2022 BIRMINGHAM COMMONWEALTH GAMES

THE 2022 BIRMINGHAM

COMMONWEALTH GAMES All images © Mark Davidson

BY MARK DAVIDSON

From basketball to bowls, tandem cycling to table tennis there were plenty of para events on display in Birmingham, which was host to the 22nd Commonwealth Games this summer

More than 5,000 athletes represented 72 nations and territories competing in 280 medal events over 11 days, with the number of events available to para athletes having increased from 36 to 42.

Along with many sports to watch at the different venues, there was plenty on offer for the public at the Smithfield Festival and at the main location in Victoria Square, where a big screen allowed many to enjoy the Games who were not lucky enough to get tickets for the different sports. Whilst the majority of events were located in the West Midlands, the track cycling took place at the Lee Valley Velodrome in the Olympic Park, Stratford. Home to many fantastic memories from London 2012, it was once again action packed with a number of crashes and, in the para classification, tandem cycling took centre stage where the competitors were piloted around the track by another rider.

There was confusion in the women’s tandem B competition where England’s Sophie Unwin thought she was racing Libby Clegg of Scotland, who has had multiple successes on the athletics track, for bronze but under competition rules where there are only four competitors, only gold

Sophie Unwin and Georgia Holt

James Ball

Libby Clegg and Jenny Holl

Stephen Bate and silver would be competed for. She said “five teams entered, four signed on. Some people were made aware and it said in the velodrome ‘bronze race’. The medals are here in the building somewhere. Had we known we were not riding for a medal we would have saved our legs.” However Sophie was able to make amends by winning silver in the tandem B 1000m time trial. Elsewhere on the track James Ball won gold in the men’s Tandem B Sprint Final saying: “It’s so important for the competitors and the spectators to see para cycling alongside the other events. It gives the sport more validity.” In the swimming there was gold for Maisie Summers-Newton, winning the SB6 100m breaststroke along with silver for England’s Hannah Russell in the S13 category. Elsewhere in the pool the other home nations were also successful with Bethany Firth of Northern Ireland winning the women’s 200m freestyle S14 final and Stephen Clegg, the brother of Libby Clegg, winning silver in the men’s 50m freestyle S13 final. 3x3 wheelchair basketball took place at the Smithfield venue with both events in the men’s and women’s finals being contested by Canada and Australia, Canada taking gold in the women’s competition and Australia taking gold in the men’s match. Athletics is regarded as the showcase of any multi-sport games and yet again Hannah Cockroft did not disappoint, winning the women’s T33/34 100m at Alexander Stadium. She said the crowds reminded her of London 2012: “That crowd just wants you to go out there. When you hear that noise, it took me back ten years to the Paralympics and I revelled in it”. There was also a special victory for Olivia Breen of Wales who beat her rival, England’s Sophie Hahn, to win gold in the women’s T37/38 100m. She said: “It’s taken nine years and I’ve waited for this day. I feel absolutely on top of the world. This is the best day of my life.”

However, on the road there was disaster for the favourite in the wheelchair marathon, David Weir,

Para Mixed Pairs: Gold Medal Match, Scotland v Wales suffering a puncture a few miles from the finish. That enabled Johnboy Smith to win gold, who later said: “I didn’t know he had a problem. I saw him from about fifty yards. I shouted out, ‘what happened?’. I didn’t want to win by default, but I’ve won gold and I deserve gold.” In the more sedate sport of lawn bowls, George Miller of Scotland aged 75, issued a rallying cry after becoming the oldest gold medal winner in Commonwealth Games history - winning it in the mixed pairs B2/B3 at Victoria Park, Leamington Spa. He said: “Bowls is quite easy for older people, but any sport, walking, football, rugby, you name it, get out there, exercise, play games. Competing is brilliant whatever age you are”. Elsewhere, there was glory for England’s Jack Hunter-Spivey in the para table tennis singles 3-5 classification who said: “I feel incredible. This is a moment that you dream about as a kid. This is the moment why you pick up a bat in the first place. To say I’ve got the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games is so surreal.”

In the powerlifting, Zoe Newson of England won gold in the women’s lightweight category at the NEC, the first time Nigeria hadn’t been on top of the podium. On becoming the first non-Nigerian athlete to win a Commonwealth para powerlifting gold medal. She said: “I didn’t know I was the first. I came here planning to do a personal best. I didn’t quite manage that but I got the medal instead. My son was in the audience and when I saw him I just started crying.” With a record number of para events being showcased at the Commonwealth Games, we can’t wait to see what is in store at the 2026 Commonwealth Games scheduled to take place in Victoria, Australia.

Jack Hunter-Spivey