By Gareth James Wales are going to relish the rousing support of home fans and hope it will spur them to success at the Commonwealth Games, says captain Lewis Prosser. Prosser, Wales’ most capped male athlete, says he doesn’t know what to expect at Birmingham 2022 but is ready to cherish the rare experience of […]

By Stuart Taylor “I feel like my world is falling apart. And I am really scared.” These are powerful words that former Wales captain Ryan Jones used to describe how he feels, having revealed to the world that he has been diagnosed with early onset dementia and probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). “It terrifies me […]

By Harry Corish Issy Morris has always loved sport – any sport – and the Welsh triathlete believes that passion can enrich life for everyone. Morris, from Crickhowell in Powys, will be competing for Team Wales at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, which starts on July 28. But the 22-year-old tried a wide variety of […]

By Harry Corish Glamorgan Cricket has signed New Zealand slow left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel as an overseas player for the final four matches of the LV= County Championship season. The spinner comes in for the departing Michael Neser, who has enjoyed another excellent season in the Welsh capital, taking 33 wickets at at 25.81 at […]

As his mother broke down in tears, Britain’s first gold medalist at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon, 1500 metre runner Jake Wightman, at least had his father to count on to remain professional. As he came from nowhere to beat the reigning Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the 28-year-old Wightman was shocked and proud in equal measure. But nowhere near as proud as his parents. While Welsh mum Susan, his former PE teacher, was watching nervously, dad Geoff, his coach, was actually commentating on the race at the stadium. 

When Geraint Thomas finishes the Tour de France and heads to the start line for the Commonwealth Games road race in Birmingham, it will be a chance for many people in Wales to reflect on how they helped him get there. Wales’ greatest-ever male cyclist will be going for gold, powered by his own talent and the funding supplied by everyone who has ever bought a ticket for the National Lottery. In fact, National Lottery funding could be said to have nurtured the former Tour de France winner’s journey from an eight-year-old boy in Cardiff to podiums on the Champs-Elysees and, hopefully, in central Birmingham.

Izzy Webb believes Wales are good shape as they head towards Birmingham and their hunt for hockey success at the Commonwealth Games. Webb was part of the Wales women’s team that tied the three-match series against South Africa following a 1-0 defeat in Cardiff on Tuesday. Wales had earlier beaten their opponents, 1-0, in the first clash – where Great Britain international Sarah Jones made her 100th appearance for her country – before a goalless draw in game two.

Beth Kidger has been added to Wales’ Commonwealth Games athletics team following the withdrawal of Charlotte Arter on medical grounds. Arter, the women’s parkrun world record holder and Welsh record holder at half marathon, 5k and 10k. was due to compete in the 5,000m and 10,000m in Birmingham.

By Harry Corish Growing up in Llanelli, Elizabeth Popova was in awe of the older gymnasts at her gym. So much so, that as a toddler she would copy and learn their routines, beginning a lifelong love for the gym and rhythmic gymnastics. But the Carmarthen-born 15-year-old – who will be among the youngest athletes […]

By Harry Corish Betsy Creak is living proof that self-belief can take you a long way in sport – all the way to international caps for Wales. The Bath netball star – who will be part of the Wales squad facing South Africa in back-to-back matches this week – came late to the elite end […]

Elfyn Evans was on scintillating form on Rally Estonia, yet having been uncatchable in the early stages of the event the Dolgellau ace had to settle for second – a result which moves him up to third in the FIA World Rally Championship drivers’ standings. Evans set an electrifying pace by setting the fastest time on all five of Friday’s opening fast gravel stages, establishing a lead of almost 20 seconds. 

Joe Brier says the time for developing is over. Now it’s time to deliver on the big stage. The Welsh 400m runner was speaking after competing at his first World Athletics Championships in Oregon. The Swansea Harrier gave the Great Britain Mixed Relay squad a brilliant start running the first leg in a high quality first round heat on the opening day of the championships.

By David Williams Gareth Bale has debuted for his new Major League team, Los Angeles Football Club, as the side triumphed over Nashville Soccer Club 2-1. Bale was unveiled by Los Angeles FC earlier in the month, having agreed to a one-year deal which will help his preparations for Wales’ World Cup finals appearance in […]

Wayne Pivac has challenged his Wales players to build on their performances in South Africa at regional level. Wales lost their Cape Town tour decider 34-10 to the Springboks, but did enough in three matches against the world champions to suggest they can be difficult opponents for any team they face. What they lacked – apart from a few fleeting moments across the three games – was to offer a consistent try-scoring threat to match their magnificent defence.

Players should start missing games in order to protect them from long-term brain injuries following the news that former Wales captain Ryan Jones has early-onset dementia, a leading safety campaign group for the sport has said. The 41-year-old Jones, capped 75 times and a member of the British and Irish Lions squad on the 2005 tour of New Zealand, revealed he had received the diagnosis of probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in December last year. He is the latest in a number of high-profile former players to be diagnosed with the disease and now Progressive Rugby – a non-profit rugby union lobby group – has called for action.

Gareth Bale will spend three months living the American dream – before proving a World Cup nightmare for England. That’s the bold prediction of Bale’s long-term Wales teammate Joe Allen, who believes his national captain’s move to the MLS is already re-energising Bale’s career. Allen – who has also switched clubs this summer from Stoke City back to Swansea – reckons jettisoned Real Madrid star Bale’s move to Los Angeles FC has given the Wales skipper a new lease of life.

Wayne Pivac described Wales’ South Africa tour as “a big step in the right direction” despite seeing their dream of Test series glory dashed. South Africa took the decider 30-14 in Cape Town, with head coach Jacques Nienaber having recalled eight of the Springboks’ 2019 World Cup-winning team after Wales levelled the series seven days ago.And it worked a treat as South Africa claimed the series 2-1 through tries from Handre Pollard, Bongi Mbonambi and Siya Kolisi, with Pollard kicking three conversions and three penalties for a 20-point haul.

The baby-faced assassin and the girl who beat asthma will bid to continue their dominance of Welsh domestic triathlon competition this weekend. Luke Richards and Carys Mai Hughes lead the respective men’s and women’s standings in the Welsh Triathlon Super Series, which resumes in Pembrokeshire on Saturday. Both will be looking to stay clear of the chasers when the series hits Broadhaven with the Bluestone Pembrokeshire Coast Triathlon, highlights of which will be shown on S4C.

Tommy Reffell has been backed to bring the eye of the Tiger into battle for Wales against the Springboks this weekend. The seal of approval has come from Adam Jones, whose time coaching in England with Harlequins has given him plenty of insight into the emergence of Reffell. The 23-year-old Wales flanker made an impressive debut for Wales in defeat to South Africa in the first Test and backed that up with a man-of-the-match display a week ago as the tourists levelled the series.

Welsh women’s artistic gymnasts Ruby Evans and Evie Flage-Donovan have been backed to make the most of their first Olympic experience. The pair have been selected as part of Team GB for the 2022 Summer European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) taking place in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia this month. The Clwb Cymru Caerdydd duo, both 15, are among six British gymnasts who are part of a squad of 40 young athletes who will compete for Team GB at the event from 24 to 30 July.