This year's Commonwealth Games are officially underway following last night's spectacular opening ceremony at Birmingham's Alexander Stadium.
The 12-day sporting event will see more than 5,000 athletes from 72 different countries battle it out in 283 medal events. Among the competitors are three athletes from Wirral who will be looking to make it onto the podium in their respective events over the coming fortnight.
We've compiled a round-up of everything you need to know about the Commonwealth hopefuls and where to look out for them at this year's Games.
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Freya Anderson
Swimmer Freya Anderson has already tasted glory on the international stage. Last year, she made her Olympic debut at the postponed 2020 games in Tokyo. Despite not swimming in the final, Freya, from Upton, picked up 4x100m mixed medley gold medal alongside her Team GB teammates.
But the 21-year-old will now get the chance to experience a home multi-sport Games for the first time.
Earlier this year, Freya's mum, Helen, attributed much of her success to her home borough, telling the ECHO: "She did it all from the Wirral."
The swimmer attended St Joseph's primary school and then Upton Hall Convent School before winning a scholarship to Ellesmere College in Shropshire. Freya started her swimming career when she was just nine, after attending lessons at Caldy Pool.
Freya once had such a dislike for her early lessons in the pool she would cling to her mum in a bid to avoid the water, but those fears are well behind her as she's set to be one of Team England’s busiest athletes during the six days of competition at Sandwell Aquatics Centre.
Freya will compete in the 400m freestyle, as well as the 100m and 200m and a collection of relay events.
Jonny Mellor
Marathon runner Jonny Mellor is looking to bounce back at this year's Games following a string of setbacks.
Jonny, 35, ran his first major marathon in Frankfurt in 2015 and got his breakthrough at the Berlin Marathon two years later, with his time of 2:12:57 good enough to secure tenth place.
Jonny took the British title at the London Marathon in 2020, but missed Olympic trials with a gout-related ankle injury believed to have been caused by a compression sleeve. Despite his injury woes, Jonny, from Birkenhead, is in good form after winning April’s Manchester Marathon in 2:10:45 to qualify for the Games.
A huge fan of LFC star Steven Gerrard, the 35-year-old has a background in track racing, and only started pursuing running seriously when he was made redundant from his job assisting a building site manager in Liverpool.
Jonny will be the first Wirral star in action when he competes in the Commonwealth Games Marathon tomorrow (Saturday, July 30).
Matt Harding
Birmingham 2022 has the Commonwealth Games' biggest Para-sports programme, with 42 events across eight sports. One of those sports is para-powerlifting, with Wallasey native Matt Harding among this year's competitors.
Matt, 23, was previously a successful swimmer, sweeping up medals at junior and senior levels and breaking a number of British records along the way. However, the former Wirral Met student swapped swimming for powerlifting last year, making his international debut on the platform at the World Championships in Tbilisi.
Despite being a relative newcomer to the sport, Matt ranks sixth in the world and has already started training for the next Paralympic Games in Paris 2024. He'll be in action on Thursday, August 4.
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