New Zealand flag bearers Joelle King and Tom Walsh. Photo / Getty
Cameron McMillan runs through the New Zealand Commonwealth Games team and picks the likely gold medal winners.
Defending Commonwealth champion and two-time Olympic bronze medalist, Walsh is coming off a fourth placing at the world championships earlier this month but is well ahead in terms of the field in Birmingham.
Strength of field: Fellow Kiwi Jacko Gill has a season best of 21.58m and is ranked 13th in the world. 2018 silver medalist Chukwuebuka Enekwechi, ranked 14th, has a season best of 21.25m. They are the only decent challengers and Walsh would need a bad day to lose.
Walsh, a season best of 22.31m, has had seven better throws than Gill's best this year and 10 more than Enekwechi's best. Lock in the flag bearer for another gold.
Shot put final – Day eight – Saturday August 6, 6.06am
The Paralympic legend is entering in just one event in Birmingham and it takes place on the opening day. Pascoe already has four Commonwealth Games golds to her name, along with 11 Olympic titles, and will look to claim another in the 100m Freestyle S9. She has two Olympic titles in the event but this would be her first Commonwealth medal in freestyle. She'll be up against young teammate Tupou Neiufi, who took gold in the 100m backstroke in Tokyo.
Pascoe didn't race in the event four years ago but her time that won the 100m freestyle S9 in Tokyo is almost a second faster than the winning time at the last Commonwealth Games. The fact she is focusing on one event when she usually has a bigger schedule at major events must work in her favour.
Strength of field: Aussie Emily Beecroft finished second at the world champs last month which looks impressive but her time of 1:03.85 was still well behind Pascoe's world record of 59.78 set in 2019.
Women's 100m Freestyle S9 final - Day one - Saturday July 30, 6.54am
Coll heads into the Commonwealth Games in career form. He claimed the British Open title in April and reached the semifinals of the World Championships and was world number one earlier this year. Coll took home silver in the singles and bronze in the mixed doubles on the Gold Coast and is a very good chance to win two gold this time.
Strength of field: Joel Makin of Wales in Coll's biggest threat for gold. He is world number seven but Coll has beaten him twice already this year in straight games. Defending champion James Willstrop (25th in the world) has slipped down the rankings since his win four years ago with England's Patrick Rooney (24th) ranked above him. Saurav Ghosal of India (15th) and Malaysia's Eain Yow Ng (22nd) are all medal chances but none of them have bettered Coll in 2022.
World number five Mohamed Elshorbagy, formally of Egypt, changed his allegiance to England last month but won't be playing in Birmingham. That would have made it interesting for Coll as Elshorbagy beat the Kiwi in the world championship semis.
Men's Singles Round of 64 begins - Day one Saturday July 30 12am.
Final - Day six Thursday August 4 6am
After two gold and a bronze on the Gold Coast, the flagbearer is back for more. King will go into the women's singles as the top seed and is another good chance to leave Birmingham with three medals - all gold. She's pairing up with Amanda Landers-Murphy in the women's doubles where they are out to defend their title - with King eying a third gold in the event after also winning the 2010 doubles title. King and Coll made up a formidable duo in the mixed doubles.
Strength of field:In the women's singles, Sarah-Jane Perry of England is ranked sixth in the world and compatriot Georgina Kennedy is eighth. King has beaten Perry twice this year, both in straight games, and was equally dominant over Kennedy in their only match-up at the World Tour Finals in June.
Women's Singles Round of 64 begins - Day one Saturday July 30 12am.
Final - Day six Thursday August 4 6am
The Defending champions after a thrilling extra-time win over Australia on the Gold Coast. The Olympic gold medalists quickly found their groove in the World Series after missing a large chunk due to Covid-19. But Australia did get a win over them in the Langford final and Fiji really pushed them in the semifinals at the Tokyo Olympics.
Strength of field: Just eight teams in the tournament but Australia won the World Sevens title with Fiji finishing third - will likely face one of them in the semifinals. Great Britain are split into England and Scotland.
Rugby sevens - Women's gold final - Day 3 Monday August 1 - 8.38am
Not as much a certainty as their female counterparts. The All Blacks Sevens are a young side but have shown this year that they have it in them to compete with the top sides. They just haven't had a tournament win since 2020 due to Covid. Lost the London final in May final to Australia after beating them in poolplay.
Strength of field: A strong tournament indeed with World Series leaders South Africa followed by second placed Australia. Olympic champions Fiji have won two World Series events this year while New Zealand were latecomers to the series and made the final in Singapore and London. England and Samoa can't be ruled out as upset contenders.
