Glasgow 2014: DAY 8: David Rudisha upstaged by Botswana's Nijel Amos, Daniel Keatings secures individual gold for Scotland, England pull ahead in medal table

Nigel Amos beats favourite David Rudisha (Eurosport)

By Steven Oldham

Olympic 800m champion David Rudisha had to settle for silver today as Botswana's 20-year-old Nijel Amos upstaged his more illustrious rival at Hampden Park.

Amos scored Botswana's first medal of any colour by taking the 800m title, an upgrade of the Olympic silver he won in London two years ago behind Kenya's Rudisha.

This result nicely sets up future clashes between the two, a battle which is sure to continue until the next Olympics in two years time.




Scotland's Daniel Keatings on the way to gold (BBC Sport Scotland)

Scotland again tasted gold with Daniel Keatings taking the men's pommel horse ahead of England's Max Whitlock and Louis Smith.

Eilidh Child took silver in the women's 400m while Alex Gladkov took bronze in wrestling in the 65kg weight class.





Claudia Fragapane, 16, is already a 3x CWG champion (Guardian Sport)

England enjoyed another successful day and continue to lead the medal table past the halfway stage.

Gymnastics continues to be a happy hunting ground and Max Whitlock and Claudia Fragapane both won their third gold medal in the floor and vault events respectively.  

Rebecca Downie's victory in the uneven bars - her second gold - mean the English have locked out every gold medal available in the women's events.

David Weir added a first Commonwealth gold to his Paralympic title in the T54 1500m in Hampden Park, while cyclist Alex Dowsett won the men's time trial after missing out on the Tour de France.

There was also success on the bowling green for the women's triples who took gold by thrashing Australia 22-4.

India's Yogeshwar Dutt celebrates another gold (Economic Times)

India continue to do well in wrestling and also picked up a first gold medal in athletics today.

Yogeshwar Dutt (65kg) has stepped up a weight class since winning Commonwealth gold on home soil, but like compatriot Sushil Kumar the result stayed the same and he won gold today beating Canada's Jevon Dalfour in the final.

Babita Kumari secured a first major international gold by winning the women's 55kg from Brittanee Laverdure of Canada, while discus thrower Vikas Shive Gowda improved his silver to gold four years on.

Meaghan Benefito wins two gold in as many days (BBC Sport)



Canada had another successful day picking up gold in weightlifting, diving and wrestling.

George Kobaladze broke the Games clean and jerk record by lifting 229kg on his way to winning the men's heavyweight weightlifting competition.

Diver Meaghan Benefito won the 10m platform and her team-mate Roseline Filion took bronze a day after they won  gold in synchro at the same height.

The Canadians shared the spoils with India today with both nations winning two gold medals. Tamerlan Tagziev (men's 85kg) and Danielle Lappage (women's 63kg) have helped Canada to seven gold medals in wrestling this time, three more than in Delhi.

DAY 8 DIGEST IN 60 SECONDS...

• Nigeria's Blessing Okagbare took a sprint double by taking the women's 200m
• Geraint Thomas took bronze for Wales in the men's time trial ahead of Sunday's road race
• Malaysia's Ooi Tze Liang took the men's 3m springboard ahead of English pair Jack Laugher and Oliver Dingley
• They may only have two medals so far but Northern Ireland are set for a bumper Friday with NINE medals guaranteed in boxing
• Linda Villumsen took gold in the women's time trial for New Zealand; she had previously won silver in Delhi four years ago.

Glasgow 2014: DAY 6: England dominate gymnastics team events, Canada rack up the medals, Kenya lock out long distance podium

England's gold-winning gymnasts (BBC Sport)

By Steven Oldham MISS DAY 5 HIGHLIGHTS? CLICK HERE

England dominated the gymnastic events today, taking gold in both the men's and women's team events.

A returning Louis Smith helped the men to gold in his first competition since the London 2012 Olympics.

