Curtis Matthews Takes Last Team Wales Spot After Seren Bundy-Davies Withdrawl

Curtis Matthews is off to the Gold Coast next month after Seren Bundy-Davies lost her battle to compete for Team Wales at the Commonwealth Games.

Decathlete Matthews will take the place created by Bundy-Davies’s withdrawl and will compete at his second Commonwealth Games.

Rio Olympic 400 metre runner Bundy-Davies, who achieved a qualifying standard for the Glasgow Games in 2014 a week too late, had been granted special dispensation to prove here fitness and reach the ‘A’ Standard for the Gold Coast by this month.

But after two indoor performances she has decided not to put any further stress or strain on her rehabilitation programme as she returns for an Achilles injury that wiped out her 2017 racing season.

“Seren isn’t quite where she hoped she would be and, after speaking to her coach Matt Elias, it was decided to withdraw her from the team,” explained Scott Simpson, head of Coaching and Performance at Welsh Athletics.

“It is great news that Dai Greene has run so well in South Africa and will now be coming to the Gold Coast with us. His experience around the camp will be a huge boost for the team.

“It is also fantastic to see Carys Parry back to throwing 60 metres in training in the hammer. She has made a remarkable recovery from knee surgery and has worked so hard to pass the fitness test, along with Caryl Granville, that means she can now join us in Australia.

Seren Bundy-Davies. Pic: Getty Images.

“Team Wales offered the vacancy created by Seren’s withdrawal to Curtis Matthews. He was a decathlon finalist in Glasgow and will be hoping to do the same on the Gold Coast.”

The 26-year-old Matthews had a brief dabble with rugby at Bristol after Glasgow, but has returned to athletics to restore himself alongside Welsh record holder Ben Gregory as one of his nation’s top multi-eventers. He heard of his call-up while he was at the Winter Olympics in Pyeonchang supporting his girlfriend, Mica Moore.

“The Commonwealths was always my main focus for 2018, but I thought my chance had gone. Everyone said ‘keep going, you never know’, but it was hard,” confessed Matthews.

“So, I decided to go out to the Winter Olympics to support Mica, and then on the second day there I got the call saying I was in. I couldn’t believe it!

“Luckily my coach, Mica’s dad Lawrence, was out there too, and so we managed to find some snow and ice-free places for me to keep training. The training’s gone well, and I’ll look to compete out in Australia before the Games start.

“I’m really excited and grateful to have the chance to go and compete in my second games for Wales.”

He reached a personal best tally of 7,500 points in September last year to move to third on the Welsh all-time list to put himself firmly in contention for a ticket to the Gold Coast and will be looking to break through that barrier next month. Gregory’s Welsh record stands at 7,882 set in 2016.

If Matthews was happy to have been thrown a last-gasp lifeline, hurdler Granville was relieved to finally make the Games after so much heartache in the past. She just missed out on Delhi in 2010 and Glasgow four years ago and had to go through the appeals process this time round.

“I’m really proud to have been selected and a little bit shocked. I’m really, really excited now to actually be in the team and finally be going to the Games,” said Granville.

The final Welsh Athletics line-up for the Gold Coast is:

Men (12) Tom Marshall (1500m), Rowan Axe (1500m), Jon Hopkins (3000m SC), Ieuan Thomas (3000m SC), Dewi Griffiths (5000m / 10,000m), David Omoregie (110m H), Dai Greene (400m H), Ben Gregory (Decathlon), Curtis Mathews (Decathlon), Andy Davies (Marathon), Josh Griffiths (Marathon), Osian Jones (Hammer)

Women (9) Melissa Courtney (1500m / 5000m), Caryl Granville (100m H / 400m H), Caryl Jones (Marathon), Eli Kirk (Marathon), Bethan Davies (20k Race Walk), Heather Lewis (20k Race Walk), Rebecca Chapman (Long Jump), Sally Peake (Pole Vault), Carys Parry (Hammer)

Para-Athletes

Men (3) Morgan Jones (T47 – 100m), Rhys Jones (T38 – 100m), James Ledger (T12 – 100m)

Women (3) Olivia Breen (F38 – LJ & T38 100m), Beverley Jones (F38 – LJ), Hollie Arnold (F46 – Javelin)