Commonwealth Games 2022: Norfolk & Suffolk athletes set to compete
Several Norfolk and Suffolk stars are set to compete for Team England in Birmingham
Last updated 1st Aug 2022
The 2022 Commonwealth Games are officially underway after a glittering opening ceremony in Birmingham on Thursday night.
6,500 athletes and officials from 72 Commonwealth nations and territories will compete across 19 different sports in 11 days.
Over 1 million people are expected to attend the Games, with more than a billion watching around the world.
Several Norfolk and Suffolk athletes will be among the competitors. Here are some of our local hopefuls:
Norfolk
Jessica-Jane Applegate (Great Yarmouth) - Swimming
25 year old Paralympian Jessica took up swimming at a young age Lowestoft and Oulton Broad Swimming Club and is a former student at the Ormiston Venture Academy.
Applegate topped at the 200m Freestyle podium at London 2012 at the age of just 16, becoming the first British swimmer with an intellectual disability to win Paralympic gold.
During lockdown - in a bid to get back into the pool - a local hot tub company delivered a swim spa over her garden fences.
Jessica was a triple medalist at the Tokyo 2020 games, taking gold in the Mixed S14 4x100m Freestyle Relay and bronze in both the S14 200m Freestyle and 100m Backstroke.
She'll compete in the Women's 200m Freestyle S14 in Birmingham.
Jamie Chestney (King's Lynn) - Lawn Bowls
A member of King's Lynn Bowls Club - this is Jamie's third Commonwealth Games.
The 35 year old is already a double medal winner, taking bronze in 2018 on the Gold Coast and silver in Glasgow in 2014.
Chestney is already a regular at the World Indoor Bowls Championships in Yarmouth, winning gold in the open pairs in 2021 and 2018, as well as a gold in the 2018 mixed pairs.
He is also a three time national champion, winning the title in 2004, 2009 and 2021.
Jamie will compete in the Men's Triples and Men's Fours in Birmingham.
Amy Conroy (Norwich) - Wheelchair Basketball
29 year old Amy fell in love with wheelchair basketball after trying the sport at a local taster day - she's now a key member of the Team GB women's squad.
She competed at the 2012 Paralympic games in London, where Team GB secured its highest ranking in the games since Atlanta 1996.
In 2013 she was part of the team that won bronze at the European Championship and silver at the U25 European Championship.
Amy was named in the squad for Rio 2016, where the team just missed out on bronze in the semi-final match against the US.
Conroy will compete in the 3x3 Wheelchair Basketball in Birmingham.
Iain Dawson (Norwich) - Triathlon
45 year old Iain missed out on a medal in Birmingham, posting a time of 1:12.08 in the Para Triathlon event.
The Norwich native is a veteran of the sport is already a European and World Champion.
He first took up the sport in 2009 after several years as a para-cyclist, competing in the Sydney 2000 Paralympic games.
Iain broke the World Ironman record in 2019 with guide Duncan Shea-Simmonds. He managed a time of 10 hours and 31 minutes for the 3.8km swim, 180km bike and marathon run.
When he isn't representing his country, Iain works for the NHS as a physiotherapist.
Sophie McKinna (Great Yarmouth) - Shot Put
27 year old Sophie has represented both England an TeamGB in the shot-put for more than a decade.
She won silver medals at the 2011 World Youth Championships and 2013 European Junior Championships and also became the 2019 British Indoor and Outdoor Champion.
This is Sophie's third Commonwealth Games having twice finished fifth in 2014 and 2018.
Sophie is the granddaughter of Norwich City legend Dave Stringer. When she's not representing her country McKinna works for Norfolk Police.
Giarnni Regini-Moran (Great Yarmouth) - Athletics
Yarmouth born Giarnni already has two medals to his name in Birmingham, with gold in the Team competition and bronze in the floor in just the first few days of the games.
Regini-Moran recovered from a horrific injury in 2016, which threatened to end his career, to make it to Tokyo 2020.
He took fourth in the team event in Japan, registering Team GB's highest individual score in the final.
The 23 year old won three golds and two silvers at the 2014 Youth Olympics.
James Willstrop (North Walsham) - Squash
Willstrop was born in North Walsham but now lives in Yorkshire. The 38 year old's accurate shots have earned him the nickname 'The Marksman'.
A regular at the Commonwealth Games, James represented Team England for the fifth time on the Gold Coast and won gold in the men's squash singles and bronze in the men's doubles.
He made his debut in 2000 at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Edinburgh, before going on to win silvers in Melbourne, Delhi and Glasgow.
Willstrop was named world number one in 2012 and is currently ranked world number 24.
Suffolk
Jordan Catchpole (Beccles) - Swimming
22 year old Jordan is a key medal hope for Team England in the swimming, having previously won gold in the S14 mixed 4x100m freestyle at Tokyo 2020.
He also took home silver ion the S14 100m backstroke and bronze in the S14 200m freestyle at the 2019 World Championships.
Born in Beccles, Jordan is a member of Team Waveney Swimming Club in Lowestoft. Thanks to his Olympics success - he became the first person since 1970 to be awarded the freedom of Beccles.
Catchpole will compete in the Men's 200m Freestyle S14 in Birmingham.
Tom Emery (Ipswich) - Rugby Sevens
Born in Ipswich, Tom rose through the Rugby Sevens ranks after being released by Northampton Saints in the summer of 2019.
Playing in scrum half or wing, Emery received his first call up for England the same year - making his debut in the World Series at Twickenham.
In his first full campaign to date he scored five tries in 16 matches.
Hannah Martin (Ipswich) - Hockey
Ipswich born Olympian Hannah Martin already has a string of bronze medals to her name,. having won at Tokyo 2020, as well as at the previous Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.
Educated at Ipswich School, the 27 year old plays for both England and Great Britain in either midfield or as a forward.
She also plays for Surrey based Women's England Hockey League team Surbiton.
Zoe Newson (Ipswich) - Para Powerlifting
A member of the Suffolk Spartans Powerlifting Club in East Bergholt, Zoe is double Olympic medal winner - taking bronze in different weight categories in both London and Rio.
At the last Commonwealth Games she won bronze in the lightweight class and she took silver in the 2021 World Championships in Tbilisi.
Zoe started her Powerlifting journey at 15 and first competed in the sport in 2008.
The Para Powerlifting in Birmingham is scheduled for next Thursday - August 4.
Lucy Turmel (Ipswich) - Squash
Ranked number 28 in the world, Lucy is making her Commonwealth Games debut this year.
She picked up a squash racket at the age of nine, but gymnastics was her main sport until the age of 13.
Lucy recently had success at the European Team Championships in April, winning gold. She made the third round of a Platinum level tournament twice last year.