Smith, Kristian Thomas, Max Whitlock, Nile Wilson and Sam Oldham - who missed two rotations due to an injury sustained in the vault - took England's first gold in this event since 2002 ahead of Scotland and Canada.

Hours later, the women's team matched their male counterparts by beating Australia and Wales to gold.

Rebecca Downie, Claudia Fragapane, Ruby Harrold, Hannah Whelan and Kelly Simm kept it clean and made the most of an error-prone display by Australia to take home the title.

In the pool, Ben Proud won his second gold medal of the Games by taking the 50m freestyle competition to add to the butterfly title he won over the same length.

There was also success for the men's 4x100m relay team who beat Australia to win gold in the final event in the pool.

Catherine Pendrel on her way to gold for Canada (@sarahtweetering)

Canada enjoyed their best day at Glasgow 2014 yet, picking up gold in athletics, cycling, weightlifting and wrestling and moved up to third in the medal table ahead of Scotland.

Jim Steacy matched Sultana Frizzell by winning the hammer event ahead of England's Nick Miller and Scotland's Mark Dry.

Damien Warner took the men's decathlon, while Catherine Pendrel won took the women's cross country cycling event ahead of team-mate Emily Batty.

Korey Jarvis also won gold for the Canadians in the 125kg, four years after he took silver in the 96kg event in Delhi. Marie-Ève Beauchemin-Nadeau also took weightlifting gold.

Kenya's dominant 10,000m runners (@VOASonnySports)

Kenya enjoyed another successful day in track and field, including a clean sweep of the podium in the women's 10,000m.

Joyce Chepkirui took the gold ahead of team-mates Florence Kiplagat and Emily Chebet.

Faith Kibiegon took victory in the women's 1500m but Hellen Obiri surprisingly missed out on a medal in the same event.

Sushil Kumar is now a 2x Commonwealth champion (@TheRSSPiyussh)        

India continued their strong pedigree in wrestling today with three gold medals, in the women's 48kg and men's 57kg and 74kg weight classes.

Sushil Kumar (74kg) has stepped up a weight since Delhi but the result remained the same, as he took victory over Pakistan's Qamar Abbas.



New 110m hurdle champion Andrew Riley (@TweetCam2014)



Jamaica are top ten on the medal table mostly due to their performance in athletics, and today they added titles in men's hurdles, and women's triple jump and 400m.

Not to be outdone by Kenya, the Jamaicans dominated the 400m and took all three places on the podium with Stephanie McPherson beating Novolene Williams-Mills and Christine Day to the title.
Kimberley Williams took triple jump gold, while Andrew Riley held off England's William Sharman to take the 110m hurdles.

DAY SIX DIGEST IN 60 SECONDS

• Scotland broke their medal record today with silver in gymnastics, swimming and shooting.
• Georgia Davies handed Wales a second gold in the pool after the country had waited 40 years for one.
  There was a first medal for Fiji, with weightlifter Apolonia Vaivai taking bronze in the women's 75kg weight class.
• Barbados also made their debut on the medal table with a bronze medal in the 110m hurdles for Shane Brathwaite
• Malta are still without a medal but it's not for a lack of effort. They missed out on bronze in wrestling today as David Galea lost to England's Mike Grundy in the 74kg freestyle.

Glasgow 2014: DAY 3: Scotland equal best gold medal haul already, Isle of Man secure first medal, Wales beat Canada in gymnastics

Scottish flagbearer Euan Burton (@JudoScotland)

By Steven Oldham    MISSED YESTERDAY'S HIGHLIGHTS? CLICK HERE

Scotland have already equalled their best ever gold medal haul at a Commonwealth Games in just three days.

The host nation now have 11 gold medals, the same amount they managed from the entirety of the Melbourne Games in 2006.

They won three golds in judo today, including flagbearer Euan Burton's last ever competitive match as a judoka.