Rugby sevens - Men's gold final - Day 3 Monday August 1 - 9.04am
The Black Sticks are defending champions but Australia will head into the tournament as favourites. The Aussies have won four of the six previous Commonwealth Games titles. The Black Sticks had a strong showing at the World Cup last month, where they beat England 3-1 in pool play, before going down to Germany in the quarters.
Strength of field: Australia are ranked third in the world with hosts England fifth. New Zealand (eighth), India (ninth) and Canada (15th) round out the contenders. Australia finished third at the World Cup.
Hockey - Women's gold final - Day 10 Monday August 8 - 2am
Let's just lump the entire team in here. Track cycling provided two gold (men's team sprint and Sam Webster in men's sprint) on the Gold Coast and 11 medals in total. Campbell Stewart took silver in the Omnium at the Olympics but unfortunately, that event is not at the Commonwealth Games – with events that make up the Omnium on the schedule instead. He'll be in the men's scratch race and the points race, which he picked up two silver medals four years ago. Corbin Strong has also had success in the Scratch race at UCI events while he won a Points race world title in 2020.
The men's pursuit team are a good shout after being robbed of a bronze medal chance in Tokyo following a snapped handle-bar for Aaron Gate and earned a silver at the 2020 World Championships.
Ellesse Andrews is a strong medal chance in the keirin after taking silver in Tokyo while the women's team sprint and team pursuit are looking to go one better after silver medal showings in 2018. Covid hasn't been kind to track cycling's international schedules so it's there's a little bit of tea leaf reading.
Strength of field: Of the 16 cycling golds on offer on the Gold Coast, Australia claimed 10 of them. The Great British nations will be battling it out with New Zealand to try and stop such an Aussie dominance again.
Track cycling finals - Day 1 to Day 3
Liti is another big contender to defend a title. He broke the games record of 403kg on the Gold Coast which he bettered by 11kg at the Olympics.
Strength of field: Not other Commonwealth lifter entered the Olympic event in Tokyo where Liti finished fifth. Liti won the 2021 Commonwealth Weightlifting Championship title by 17kg over Pakistan's Nooh Dastgir Butt who finished third four years ago. 2018 silver medalist Lauititi Lui is not competing.
Weightlifting men's +109kg - Day 6 Thursday August 8 - 5.45am
He claimed New Zealand's first medal in Tokyo and he has a chance to do the same in Birmingham. Wilde faces a highly -anticipated battle against England's Alex Yee.
Strength of field: Tokyo silver medalist Yee will be the home favourite but Wilde has the form. Yee beat Wilde for gold at the World Triathlon Championship Series event in Yokohama in May with Aussie Matthew Hauser in fourth. But Wilde then won the Leeds and Hamburg events to move top of the series standings.
Men's triathlon final - Day 1- Friday July 29, 10pm
Clareburt heads to Birmingham off the back of a strong Tokyo Olympic campaign where he finished seventh. He finished third in the 400m individual medley final to join Pascoe as the only other swimmer to take home a medal. He's looking to become the first Kiwi male since Moss Burmester to win a Comm Games gold. The 400m IM is his strongest event but don't rule out a medal in the 200m IM.
Strength of field: Clareburt was fourth at the FINA World Championships in Budapest in June with Aussie Brendon Smith half a second behind in fifth. England's Brodie Williams (04:12.95) Matthew Sates of South Africa (04:11.58) are still a bit behind Clareburt's PB of 04:09.49 set in the Tokyo final.
Swimming - Men's 400IM final - Day 2 - Saturday July 31, 7.49am
Silver Ferns – Netball
The world champions and two-time Commonwealth Games winners (2006 and 2010) have looked behind the pace of England and Australia in recent years. But you can't rule them out.
Sam Gaze, Anton Cooper - Men's mountain biking
They did the Kiwi one-two on the Gold Coast. Don't rule it out again though Cooper did suffer a hand injury a few weeks ago.
3x3 basketball
There's only eight teams in the competition so straight away a good chance for a medal. In the men's - Canada, ranked 25th in the world, will go in as favourites. Australia will won the Asia Cup earlier this month, beating New Zealand in the final. But New Zealand are a very good chance for gold. In the women's, Canada (15) and Kenya (20) are ranked well ahead of New Zealand (47) in the Fiba rankings but who knows for this new sport.
Women's cricket
The White Ferns are a good chance for a medal. In a group with India, South Africa and England it will be a tough road. A defeat in the opener to South Africa and it will be sudden death for the rest of the tournament.
Erika Fairweather - women's 400m freestyle
Broke the New Zealand record at the Tokyo Olympics and made the final at just aged 17. Maybe one for the future but she's already proven she can compete with the best in the world.
Lawn bowls
New Zealand has to be considered to win medals in a sport that has produced 40 in total at the Games, 13 gold. Hard to judge where our athletes sit due to lack of international competition due Covid years.
She aims to start a family after the Rugby World Cup in England.