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Good luck to Plymouth's Commonwealth Games athletes

Good luckWe are wishing the Commonwealth Games athletes from Plymouth the very best of luck as they compete for Team England – and Team Scotland – at the 2022 championships which start Thursday 28 July.

After months and years of training, swimmers, divers, lawn bowlers and athletes will be heading to Birmingham for a tense 11 days of competition.

Councillor Pat Patel, Cabinet Member for Customer Services, Culture, Leisure and Sport, said: “It is very exciting to see so many exceptionally talented athletes from Plymouth competing in the Commonwealth Games this year.

"To see them fly the flag for Plymouth is great for our city, and I wish them the best of luck.”

The Plymouth sports men and women are:

  • Reece Dunn and Ben Proud for swimming. Reece has shot to the top of para swimming, having only joined the British set up in 2019. Reece set four world records in his first year as a para swimmer and won three world titles. Ben won 50m freestyle and butterfly gold medals at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games as well as a 4x100m freestyle silver and won a further gold and two silvers at the Gold Coast games four years later
  • Alison Yearling for lawn bowls. Seven years after competing at national level for the first time, Nurse Alison Yearling is preparing for a second tilt at the Commonwealth Games. Yearling was diagnosed with a rare genetic eye condition – Stargardt’s Disease
  • Matthew Dixon for diving. After a silver medal double in the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games four years ago, Team England’s Matthew Dixon will be looking to upgrade to gold this time around in Birmingham
  • Giselle Ansley for hockey. Ansley was part of Team England when they grabbed Commonwealth Games silver in Glasgow and bronze on the Gold Coast
  • James Arnott for athletics. James is in Team England colours for the second time this summer and will hope to go one better than he did on the Gold Coast, where he won T47 100m silver. 
  • Merryn Doidge for rugby sevens. Born in Plymouth, the Cornish full-back first picked up a ball when playing alongside her brother, later playing competitively for an under-15 side at the age of just 12
  • Laura Stephens for swimming. Laura finished fourth in her first outing for Team England as part of the 4x100m medley on the Gold Coast four years ago
  • Tom Beeley for swimming as part of Team Scotland. Beeley, smashed his 200m butterfly personal best at the British Championships earlier this season will strengthen Team Scotland’s relay options in Birmingham
  • Lewis Burras for swimming. Lewis was forced to battle back from a hernia operation last year, meaning he had to watch the 2021 British Championships from home, unable to walk let alone try to qualify for the Olympics. But the Team England sprinter made a triumphant return in April scorching to the British 100m freestyle final and challenging the national record.

A special mention goes to our Commonwealth cousins who have been in Plymouth training at Plymouth Leander. The club has nurtured swimmers at every level and has competitors in the Games representing other nations.

  • Finn Moseley and Maddy Moore for Team Bermuda. Maddy competed in the women's 50 metre freestyle and women's 50 metre butterfly events at the 2019 World Aquatics Championships held in Gwangju, South Korea. Finn recently competed at The Central American & Caribbean Amateur Swimming Confederation Championships 2022 which took place in Barbados
  • Oliva Fuller, Bianca Mitchell, Jadon Wuilliez and Stefano Mitchell for Team Antigua and Barbuda. In 2018, Stefano was the swimming champion in the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States in his age group in both the pool and open water. Olympic Scholarship Holder, Olivia will compete in the Women’s 50m freestyle and 100m freestyle. Bianca, competes internationally for Antigua and Barbuda. Her last result is the 34th place for the women's 200m freestyle during the World Championships 2022.  Jadon, competed at the FINA World Short Course Championships where he set two individual national records in the 50m breaststroke and the 100m breaststroke
  • Calum Jarvis for Team Wales. Calum is a Welsh competitive swimmer who has represented Great Britain in World Championships and the Olympics, and Wales in the Commonwealth Games. Calum competes primarily in freestyle and backstroke events. In 2014, he competed at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow as part of the Welsh team, winning the bronze medal in the 200m freestyle
  • Charlie-Joe Hallett for Team Guernsey. The Guernsey Swimming Club member often represents Guernsey off-island in the pool and recently won a gold medal in the Gibraltar Island Games
  • Aidan Carroll for Team Gibraltar. Aidan is a competitive swimmer who has represented Gibraltar at international events and is seeking to pursue a career as a maritime officer
  • Aimee Canney for Team South Africa. Earlier this year at the South Africa National Swimming Championships, Canney won a gold in the 200m freestyle at the South Africa National Swimming Championships
  • Ridhwan Mohamed for Team Kenya. Ridhwan is a BSc (Hons) Mechanical Engineering graduate with an ambition to qualify for the Olympics in 2024. Ridhwan began taking part in swimming competitions and by the time he was 10, he was ranked third in the whole of Kenya.

Good luck too, to all the junior squad members competing in the games.