The Commonwealth Games kick off in Glasgow today, and while the event is continually in the shadow of the far more prestigious Olympic Games, it represents an ideal opportunity for the nearly 5,000 athletes who are competing to make their mark on the international stage. Despite some notable absentees, there is guaranteed to be lots of drama and many high-quality performances.

 

Team England will hope to build on a successful 2010 campaign and arrive in Scotland with high hopes. Athletics was one of England’s most successful sports in Delhi last time around and there are sure to be many medals coming Team England’s way in the next few weeks. Mo Farah looks set to do the 5,000 and 10,000 double, which he executed to perfection two years ago. Despite some injury worries, he has the ability to coast to victory. Christine Ohuruogu is another who did fantastically in London, claiming silver in the 400m. While she isn’t running as she was, she does always seem to be able to lift her performance levels when it really matters. Philips Idowu had a far less pleasant experience at the Olympics, but has shown time and again that he belongs on the world stage. Andy Turner was the 110m hurdles in 2010 and will be looking to defend his title. However, injuries have dogged him and it could allow Will Sharman, silver medallist on that occasion, the opportunity to capitalise. Unlike Turner, he has hit his stride in 2014 and recorded a new personal best of 13.21s last month.

Greg Rutherford will be looking to emulate his gold medal performance at London 2012. 2014 has been a mixed year for the man from Milton Keynes, as he has picked up a few niggling injuries. However, he also recorded the longest jump of any Briton in history with 8.51m in April. Pole vaulter Steve Lewis will hope to emulate his form of the last few years if he is to challenge for the top spot. Despite being regarded as the greatest Englishman ever at the discipline, he has yet to claim an international gold. If he can replicate his British-record vault of 5.82m, his wait could be over.  Sophie Hitchon made her senior breakthrough in 2013 with a British Record in the European Team Championships, claiming third. She has displayed immense promise and could shine in Glasgow. English sprinting is alsoalso in rude health with Harry Aikines-Aryeteey, Adam Gemili and Richard Kilty all in contention, while on the women’s side Ashleigh Nelson, Asha Philip and Bianca Williams are all performing well. In the 200m, hot prospect Jodie Williams recently posted a personal best of 22.60s and looks set to deliver the performances that she has promised for so many years. Despite not having run under the magic 45-second barrier since 2012, he has the potential to get on the podium, as shown in the 2010 European Championships, when he secured bronze. On that day, he was beaten by Michael Bingham, who races alongside Rooney in Glasgow.

 

Other athletes who could shine are Andrew Osagie and Michael Rimmer, who will compete for the title of Commonwealth 800m champion and England number one. Jessica Judd, at just 19, is the only woman running under two minutes for the same distance. Hannah England leads the charge in the 1500m and will hope to match her performance in the 2011 World Championships in Daegu. She will go up against fellow Englishwomen Laura Weightman and Jemma Simpson. Matthew Hudson-Smith is, like Judd, only 19 and recently dipped under 45 seconds in the 400m. Despite this, he has had to settle for a place in the relay squad. Shelly Woods is flying the flag for women’s para-sport, going in the T53/54 1500m. Woods’ incredibly diverse career has seen her claim Olympic medals in the 5000m and the Marathon, and she will hope to replicate her success at the shorter distance. Bethany Woodward is competing in the F37/F38 women’s long jump and will look to add to the two medals she won at the Olympics, where she took part in the T37 200m and the 4 x 100m relay.

Helen Clitheroe’s only outdoor medal came in the Commonwealth Games twelve years ago in Manchester, and the 40 year-old will hope for a fairytale ending to her career. Another athlete still going strong at 40 is Jo Pavey, who picked her only Commonwealth Games medal in 2006. Like Woods, she has taken in many different distances, including the 1500m, 5,000m and 10,000, as well as various events on the road. Yamilé Aldama is even older at 41, and became the World Indoor Long Jump Champion at the age of 39. If anyone proves that age is not a barrier to success, Aldama does. Tiffany Porter is a relative spring chicken at 26 and has been bringing her personal best down over the last few years. She may need to produce another one in order to beat the mercurial Sally Pearson. Shara Proctor, like Porter, transferred her allegiance to Great Britain in 2010 and since then has broken both the indoor and outdoor British long jump records and secured a bronze at the World Indoor Championships in 2012. She certainly has been showing good form in recent years and is definitely a contender.

