[FA_Lite id=”374960″] Caerphilly county borough roared into twelfth place in the Commonwealth Games medal table after two gold medals and a bronze on Marvellous Monday for our athletes.
First up in the early hours of April 9 was Caerphilly’s Marc Wyatt who took gold with his bowls’ pairs partner Daniel Salmon.
Marc had lost two semi-finals in previous Commonwealth Games, but finally took gold when he and Daniel Salmon beat the odds-on favourites Scotland to take the pairs bowls’ title.
The Caerphilly-man helped beat the defending champions 12-10 in a close final where the Scots had taken an early 5-1 lead in the fifth end.
But Wales fought back winning seven consecutive ends, to lead 11-10 going into the 18th and final end.
With his last bowl, skip Wyatt produced a perfect draw to nestle up to the jack, which Marshall could not better with his final bowl.
Reigning Paralympic champion in the F46 javelin Hollie Arnold, from Ystrad Mynach, won gold in the women’s final with her last throw.
Hollie was in silver medal position and needed to recapture her world record after her New Zealand rival, Holly Robinson, had broken her record with a throw of 43.32m.
With her final throw Hollie threw 44.43 metres, to set a new world mark and take gold for Wales and Caerphilly.
Hollie Arnold is a triple world champion and now has a gold in her first Commonwealth Games.
Bargoed’s Lauren Price eased into the 75kg women’s boxing semi-final after she defeated Mozambique’s Rady Gramane.
That guaranteed Lauren her second bronze medal. She became Wales’ first women boxing medal winner at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, where women’s boxing made its debut.
Since then the welterweight has won bronze at the European Championships in Sofia in 2016. In December that same year, she received the call up from GB Boxing to join the podium squad and is now targeting a berth at the Tokyo Olympics.
Lauren’s now certain of another medal to add to her collection, but which colour will it be?
Her semi-final is at 10.17am on Friday April 13. If Lauren makes the final it will be on at 10.17am on Saturday April 14.
Kyran Jones from Pengam lost his men’s boxing bout to Northern Ireland’s Steven Donnelly at 75kgs.
Kyran has been part of the Wales programme since the age of 12 and made his international debut for Wales’ schoolboys in 2011, helping Wales to their first win over Ireland for 20 years.
He boxes out of Gelligaer ABC under coach Bill Summers.
Sam Harrison from Crosskeys will be competing in his third Commonwealth Games when he takes part in the men’s road race at 3.30pm on Saturday April 14.
In Glasgow, he rode as a domestique for Geraint Thomas who secured secure gold for Wales in the road race.
He discovered his love of cycling when he was encouraged by friends to try out the Wales National Velodrome soon after it had opened its doors. He swiftly joined local club Cwmcarn Paragon.
At the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games, Sam finished fourth in the points race. He then progressed to the British Cycling Academy programme in Manchester.
In 2013, Sam took silver in the team pursuit at the World Track Championships. He then won gold at the Under 23 National Time Trial Championships and bronze in the team pursuit at the UCI Track World Cup in Aguascalientes.
In 2016, he claimed bronze in the Points race at the UCI World Track Cup in Glasgow and joined Team Wiggins.
Peter Creed from Caerphilly had his game’s dream broken after he lost his opening squash game 1-3 to Jamaica’s Lewis Walters.
Peter was educated at Millfield School where his talents were under the watchful eye of coach and six times British Open Champion Jonah Barrington who has remained a key figure in his career.
He has secured seven Welsh National Champion titles (his seventh was in January 2017), seven World Tour titles and a World University gold medal. In August 2017, he stormed to a bronze medal at Manchester’s World Doubles Championships with Tesni Evans.
There are more medal possibilities for Caerphilly and Wales in the men’s rugby sevens with three local lads taking part. Ethan Davies plays for Cross Keys, James Benjamin is ex Bedwas and Cross Keys and Angus O’Brien is also ex Cross Keys rugby.
Wales play in Pool D and take on Uganda at 1.59am on Saturday April 14; Sri Lanka at 8.31am; and Fiji at 12.23.
The seven’s finals will be played on April 15.