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Glasgow 2014

Live Commentary: Commonwealth Games - July 23

By , Senior Reporter |
Sports Mole brings you live coverage from across every sport ahead of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
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Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live coverage of the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Ahead of tonight's opening ceremony in Glasgow, we will bring you all of the latest goings on from across every sport.

Read below for updates throughout the day.


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Good morning all. Welcome to day two of SM's live coverage of the Commonwealth Games. We have reporters working around the clock to bring you all the latest goings on from across every camp, meaning you will not miss a thing.

The opening ceremony gets underway later today, and while home nations Scotland, Wales and England had each already named their respective flag bearers, Team Northern Ireland have this morning followed suit by selecting cyclist Martyn Irvine for the honour.

Excitement - and presumably nerves - starting to kick in at the Team England camp...



Sticking with Northern Ireland, and cyclist Wendy Houvenaghel has made the tough decision to retire from the sport following her withdrawal from the Commonwealth Games through injury. Read what the 39-year-old had to say right here.

We had a raft of withdrawals from the Commonwealth Games yesterday due to various injury problems, and the latest athlete to withdraw is Team England's Tim Whiteman. The hockey star was a major doubt after undergoing surgery to his thumb last week, but his dream is now officially over.

BREAKING! Well the withdrawals from the Commonwealth Games just keep on coming, with Team Wales's Eloise Laity becoming the latest to pull out through injury. More to follow...

More information on Eloise Laity's withdrawal from the Glasgow Games can be found here.

I'm sure Team England weightlifter Bradley Burrowes is not alone with this thought...



For the first time ever, headguards will not be used at the Commonwealth Games this year. However, New Zealand boxer Leroy Findley says that this will work as an advantage.

Sticking with boxing and Team New Zealand, Alexis Pritchard claims that she is "feeling really good" ahead of the start of the Games.

Elsewhere, Team England's most successful ever athlete at the Commonwealths, Mick Gaunt, is targeting an overall medal-equalling 18th medal in Glasgow. Find out more here.

A report in one British newspaper today suggests that British diver Tom Daley, who will represent England in Glasgow, will retire at the end of the Commonwealth Games. It should be said that a spokesman for the diver denies these early retirement claims.

Tom Daley competing in the 10m platform semi-final at the diving World Cup on July 20, 2014© Getty Images


Team Wales have set an ambitious target of 27 medals for the 2014 Commonwealth Games. One athlete who is confident of reaching her own personal targets is swimmer Jazz Carling, who says that she is looking to improve on her bronze from four years ago in Delhi.

Joe Fish here, taking over from Daniel Lewis with nine hours to go until the Commonwealth Games officially gets underway with the opening ceremony. SM will bring you the latest news from Glasgow until then. Hopefully Team England can survive the rest of the day without any more withdrawals!

One athlete that has benefitted from an injury withdrawal is swimmer Tilly Gray, who is excited to have been given the chance to represent Team England in both the 100m and 200m butterfly.

Possible withdrawal alert! Australia's Olympic champion Sally Pearson has admitted that she is "likely" to pull out of the women's 100m sprint in Glasgow to give her hamstring the best possible chance of surviving her defence of her hurdles title. Pearson won gold at the London 2012 Olympics.

There have been suggestions that Glasgow 2014 will suffer from the number of high-profile withdrawals and being in the shadow of the hugely-successful London 2012 Olympics, but former England decathlete Dean Macey has stressed that the Commonwealth Games remain "hugely important". Macey won gold at the 2006 Games in Melbourne, which was the highlight of his injury-plagued career.

Jemma Simpson is somebody who is certainly taking the competitions seriously, and she has revealed that she has done everything possible to make sure that she is prepared for the 1500m in Glasgow. England's middle-distance runner has spent most of her career competing over 800m.

There's some royal presence in Glasgow for tonight's opening ceremony, and here is English athlete and Olympic cycling star Laura Trott being snapped with the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall earlier.



Trott will be hoping to emulate her London success in Glasgow, and so will the Brownlee brothers in Thursday's triathlon. Jonny is focused on challenging his elder brother and Olympic champion Alistair for gold after being relieved of the pressure of a four-year podium streak earlier this year.

Sir Bradley Wiggins has won the Tour de France, six Olympic titles and four World Championship track titles, so perhaps it is no surprise that Joanna Rowsell has revealed that everybody in Team England's cycling squad looks up to the 34-year-old. Wiggins has yet to taste Commonwealth gold, though.

