Second Wave of NI Athletes Added to Commonwealth Team
A further twelve athletes have been named by the Northern Ireland Commonwealth Games Council for the Commonwealth Games which kicks of from 3-14th October in Delhi- now only 130 days away. Included is Northern Ireland's most successful competitor in the Commonwealth Games, David Calvert (Shooting) who is going for his ninth Games. Already announced on the team are prolific stars such as Wendy Houvenhagel and Madeline Perry. Support is received from Sport NI
The first competitors for gymnastics include Luke Carson and Charlotte McKenna. Carson, who is funded by the Athlete Support Programme of Sport NI, has been Irish Senior Champion for the last three years and 8th in Europe when competing in Northern Europe where he came home with 3rd place in the Men’s all-around competition and in the Apparatus Finals took home 2 silver medals. Luke also made his Commonwealth Games qualifying score of 80 at this event. He has taken a year out of studying for his Sports Diploma to concentrate solely on his training and preparation for the upcoming Games.
Charlotte also had a successful outing at the Northern European Championships where she took bronze medals in the bar and beam apparatus while gaining a Commonwealth qualifying score of 47.
David Calvert (shooting) is no stranger to the Commonwealth Games as this will be his 9th appearance for NI winning a total of 5 medals. Calvert is Northern Ireland's most successful competitor in the Commonwealth Games and will compete in the fullbore category.
SINI athlete David Beattie is the current Commonwealth Games Silver medalist in the Olympic Trap Shooting discipline. Since the 2006 games David has remained as a strong competitor and is in line for a hopeful 2012 Olympic selection.
"I am really looking forward to going to Delhi, we were there in February for the Commonwealth Shoot and we were bowled over by the people. They are so friendly and at ease with one another, they enjoy life so much, even though some of them have nothing so it will be great to go again and take in their culture.
In terms of expectations everyone who goes to the Commonwealth Games wants a Gold medal, if your best gets you a gold medal then great but everyone has to give it their best. In my sport there are peaks and troughs in terms of performance and I hope to be hitting the right scores in Delhi, but everyone needs some luck!"
Kirsty Barr has certainly made a name for herself at the tender age of 22 when earlier this year she fired her way to gold in the Commonwealth Shooting Championships in India. Kirsty, a member of Thatch Clay Target Club in Broughshane scored 70 hits out of 75 in India, and then 22 out of 25 (single barrel), giving her a total of 92 - and the gold medal. The ex-Ballymena Academy pupil is now an aero-nautical engineering student at Queen's University - but is currently taking a year out, and has gone to live in England.
Laurence McGivern (17) has been named as the first disability athlete to represent swimming at the Games and will compete in the S9 50m freestyle. Although the Newry & Mourne athlete has been out of training due to a chest and ear infection earlier this year he still managed to swim 5 personal best times in this year's DSE Championships.
Five female bowlers have already been announced and will be joined by 6 male bowlers. Gary Kelly in the singles, Ian McClure and Gary McCloy in the doubles while the triples event will be made up of Paul Daly, Martin McHugh and Neil Booth.
Neil Booth said
"This will be my fourth Commonwealth Games, I took Gold in 1998, Bronze in 2002 and Silver in 2006. I am obviously delighted to be selected for the 2010 Northern Ireland Commonwealth Games team and am really looking forward to heading out to Delhi. Competition at the Games is getting more and more difficult and in terms of my own expectations I would be happy to come back with a medal. The standard of our sport has got measurably higher over the last 10 years, a lot of countries who would have been described as minnows 10 years ago are now professional full time bowlers.
We have a very experienced and tight team; most of the team have medalled at either World competitions or previous Commonwealths so I think we are a confident group. SINI have been fantastic to me to be honest, everything that they do is specific to me and my needs as a bowler. There is a real individual focus in every aspect of the support from Nutrition to Psychology to Strength and Conditioning training."
Commonwealth Games Federation’s Co-ordination Commission (CoCom) Chairman Austin Sealy said about the Games:
"Let me assure you that the Organising Committee Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi is all geared up and waiting for the venues to be handed over so that we can complete the remaining tasks that will ensure we can produce a great Games. Let me also reassure you we are focused and will not let any diversions affect our readiness to host the Games and make a great job of it".
NI Commonwealth Games Council has joined Twitter- click here to follow!
