcoming athletics action head to Athletics West’s  Facebook & Instagram pages.

For any queries, please contact Athletics West at admin@athleticswest.com.au or 08 6272 0480

By David Smith, Athletics West

Posted 30th July 2022