Sports Mole editor Neil Wilkes is part of our team up in Glasgow for the Games and he has been scouting the swimming facilities ahead of the competition's start on Thursday.



As has been well publicised, several high-profile withdrawals have blighted the run up to the Games, but the tide could be turning with the news that one of the biggest stars in rugby union could be competing in Glasgow. South Africa's World Cup winner Bryan Habana has eventually been released by Toulon to join up with their sevens squad. However, he will only feature if one of his teammates gets injured, with the deadline for the submission of squads having passed.

Bryan Habana of Toulon breaks with the ball during the Heineken Cup semi final match between Toulon and Munster at the Stade Velodrome on April 27, 2014© Getty Images


Table tennis team events are among the highlights of the opening day of competition tomorrow, and British number one Paul Drinkhall has insisted that the squad are "in great shape" and are targeting medals in both the men's and women's events in Glasgow.

Andrew Baggaley, who is England's leading table tennis medalist in Commonwealth Games history, has echoed Drinkhall's confidence and hopes to add to his tally of five medals in Glasgow.

Our correspondents in Glasgow are ready for the opening ceremony at Celtic Park!


Sports Mole have been in Scotland as long as the St Helena Commonwealth Games team! The tiny island in the South Atlantic Ocean have brought six athletes to Glasgow, but only arrived on Monday following a 10-day journey which saw them travel 8,500 miles via sky and sea!

That's it from me. Shane Callaghan will be your guide up until the start of the opening ceremony.

Thanks Joe. Yep, stay tuned ladies and gentlemen as we'll be bringing you all the latest goings-on from Glasgow ahead of tonight's opening ceremony.

Four members of Sri Lanka's team for the upcoming Commonwealth Games were stopped by police this afternoon after being caught cycling on the M74. The quartet had to be informed by Scottish police that they were breaking the law after being spotted gliding down the busy stretch of road at the Motherwell and Hamilton exit.



UNICEF UK Ambassador, Lord David Puttnam, has revealed that Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar will have a "special" role in the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow tonight.

It's looking like a glorious day in Glasgow as Sports Mole's Commonwealth Games correspondents soak up the atmosphere and the sun ahead of tonight's opening ceremony.


Australia's Melissa Tapper is hoping to defy the odds and minimise the effects of her disability by beating able-bodied athletes in the upcoming Commonwealth Games. The 24-year-old, who has chronic nerve damage to her arm and shoulder after being born with Erbs Palsy, is poised to compete in both the team and mixed doubles Table Tennis event in Glasgow.

Sports Mole's very own Neil Wilkes has been snooping around Glasgow lately and has found himself at Hampden Park, where the athletics and closing ceremony will be held.


Swimmer Ross Murdoch has called on his fellow Scots to help inspire his compatriots to success in the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. The 20-year-old has rose to prominence in the last 12 months, claiming two Scottish records by winning the 100m gold and 50m bronze at the British Gas Championships in Sheffield.

Team England are certainly going for gold in the fashion stakes as their Commonwealth Games blazers have been revealed ahead of tonight's opening ceremony!


Tim Kneale has revealed that he will be "holding back the tears" tonight as he flies the flag for the Isle of Mann in the opening ceremony for the Commonwealth Games. The 31-year-old shooter is poised to lead his island's 45-strong team out at Celtic Park this evening, and he says that carrying the Manx flag will make him "very emotional".

England netball coach Anna Mayes believes that her current crop of players is perhaps the strongest in the nation's history ahead of the upcoming Commonwealth Games. Team England could only manage a bronze medal in Delhi four years ago after being eliminated by rivals Australia, who they face in this year's Games once again.

Well, Beth Tweddle is heading off to this evening's opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games, but if you're not lucky enough to have a ticket then perhaps you'll join Sports Mole for our live commentary.


It's always ominous for every other sprinter when Usain Bolt is in confident mood, and the 27-year-old is as optimistic as ever ahead of his Commonwealth Games bow this summer. Check out what he has had to say here.

David Moorcroft believes that Mo Farah will cement his status as the greatest runner of all time if he follows up his Olympic triumph in 2012 by claiming a Commonwealth Games double. Farah, who claimed a long-distance double in London two years ago, is poised to participate in the the 5,000m and 10,000m events in Glasgow this summer.