35-year-old Burton went out on a high by beating Pakistan's Shah Hussein Shah in the -100kg weight class final, while Sarah Adlington (+78kg) and Chris Sherrington (+100kg) also won their competitions as the judo tournaments came to a close.

The home nations have been dominant in judo, with Scotland and England both winning six gold medals.

Para-cyclist Neil Fachie and pilot Craig Maclean won their second gold medals of the Games in the velodrome, coming from behind to beat the Australian riders Kieran Modra and Jason Niblett 2-1 in the tandem sprint.

Wales' Frankie Jones won her country's first gold (Getty Images)

 Wales waited two days for gold and then won two on the third day of competition.

Rhythmic gymnast Frankie Jones took a third medal in as many days, and it was also her country's first gold, as she won the individual ribbon event ahead of Malaysia and Canada.

A second gold followed in judo, as Natalie Powell denied Scotland a husband-and-wife pair of gold medals by defeating Olympic silver medallist - and Mrs Euan Burton - Gemma Gibbons in the final.



Isle of Man's silver medal winner Peter Kennaugh (Adam Gerrie)



Cyclist Peter Kennaugh helped the Isle of Man onto the medal table by winning silver in the men's points race.

Kennaugh - an Olympic champion two years ago as part of the British team pursuit - came second to New Zealand's Thomas Scully.



Australia's Commonwealth skeet champion Laura Coles (@InsideWAIS)



Australia now lead the medal table thanks to winning five more bronze medals than England.

Both nations have 17 golds and 14 silvers so the race is still very tight with strong events still to come for both nations.

The team from Down Under won their first shooting medals today, with Laura Coles taking the women's skeet and Daniel Repacholi winning the 10m air pistol event.

They also had further success in swimming and cycling and will look to sports like hockey, athletics and rugby sevens to boost their medal tally further.

New 100m breastroke champion Adam Peaty (@BBCmtd)

Despite being bumped down into second in the medal standings, England again had a good day.

The country's domination of triathlon in Commonwealth circles continued as they won the first ever mixed team event.

Fran Halsall and Adam Peaty both took gold and new Games records in the pool, in the 50m freestyle and 100m breaststroke respectively.

There was also success in weightlifting with Zoe Smith also taking a Commonwealth record in the -58kg weight class. The diminutive 20-year-old managed to lift an unbeaten total of 210kg.

CLICK HERE FOR COMMONWEALTH GAMES HOMEPAGE

DAY THREE DIGEST IN 60 SECONDS...

• Mauritius win their first medal of Glasgow 2014, with Annabelle Laprovidence taking bronze in the +78kg judo competition.
• India lock out gold and silver in two shooting competitions, with seven of their seventeen medals coming in this sport
• New Zealand's all-conquering rugby sevens team were given a scare by the hosts before winning 17-14 on the way to topping their group
• The first bowls gold medal went to South Africa who won the para-sport mixed pairs event ahead of Scotland
• Malaysia's world number one squash player Nicol David is through to the semi finals after beating England's Jenny Duncalf

Glasgow 2014 - Commonwealth Games Sports Guide: Table Tennis

By Steven Oldham

Click HERE for Commonwealth Games homepage

Table tennis is a relatively new sport at the Commonwealths - it debuted in 2002 in Manchester and despite only being an optional sport has featured at every edition since.

There will be plenty of ping pong action on show in Glasgow this summer with events in singles, doubles and a team event all set to take place.

It is also one of the biggest participations sports worldwide.

WHEN?

The table tennis competition spans the majority of the Games from July 24-August 2.

WHERE?

Both table tennis and squash competitions will take place at the Scotstoun Sports Campus in the west end of Glasgow. Matches will be played on an impressive ten tables, including two show courts, to get through the packed programme on schedule.

WHO?

Singapore are the dominant force in Commonwealth history, sweeping the board in Delhi last time out, where they took home six gold medals from a possible eight.

A raft of their champions are back for more Commonwealth action including men's and women's reigning singles champions Yang Zi and Feng Tianwei respectively.

