Let the Games begin KIWIS’ QUEST FOR GOLD

After years of blood, sweat and tears, disappointment and doubt, our sporting elite are bringing it to Birmingham. Let’s cheer them on!

The 22nd Commonwealth Games marks a very special milestone for Aotearoa – for the first time in New Zealand’s Commonwealth and Olympic history, more than half of our 234-person strong team and almost 40 percent of the support staff are women.

In this Commonwealth special, the Weekly looks at some of the inspiring athletes who will be competing in Birmingham from Friday, July 29 to Tuesday, August 9 for their place on the podium.

Paul Coll and Joelle King

SQUASH PLAYERS

One is the current men’s world number two, and the other is the Commonwealth Games singles and doubles defending champion, so squash stars Paul Coll and Joelle King are expecting to have a few medals hanging around their necks by the end of the tournament.

It has been an outstanding season for Paul, 30, on the court, who became the first Kiwi to reach number one in the world squash rankings earlier this year, winning three titles, although he dropped to number two after narrowly missing out on gold at the World Tour Final.

The experienced duo, who won bronze at the 2018 Gold Coast Games in the mixed doubles event, lead a team of seven players and Joelle says she can’t wait to see their young stars shine on the world stage.