 

In the badminton, Rajiv Ouseph has the best chance of bringing home some silverware. He has been consistently ranked in the top 20 in the world and has won a host of international honours. Chris Adcock and his wife Gabby reached a career high of fifth earlier this year, and have picked up some prestigious titles along the way, winning both the 2013 Hong Kong Super Series and the 2014 Swiss Open Grand Prix against Chinese pairings. Heather Olver was also part of the team that secured bronze in the mixed team event in Delhi and will be hoping to achieve similar levels of success in the women’s and mixed doubles.

 

A sport which is making its much-anticipated is women’s boxing and leading the charge is 2012 Flyweight Champion Nicola Adams. The Leeds-born boxer will be joined by Natasha Jonas and Savannah Marshall, both of whom have notable experience and tournament silverware under their belts. Antony Fowler will hope to acquit himself well in his first Commonwealth Games appearance and will look to show that his bronze medal at last year’s amateur World Championships was no fluke.

 

In cycling, Lizzie Armitstead will look to put the heartbreak of her second-place finishes in Delhi and London behind her. She has switched her focus from the road to the track this time around, and will competing alongside Dani King, Laura Trott and Joanna Rowsell, who all won gold medals during that record-breaking Olympics. Alex Dowsett will also be aiming for gold in Glasgow. Having set a British ten-mile time trial record two months ago, his confidence will be high. Other members of the squad include Sir Bradley Wiggins, the winner of four Olympic golds and 2012 Tour de France winner, Ed Clancy, winner of two Olympic golds, and Steven Burke, part of the victorious team pursuit squad alongside Clancy. In addition, the cycling squad comprises Jason Kenny, winner of the individual and team sprints at London 2012, and Philip Hindes, a member of the gold medal-winning in the team sprint. Sophie Thornhill and Helen Scott will compete in the Para Cycling Tandem. Thornhill is in-form having won the sprint and 1km time trial at the UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships earlier this year.

 

Tom Daley will undoubtedly be the star attraction in the diving. The Olympic bronze medallist and 2009 World Champion has recently relocated to London. Injuries have dogged him in the last year, although he did manage to take third place at the FINA World Super Series meet in China. If he can recapture the form of a few years ago, the gold will surely be his. Tonia Couch has consistently performed at the British Championships and has transferred that form to the European Championships, where she won the 10m synchro gold and silver medals in 2012 and 2013 respectively. She was partnered on both occasions by Sarah Barrow. Victoria Vincent is the most intriguing addition though. She was forced to go through an appeals process to ensure her place in the squad, as the 13 year-old was deemed to be too young to compete.

 

Gymnastics is another sport which England has traditionally done well in. Max Whitlock was just one of the star-studded crop from London 2012 and since then has gone from strength to strength winning six major medals in the last two calendar years, including two golds. He will be joined by Louis Smith, who has returned to compete in Glasgow after announcing his retirement in 2013. His international experience will surely rub off on some of the younger members of the team. Sam Oldham was also part of the successful Olympic team and has gone on to win a European Championship silver in the last two years. Likewise, Kristian Thomas’ career has taken an upward trajectory, getting on the podium in Antwerp and Sofia at the World and European Championships.  Lynne Hutchison, at just 19, is one to watch. She claimed the bronze medal at the last Commonwealth Games and also competed in London. Becky Downie, at 22, is more established and is starting to cement her place among the world’s elite, underlined by her 2014 European Championship gold.

 

Gemma Gibbons, who won Judo silver in London, will spearhead the England team. One of her team-mates is Ashley McKenzie, who career has been marred by ill-discipline. However, it appears things are looking up on and off the mat. The squad also includes Chris Oates, the 2011 European Championship bronze medallist and Kelly Edwards, the winner of the 48kg+ category at the 2011 European Cup. In Hockey, the England women’s team will be looking to build on their bronze medal from four years ago. However, they endured a poor World Cup, finishing a distant 11^th, and will need to play significantly better if they are to mount a challenge in Glasgow.