Singapore are the only Commonwealth nation to make a real impact on the international game, where China dominate, along with Japan and South Korea. In Olympic history, the Chinese have claimed 24 of 28 available gold medals since the sport debuted in 1988.

England are second in the all time medal table at the Commonwealths but failed to win a gold four years ago, with a silver in the men's team event their best result. All these players excluding Darius Knight return for Glasgow, as does Joanna Drinkhall (nee Parker), who won bronze with husband Paul in Delhi in the mixed doubles.

Nigeria and India took the other gold medals four years ago and along with New Zealand are the only two countries to win a tournament at the Games. They have three gold medals apiece going into these Games. There is no para-sport event this year however, which is where Nigeria won their gold medal in 2010 through Kate Nwaka Oputa in the wheelchair singles.

LET ME SOUND LIKE I KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT...

• Points are scored when the opponent fails to return the ball within the lines, or hits it off the table, or into the net.
• The first player to 11 points wins the game. A match can last up to five games.
• The player serving alternates every two points, regardless of who has won previous points
• Players swap ends at the end of each game, think half time in football or sets in tennis
• The International Table Tennis Federation has an impressive 218 members nations, more than FIFA

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Singapore's Feng Tianwei is back to defend her singles title
(Charles Tan)

Glasgow 2014 - Commonwealth Games Sport Guide: Wrestling

By Steven Oldham

Click HERE for Commonwealth Games homepage

Wrestling is one of the oldest sports in this world and has a proud history through the ages being the focal point of the early Olympic Games, and remains one of the few sports contested every time.

When the IOC Executive Committee recommended it be removed from the Olympic programme last year in favour of a new programme, a worldwide campaign was launched to save wrestling at the Games, uniting famous foes USA, Russia and Iran, and eventually it was returned for the 2020 and 2024 editions in favour of squash and baseball/softball.

While wrestling's history at the Commonwealths is not as sacred, the Games in Glasgow will be richer for having included it. Only an optional sport, it has been dropped three times and missed the 1990, 1998 and 2006 editions before returning in Delhi four years ago.

WHEN?

The wrestling competition takes place over three action-packed days between July 29-31 with gold medals on offer each day.

WHERE?

The wrestling tournaments will be held in the Scottish Exhibition & Conference Centre.

WHO?

India topped the overall medals table at the last Games with an impressive 10 of 21 available golds going to the hosts. Their dominance is likely to be reduced in Glasgow, as only freestyle wrestling is included in this year's programme. They won four of the six Greco-Roman events on their home turf, but the discipline has been axed for this year.  Champions Yogeshwar Dutt and Sushil Kumar are back to defend their titles. Also in the team is 20-year-old 2013 world championship silver medallist Amit Kumar.

Canada also have a strong heritage in wrestling at the Games, taking half of the available women's freestyle titles last time. While none of the champions are returning, Dorothy Yeats will compete at -69kg - she won gold in the Youth Olympics four years ago and will be looking to take another medal back across the Atlantic.

Leon Rattigan won bronze for England four years ago and will be looking to climb up another couple of steps on the podium this time round. He's won both the English and British titles. He will be joined by European bronze medallist and Great Britain's sole London 2012 wrestler Olga Butkevych.

LET ME SOUND LIKE I KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT...

• In freestyle, wrestlers aim to throw and pin their opponent to the mat.
• Using the legs to attack or defend yourself from being flipped is perfectly legal.
• Wrestlers fight in weight classes - seven each for men and women - so fourteen gold medals are up for grabs in Glasgow
• The fighters knocked out by the two finalists in the tournament enter a repechage tournament  to try and win a bronze medal. The wrestlers are paired by the round they were eliminated, and the winners of these matches progress to meet the next wrestler up the rung and a chance to take a medal home.
• Don't expect to see moonsaults or dropkicks. This is real wrestling, not WWE.

