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For the first time ever, Jersey has had a male gymnast compete in the Commonwealth Games - and he did the island proud in his debut.
It may have been a late finish after the Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony, but that didn’t stop the handful of Jersey competitors who were first in action in the 2018 Gold Coast games from making a fantastic start.
The 2018 Commonwealth Games will go down in Jersey's history, as Daniel Lee became the first male to represent the island in Gymnastics. Lee finished 4th in the Men’s Artistic Gymnastics competition, which could see him qualify for the final - and earned him national praise in the sport.
Daniel Lee performs his Rings routine. The #Jersey gymnast scores 12.750. Great job! #gymnastics pic.twitter.com/u4i9iYtLmC
— UK Gymnastics (@UKGYM) April 5, 2018
Jersey is one visitor Australia won’t be welcoming back anytime soon after the men’s triple bowls team beat the hosts in their first match of the games.
It was going to be a challenging start for Jersey bowls triple - Ross David, Malcolm De Sousa and Derek Boswell - as their opening match was against number one seed, and hosts, Australia triple team of Barrie Lester, Nathan Rice and Aron Sherriff.
But they didn’t let the local support on home soil deter them, as the Jersey men were the first to put points on the board. Although a tight match, where Jersey fell behind the Australians three points by the 14th end, they bowled their way in front, taking the match 21–18.
"One of the biggest upsets in Commonwealth Games history from a bowls perspective"
— 7CommGames (@7CommGames) April 5, 2018
beats the highly fancied team in round one of the men's triples.#7CommGames #GC2018 pic.twitter.com/szdEHqdJF0
The Jersey men’s triples then went on to thrash Botswana in the second round, beating them 27-4. They now face Fiji in the third round tomorrow.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t as much success in the women’s bowls for Jersey. Rachel MacDonald lost her first match 13-21 against Scotland’s Caroline Brown and then lost against fellow Channel Islander, Guernsey’s Lucy Beere 12-21 in the second round. The Jersey women's fours team also lost their match 15-20 against New Zealand.
Video: Ollie Turner's family passed him a Jersey flag for him to fly as he crossed the finish line of the Triathlon. They say they are "so proud" of him. (Paula Turner)
Also competing in the Australian heat of temperatures reaching 27 degrees was Jersey’s only triathlete, Ollie Turner. He put in a valiant effort in a challenging and gruelling contest where he was up against well-known names in the sport, including England’s Brownlee brothers.
Turner finished 26th out of 36 competitors, with a time of one hour and six seconds – just over seven-and-a-half minutes behind the winner. The 19-year-old described his first Commonwealth Games to Express as an “unforgettable experience.” His mum Paula, who was on the sidelines cheering him on with some of his family, said that they were "so proud", adding: "He has worked and trained so hard for this race and for us to be here cheering him on was an amazing experience."
Ready for the swimming finals . Go Harry Shalamon #TeamJersey . Atmosphere is electric @JerseySport pic.twitter.com/Os9E1gq8HR
— Paul F Routier MBE (@PRoutier) April 5, 2018
In the pool, Jersey swimmer Harry Salamon set a new island record and personal best in the 100m backstroke with a time of 56.41 seconds. He made it through to the 100m backstroke semi-final. Gemma Atherley also set a new personal best in the 200m Freestyle, finishing 13th in the heat.
Another islander is competing in the 2018 Commonwealth Games, but not under the Jersey flag. Netballer Serena Guthrie is representing England in the Gold Coast games. She helped England beat Scotland 74-28.
Lead photo: Commonwealth Games Association Jersey.
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