 

Gold medallist from Delhi Natalie Melmore will be hoping to retain her title in the lawn bowls. She came from nowhere to win four years ago, but knows that the pressure will be on her in Glasgow. Fellow defending champion Ellen Falkner will join her, competing in the pairs event with Amy Monkhouse. England’s netball team has enjoyed considerable successes in recent years. Since their bronze medal in Delhi, they have the 2011 World Netball Series, as well as coming third in the World Netball Championships, which were held in the same year.

 

 

England’s Rugby Sevens team narrowly missed out on a medal in 2010, losing to South Africa convincingly in the bronze medal play-off. Coach Simon Amor has opted for experience over youth and will hope that their tournament nous will pay dividends. Amber Hill is considered one of Shooting’s most exciting prospects, and at just 16 has time on her side. She recently became the youngest winner of a Skeet Shooting World Cup and finished 2013 as the world number five. Mick Gault is another realistic medal hope, who returned after retiring following his Delhi success. He has 17 Commonwealth medals to his name. Others in contention include Kenny Parr, Sharon Lee and Parag Patel.

 

The gold medal on the men’s side is likely to be fought over by Nick Matthew and his nemesis James Willstrop. The pair have had some spats over the last years and have constantly vied for supremacy. However Matthew, who is also England’s flag bearer, is the highest-ranked man in the field andthe bookmakers’ favourite. Jenny Duncalf has constantly been frustrated in her quest for gold, claiming the runners-up spot four times in major international competitions since her maiden gold at the 2006 World Championships in Edmonton. However, it is Laura Massaro who stands the best chance of victory. She has been somewhat in the shadow of the all-conquering Nicol David, but she has the credentials to mount a serious challenge.

 

 

In swimming, Daniel Fogg will be aiming to build on his only international medal to date, achieved in Delhi. Fogg, who also competes in open water swimming, finished 8^th in the 1,500m at London 2012. Double champion Liam Tancock has considerable international pedigree and despite admitting to not being in peak condition, you wouldn’t put it past him to defend his titles. Joe Roebuck could also be a strong Commonwealth prospect, having won two silver medals four years and claiming a bronze medal at the 2011 European Short Course Swimming Championships in Rotterdam. Fran Halsall has been one of the stars of British swimming for the past five years and really shone in Delhi, picking up five podium finishes. Despite a disappointing Olympics, she did pick up silver at the 2012 World Short Course Championships in Istanbul and a bronze at the 2013 World Long Course Championships in Barcelona. If she can perform in that vein, she stands a real chance. Lizzie Simmonds is another who is gunning for gold and an agonising fourth place at London 2012 is sure to provide that extra motivation to succeed. Amy Smith could also challenge. She won 100m freestyle bronze at the 2011 European Short Course Championships.

 

Andrew Baggaley, Liam Pitchord and Paul Drinkhall could all potentially pick up medals in the table tennis, although most likely in the men’s doubles and team categories, with Singapore dominating the singles events. Joanna Drinkhall will partner her husband in the mixed doubles and 15 year-old prodigy Tin-Tin Ho has also been called up. In Triathlon, the Brownlee brothers will be looking to do the one-two. Despite both being pretty young, the Leeds-based duo have racked up many titles over the years and will look to conquer all before them. Jodie Stimpson is representing the women, and won the 2011 ITU World Championships.

 

Despite being widely tipped for stardom from a very young age, Zoe Smith has struggled withinjuries since her bronze success in 2010. She did though break the British clean & jerk record at the London Olympics and claimed clean & jerk bronze at the European Weightlifting Championships. She has youthful competition in the form of Rebekah Tiler, who won the British Championships aged just 15, the youngest person ever to hold the title.

 

Wrestling is a sport which is traditionally not promoted highly, but Leon Rattigan is hoping to take advantage of the exposure that the Commonwealth Games provides. He won bronze in Delhi and will be looking to improve on that in Glasgow. His wife Yana has taken the silver medal in the 48kg category in the 2010 and 2013 European Championships, while fellow Ukrainian-born wrestler Olga Butkevych has also claimed two international medals.

Overall England’s prospects appear rosy, and they have a good chance of matching their third-place finish from 2010.

 

Alex Bowmer

Featured image: BBC Sport