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India's Sushil Kumar won gold on home turf four years ago.
Can he do it again? (gg2.net)

Glasgow 2014 - Commonwealth Games Sports Guide: Badminton

By Steven Oldham

Click HERE for Commonwealth Games homepage

Badminton is a long-standing sport at the Commonwealths having debuted in Kingston, Jamaica back in 1966.

The sport is highly popular all over the world and there an estimated 200 million players across the planet be it professional, at school or on a Tuesday night at the local leisure centre.

Also an Olympic sports since 1992, six medal events will be contested in Glasgow - men's and women's singles, and men's, women's and mixed doubles and a mixed team event.

WHEN ?

Badminton is another sport that spans the whole eleven days of competition. From July 24-28, the mixed team event takes the stage. The singles and doubles competitions running from July 29-August 3, with all five finals on the last day.

WHERE?

All badminton tournaments are taking place at the Emirates Arena across six purpose-built courts.

WHO?

The traditional heavyweights in Commonwealth competition are England and Malaysia, and these two nations lie comfortably ahead of the rest on the all time medals table.

Malaysia have been the dominant force over recent Games, claiming six of the last ten available gold medals across both singles and doubles. However, this year they have been dealt with a blow with four-time Commonwealth champion Lee Chong Wei ruled out by injury. He is the country's most successful Olympian of all time and will be missed.

Seven-time and reigning national champion Rajiv Ouseph headlines the English team this year, alongside husband and wife mixed doubles pairing Chris and Gabby Adcock.

India emerged as a contender in their home Games in 2010, winning both the women's singles and doubles events and taking silver in the team event. Will they continue to grow as an international force in Glasgow or did they simply maximise on home advantage four years ago?

Glasgow-born Imogen Bankier is the poster girl for badminton in her home country  - she has won silver at the world championships and is also a European championship bronze medallist, both in mixed doubles. She will be looking to improve on her quarter final appearance in Delhi four years ago with partner Robert Blair.

LET ME SOUND LIKE I KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT...

• Players take positions on opposite sides of the net, and use racquets to hit shuttlecocks over the net.
• Like other racquet sports, points are scored when the opponent hits the shuttlecock out of play or cannot return your shot - with the shuttlecock landing on their half of the net. Consecutive shots between players are called rallies.
• Matches are split into three games - the first player or team to score 21 points wins the game. If scores are tied at 20-20, a two points gap is needed to claim victory (23-21 for example)
• Outside the Commonwealth, the best nations include China, South Korea and Denmark. The Chinese are the most successful badminton nation.  

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Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei will miss out on Glasgow 2014
due to injury (allenglandbadminton.com)



Glasgow 2014 - Commonwealth Games Sports Guide: Shooting

By Steven Oldham

Click HERE for Commonwealth Games 2014 homepage

Shooting is another longstanding Commonwealth sport, only missing from one Games since 1966.

Four different types of shooting are contested at this year's Games in Glasgow - clay target, full bore and pistol & small bore rifle shooting.

Over half of the shooting competitions from the last Commonwealth Games in Delhi have been axed for Glasgow, reducing from 44 to just 19.

WHEN?

Shooting runs from July 25-29 with many events settled on one day.

WHERE?

One of the events taking place outside Glasgow, shooting will be happening at the Barry Buddon Shooting Centre on a Ministry of Defence traning base in Carnoustie.

The satellite location will provide a mix of existing and temporary shooting ranges for the Games to ensure all shooting events take place across one site, making it easier for fans and logistically for athletes and organisers.

WHO?

Last time out in Delhi the home nation effect was in full swing with India taking home top spot on the medal table with an impressive 14 golds. They were understandably less impressive at the Olympics, failing to win more than silver at London 2012 so it will be interesting to see if they can retain top spot on this leaderboard. Five time Commonwealth champion Vijay Kumar - who won his country's only silver in London -  is back to see if he can win gold at a third successive Games.

