GC2018: A look ahead to the first day

After a spectacular Opening Ceremony in Carrara Stadium, we look forward to the first day of competition for Team Wales at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games…

Captain Non Stanford will lead the way for Team Wales on a busy first day of competition at Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.

The former World Series triathlon champion from Swansea races at 0930 (0030 BST) with a chance to win Wales’ first medal of the Games.

There are also medals on offer in the pool and velodrome on Day One.

Glasgow bronze medallist Daniel Jervis is aiming for the 400m freestyle final (1937 local time; 1037 BST), with Ellena Jones and Kathryn Greenslade also competing in the women’s 200m freestyle. Jack Thomas and Alex Rosser go in heats of the Men’s S14 200m Freestyle at 1113 (0213 BST) looking to make the final the same evening.

James Ball and pilot Pete Mitchell will challenge for a podium place at the Anna Meares Velodrome in Brisbane in the final of the B&VI 1000m time trial (1906 local, 1006 BST).

Team Wales’ youngest athlete, 11 year old table tennis player Anna Hursey, also makes her debut at the Games, as she joins Charlotte Carey and Chloe Thomas in a group 3 team match against hosts Australia (1600 local; 0700 BST).

Women’s hockey captain Leah Wilkinson will enter the record books as she leads her team in a pool A match against India (0930 local; 0030 BST). She will win her 142nd cap, becoming Wales’s most capped female hockey player, on the same day that two 18 year olds Izzy Howell and Caro Hulme make their senior debuts.

Wales’ Mens Hockey team start their GC2018 campaign against Pakistan in pool B (1932 local; 1032 BST).

Also in action on Thursday 5th April:

• 64 kg boxer Billy Edwards, from the Dyffryn Club in Colwyn Bay, faces Alston Ryan from Antigua in a round of 32 bout at the Oxenford Studios (1232 local; 0032 BST).

• Two singles matches for Laura Daniels in Lawn Bowls, with the Men’s Triples, Men’s Pairs, Mixed B2/B3 Pairs, B6/B7/B8 Triples and Women’s Fours also in action.

• Recently crowned British squash champion Tesni Evans has a round-of-32 match in the women’s singles against Taylor Fernandes from Guyana (1430 local; 0530BST), and Deon Saffery has a round-of-64 match v Madina Zafar of Pakistan (1230 local, 0330 BST).

• Peter Creed (1230 local; 0330 BST) and Joel Makin (1350 local; 0450 BST) also have round of 64 matches in the Men’s Squash singles.

• In track cycling, qualifying for Men’s and Women’s 4000m Team Pursuit squads (from 1442 local; 0542 BST) and also Women’s Team Sprint (1624 local; 0724 BST).

• Men’s Artistic Gymnastics team competition from 0900 local; 0000 BST.

• In swimming, Chloe Tutton and Beth Sloan go in the heats of the 50m breaststroke on Thursday morning (1138 local; 0238 BST) with evening semi- finals. Xavier Castelli swims in heats of the 100m backstroke at 1147 (0247 BST) . In the 100m Butterfly, Harriet Jones lines up in heat 1 with Alys Thomas and Harriet West in heat 3 (from 1158 local 0258 BST.)