Evans Hoping It’s Third Time Lucky

Gareth Evans will be hoping to make it third time lucky when he leads a 16-strong Welsh weightlifting and powerlifting team to the Commonwealth Games in April.

Evans, who will be joined on the Gold Coast by his girlfriend, Hannah Powell, finished fourth in Glasgow four years ago, having made his debut in Delhi four years earlier. He also competed for Team GB at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Only the third British lifter to raise double his bodyweight in the snatch, he will be joined in the 62kg category by Games debutant Seth Casidsid.

Among the female lifters, Swansea’s Tayla Howe is ranked sixth in the Commonwealth in the 90kg class, while Prestatyn’s Laura Hughes will be eying up a medal having struck gold at the Commonwealth Championships in September last year at the same venue that will be used by Gold Coast 2018.

The 18-year-old former gymnast, Catrin Jones, is already the British No 1 in the 44kg class and was voted Wales’ Young Sportswoman of the Year at the 2017 Wales Sports Awards. Christie Williams will be heading to her second Games.

In the Powerlifting section, Nathan Stephens has reinvented himself to claim a place in another major championship team. He is a former world record holder and World Champion in the F57 javelin, a three-time Paralympian and competed in sledge hockey at the 2006 Winter Games.

His last major event was the 2012 Paralympics in London, in the javelin. This will be his first time competing for Wales at the Commonwealth Games.

TEAM WALES WEIGHTLIFTING & POWERLIFTING
Seth Casidsid (62kg)
Gareth Evans (62kg)
Sean Gaffney (Powerlifting – Heavyweight)
Tayla Howe (90kg)
Laura Hughes (75kg)
Catrin Jones (44kg)
Holly Knowles (63kg)
Harry Misangyi (85kg)
Joshua Parry (94kg)
Nerys Pearce (Powerlifting – Heavyweight)
Faye Pittman (63kg)
Hannah Powell (48kg)
Jordan Sakkas (105kg)
Nathan Stephens (Powerlifting – Lightweight)
Rhodri West (+105kg)
Christie Williams (58kg)