Sports Mole is live in Glasgow ladies and gentlemen! Click here for our live commentary of the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony.

I think this just about signals how big this opening ceremony is going to be folks....not only is Rod Stewart performing, but the legendary Scot is also a tad nervous it seems. We're sure he'll do alright.


England netball coach Anna Mayes believes that the Commonwealth Games clash with Australia will act as a barometer for how far her side can go in Glasgow this summer. Team England lost to Australia - currently ranked number two in the world, one place ahead of Mayes's side - in Delhi four years ago

Think the pressure of hosting the Commonwealth Games is getting to Team Scotland? Think again! Some of them look uber relaxed ahead of tonight's opening ceremony - our live coverage for which can be found here.


That's all from me tonight, my friends. You'll be joined by Callum Mulvihill now, who will keep you apprised of all the major talking-points to come out of Glasgow this evening - as well as updates from the opening ceremony itself. It's been emotional. Until next time....

Thank you, Shane. The beginning of the opening ceremony is not far away now. The Queen will watch on from Celtic Park, but instead of spending the evening with her, you get to join Neil Wilkes for his view on what promises to be an exciting night. Make sure you keep up with our live coverage of the ceremony.

World champion Non Stanford, who will miss the triathlon due to a stress fracture in her ankle, has criticised the Welsh selectors for refusing to pick Leanda Cave for the Commonwealth Games. Cave also recently voived her displeasure with the decision.

Guy Learmonth, who will run in the 800m next Tuesday, believes that a key factor in Scottish athlete's performances will be how they handle the pressure of competing in front of the passionate home supporters.

More news from the triathlon as Northern Ireland's Aileen Reid underlines her need for a quick pace during the cycling leg of the race if she is to stand any chance against some of the favourites for medals.

One more nudge from me as I point you in the direction of Neil Wilkes, who is talking us through the opening ceremony with his live coverage tonight. It's just moments away, so make sure you join him.

Athletics head coach Eric Hollingsworth has suggested that Australia are underdogs to come out on top on the tack and field after being beaten to the top of the medals table by Kenya four years ago.

The opening ceremony is well underway at Celtic Park. Rod Stewart, Susan Boyle, and now the Queen have all arrived. Keep up with the action with our live coverage.

Kenya have been dealt a blow ahead of the marathon with news that Philes Ongori will miss the race after she picked up an undisclosed injury.

Over at Celtic Park, the flags are starting to appear as the teams are paraded to the supporters in Glasgow. There's a lot more countries to come, including the home nations, so make sure you click on our live coverage as soon as possible.

News of another athlete being forced to pull out of the Commonwealth Games, this time from Canada. Nic Hamilton will miss out in Glasgow after suffering a concussion when he collided with an official as he trained in the velodrome earlier today. The official is reported to have broken her collarbone in the collision.

For those of you who have seen opening ceremonies before, it won't surprise you to learn that the parade of countries is still going on at Celtic Park. Neil Wilkes is taking it all in from his seat in Glasgow as his live coverage continues.

Joanna Rowsell has revealed that the signs have been positive in training as she prepares to compete on the track and road at the Commonwealth Games. Can she claim a medal in Glasgow?

Ahmedi Magogo has been through it all this week. The Tanzanian judoka was nearly forced to abandon his trip to Glasgow due to visa issues, before finally being granted permission to travel. However, Magogo has now been disqualified from his event after missing the weight by 2.7kg. Incredible!

English hammer hope Sophie Hitchon believes that the Commonwealth Games could be a breakthrough event for her as he looks to make an impact at senior level after a glittering junior career.

The opening ceremony has just finished at Celtic Park, and the Commonwealth Games are official underway. You can catch up on everything that has happened this evening in our live text coverage of the ceremony.

Scotland's Commonwealth Games chairman Michael Cavanagh gets the final word tonight after insisting that Michael Jamieson can handle the pressure of being a gold medal hope for Scotland on Thursday. Can Jamieson give the home fans something to cheer tomorrow?

That's all from the Sports Mole team for tonight. Matt Domm will be in the chair at 9am on Thursday as the action finally gets underway in Glasgow. We'll have news throughout the day as competitors battle for 31 gold medals tomorrow. Goodnight!

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Sir Chris Hoy MBE carries the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games Baton into Buckingham Palace on October 9, 2013
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