The home nation banner passes to Scotland this year and they will be intent on improving on fourth place in the medal table this time round. They won four golds in Delhi. Jennifer McIntosh and Jonathan Hammond - both double gold winners in singles and pairs competitions last time - are back for more.

England's Steve Scott won the European Championships last month and will be looking to carry that momentum forward to Glasgow. He also won gold in Delhi four years ago and will be among the favourites to add to his tally later this month.

Singapore's pedigree in shooting has steadily improved over the last decade and shooting accounted for five of their eleven gold medals last time so it will be interesting to see if they can retain their momentum in Glasgow.

The usual suspects, Australia and New Zealand are also strong here. The bronze medals were shared between many nations in Delhi however suggesting a close playing field.
 
LET ME SOUND LIKE I KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT...

• Clay target shooting is perhaps the 'classic' style of shooting we are used to seeing in these competitons. It's the one where they shout 'pull' and at London 2012 Peter Wilson gave Great Britain a first Olympic gold since 2000 in the double trap.
• Full bore shooting is only contested at the Commonwealths - competitors can pick which type of gun they use - rifle, pistol or shotgun. A discipline requiring both accuracy and patience.
• Pistol and small bore shooting use the circular targets
• Teams as diverse as Namibia, Bangladesh and the Isle of Man scored bronze medals in the last Commonwealths - this one isn't just for the traditional powers.

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India's five-time Commonwealth champion Vijay Kumar
(biharprabha.com)



Glasgow 2014 - Commonwealth Games Sports Guide: Hockey

By Steven Oldham

Click HERE for Commonwealth Games homepage

At the Commonwealths, hockey is one of the 'core' sports that must be included in every edition of the Games - it's been a fixture since 1998.

WHEN?

Hockey is one of the first sports to get underway on the opening day of competition, July 24 with two women's group matches. The men start a day later. The hockey tournament spans the whole eleven days of the Commonwealths with the gold medal matches happening on the final two days, August 2 and 3.

WHERE?

Much like the London 2012 Olympic Games, hockey will take place in a newly built arena at the National Hockey Centre on Glasgow Green. Hosting two synthetic pitches, it will accommodate up to 5,000 fans during the Games and will continue to hold domestic and international hockey having opened its doors last year.

WHO?

Ten nations split into two groups of five will compete in both the men's and women's competitions in a round robin format. The top two from each group advance to the semi finals while the teams in third, fourth and fifth will play their corresponding team in the other group to settle the final classifications.

The ten countries competing are Australia, Canada, England, India, Malaysia New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa,  Trinidad & Tobago and Wales. All countries will field both male and female teams.

Australia have been the dominant force in Commonwealth hockey since 1998, with seven of eight available gold medals going to the teams from Down Under. Only the Indian women have broken their hold, defeating hosts England at the 2002 edition. The Aussies will once again be favourites in Glasgow having won gold and silver at the World Cup last month.

Host nation Scotland have yet to medal in hockey at the Commonwealths with a best finish of 7th in 2006.

MAKE ME SOUND LIKE I KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT...

• Teams of eleven compete in two halves of 35 minutes. The aim is simple - score more goals than your opponents. Substitutes are allowed with few restrictions. Players are not allowed to strike the ball with their feet if it gains them an advantage.
• Players often play more than one position depending on the state of gameplay at that time. The one exception are goalkeepers.
• Corners follow the same rule as football - if the last touch is off a defender once the ball is out of play behind the back line, the attacking team gets a corner. Similarly, free hits are like free kicks in that they are awarded for foul play - obstruction, using your body too much when tackling and so on.
• Hockey follows a three-stage disciplinary system - a green card is the least severe (a football yellow card), leading to a yellow card (a rugby union or ice hockey sin bin) followed by the most serious red card. Players can be issued with more than one yellow or green card, but not for the same offence. Repeated offences are punished by a more serious card.  

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#450652872 / gettyimages.com

Australia's men on their way to World Cup success in The Netherlands last month.

Glasgow 2014: One month to go! Elite athletes from across the Commonwealth heading to Scotland

By Steven Oldham

Today marks one month to go to the start of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, the 20th edition of the Games and biggest sporting event held in the UK since the London 2012 Olympics.

A week ago, myself and the other members of Team 14 were set a challenge to mark the one month to go countdown with one word each, which we were to interpret into our blogs in the way we thought best.

My word is ELITE. As a writer, I thought the best way to use this word was to focus on the elite sporting talent that will be competing in Glasgow this summer.

Across many sports there are household names; Olympic, world and European champions; major tournament competitors with medals from countries all over the Commonwealth.

Here, I preview some of the big names set to compete in Glasgow one month from now. This list is not definitive, and further articles will cover all sports on show at this year's Games.

ATHLETICS

Olympic champion Mo Farah is heading to Glasgow (@BBCSport)

Double Olympic champion Mo Farah leads the English charge in track and field and will be a big draw for fans attending the Games.  The distance runner is the current Olympic and world champion at both 5,000 and 10,000 metres and he will be among the favourites to land yet another medal to his trophy cabinet.

Sprinter Shelley-Ann Fraser-Pryce is hoping to complete her medal collection in Glasgow - she's never competed at the Commonwealths before and the Jamaican team will be stronger for her presence. A superstar athlete, she holds two Olympic golds and five world titles across three different distances. As yet it's unknown whether Usain Bolt will compete in Glasgow but Jamaica have a strong pedigree even without the megastar. Like Fraser-Pryce, Yohan Blake has Olympic and world gold to his name and if Bolt does not compete, he could lead the island's charge up the medal table.

Grenada's Kirani James heads into the Commonwealths as Olympic 400m champion and will be looking to add to his medal tally here. He has a Commonwealth Youth Games gold in his collection and a senior title is a real possibility. His country have yet to win a gold medal at the Commonwealths but the 21-year-old represents their best chance to change that.

Over the same distance in the hurdles, Wales's reigning Commonwealth champion Dai Greene will hope to retain his title. The 28-year-old, who also counts world and European gold among his medal haul, will be looking to avenge his narrow medal missing performance at London 2012, where he was 0.14 seconds away from a bronze medal.

Australia's Sally Pearson is the proud owner of both an Olympic record and Commonwealth gold in the 100m hurdles and she will be looking to extend her reign over the rest of the Commonwealth. If she is still competing, the next Games are scheduled to take place Gold Coast City in 2018 - where the 27-year-old lives.

Olympic 800m champion David Rudisha will lead Kenya's quest for medals in Glasgow this summer. He is also an African and world champion over the same distance, and hold both world and Olympic records at the mid-distance. He will be key to his country's task of equalling or even bettering their impressive fifth place in the Delhi 2010 medals table.

SWIMMING

The home nation's poster boy is 25-year-old Michael Jamieson who is a silver medallist at both the Olympics and world championships in the 200m breaststroke. He was the star performer in a disappointing Games in the pool for Great Britain two years ago and has said he is better prepared for the Commonwealths both mentally and physically. The Glasgow-born swimmer is bound to get massive support from the home crowd and this may be enough to inspire him to a first senior title.

Michael Jamieson is one of Scotland's best hopes (@sportscotland)

Lauren Boyle will head the New Zealand team's hopes of glory in the pool - last year she won an impressive three bronze medals at the world championships in Barcelona and will be looking to add to her one Commonwealth Games medal so far - earned in the 4x200m relay in Melbourne eight years ago. She missed out on Olympic bronze in 2012 to Rebecca Adlington in the 400m.

CYCLING

The Isle of Man's Mark Cavendish is set to be one of the star turns in the cycling events at this year's Games.  A world champion in both track and road cycling, he also boasts Commonwealth gold from the Melbourne 2006 games and will be looking to again master Glasgow's streets - he won the British title in the city last year.

Many of Great Britain's all conquering cycling team will compete in Glasgow - Laura Trott, Sir Bradley Wiggins and Jason Kenny, Dani King and Ed Clancy will be among England's best medal hopes, while Geraint Thomas will fly the flag for Wales.

Anna Meares, London 2012 Olympic sprint champion, will also look to add to both her own and Australia's impressive Commonwealth medal tally - she has six medals from these events, four of them gold, and Australia are the most successful nation ever in the history of the Games.

Australia's Anna Meares (@EbbeIversen)

DIVING

London 2012 bronze medallist Tom Daley will head a strong English team in Glasgow which also includes world junior champion Jack Laugher and British champion Chris Mears. Hannah Starling and Rebecca Gallantree will look to match the expected achievement of the men's team.

Diving looks to be an area Canada could again do very well in this year, with a trio of bronze medallists from London 2012 leading their team. Partners Roseline Filion and Meaghan Benfeito took third in the 10m sycnrho, an achievement matched by 3m synchro diver Jennifer Abel. The Canadian women have also excelled in the FINA World Series and head to Glasgow hotly tipped as the team to beat, having also topped the medal table in Delhi four years ago.

Canada's Meaghan Benefito could light up Glasgow (@Fina1908)

Malaysia won three medals in diving last time out, and will want to be on the podium again in Glasgow following their most successful games in India four years ago. Canada, Malaysia and Australia again look to be the teams battling for the medals in the women's events.

Other notable entrants include Australia's Olympic champion Matthew Mitcham, who has yet to win gold at the Commonwealths, despite winning four silvers last time out, and Leeds-based Yona Knight-Wisdom, who will make history by becoming Jamaica's first representative in the diving competition.

TRIATHLON

Brothers Alistair and Jonny Brownlee will be among the favourites for triathlon glory this summer. The Englishmen - Olympic champion and bronze medallist respectively - were two of the more unlikely stars of London 2012 thanks to being related and their three-way rivalry with Spaniard Javier Gomez, who stopped a Brownlee 1-2 two years ago.

As well as the Olympics, they have both won the World Triathlon Series, again trading victories with Gomez who sadly will not be able to continue his battle with the Brownlees this summer.

In the ladies event, current WTS chamion Non Stanford will miss out for Wales due to a stress fracture in her ankle, and the Welsh team's loss could be England's gain - WTS runner up Jodie Stimpson could be the woman to beat in Glasgow. Emma Moffatt of Australia - a two time WTS winner - and New Zealand's Commonwealth Games 2006 bronze medal winner Andrea Hewitt will be looking to stop her winning.

BOXING

Northern Ireland topped the medal table in boxing in Delhi four years ago and Commonwealth champion Paddy Barnes is back for another shot at gold in Glasgow.

Boxing was by far Northern Ireland's most successful sport in Delhi, with three gold medals from the boxers hauling the country up to 13th in the medal table.

Barnes, a double Olympic bronze medallist at light flyweight in both 2008 and 2012, is his team's star attraction alongside cyclist Wendy Houvenaghel, herself a world champion and Olympic and Commonwealth medal winner.

India had their best Commonwealth Games to date when hosting in 2010, coming second in the medal table. Like Northern Ireland, boxing contributed three gold medals to their tally and light welterweight champion Manoj Kumar has returned to defend his title. Bronze medallist Vijender Singh will also want to add to his medal collection having been eliminated by the now professional Anthony Ogogo.



Indian boxer Manoj Kumar (@JasvirLota)

Breakout star Nicola Adams will also compete for England. The first women's Olympic boxing champion could be one of the stars of Glasgow 2014 and could again make history as this is the first year women's boxing has been part of the Commonwealth programme.  

This is just a small selection of athletes who can excel in Glasgow this summer. There are always surprise successes - in terms of both athletes and countries outperforming expectations - who will it be this year? How far up the medal table will Scotland go with the 'home nation' effect factored in? There's only one way to find out - and it's now just one month away...