Chalmers brothers headline biggest ever Island Games athletics team
A gold rush is looking likely when Guernsey enters the home Island Games with a record-sized athletics squad of 44 competitors.
All five of the island’s recent Commonwealth Games track and field representatives have made the team, namely Ala and Cam Chalmers, Joe Chadwick, Abi Galpin and Peter Curtis.
These five are among the more experienced heads in a squad that also brims with Games first-timers – 20 are debuting.
All considered, athletics development officer Tom Druce has his sights set on plenty of golds, including winning all four relays.
‘I think we’ve got a really good chance of getting gold in all four [relays] if we get the batons round,’ he said.
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‘That would be a pretty cool way to finish it off on the Friday, so I’m looking forward to that.
‘I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but we’ve probably got a lot of golds to come before the Friday as well.’
The Guernsey Athletics Club have already started advertising Ala Chalmers’ 400m hurdles final, on Tuesday 11 July, as a potential crowd-puller.
The Commonwealth Games bronze medallist goes in as firm favourite.
Elder brother Cam will also be going for gold over the flat 400m.
Despite injury problems, both Chadwick and Galpin are lined up to compete, sparking hopes of another exciting double.
‘They’re the fastest man and fastest woman we’ve ever had respectively, so we’ve got a really good chance of getting double gold in the 100, which obviously is the blue-riband event,’ Druce said.
‘That’s one which we are really looking forward to.’
But it is not just about that small selection of track stars.
Many up-and-coming athletes are poised to benefit from the special opportunity of a home Games.
The developmental aspect is very evident from the women’s 4x100m line-up, which includes eight potential runners, the eldest of which is 23.
This contrasts with the return of veteran Dale Garland, who won six golds at the last home Games and has now qualified again 20 years later.
But Druce extends his praise to every athlete selected, all of whom have achieved a B standard at the least.
‘It’s real credit to them, and to my coaching team as well and the infrastructure around the club, that we’ve got 44 people who are, completely on merit, going to represent us at the Games,’ he added.
Guernsey's Island Games athletics line-up
100m: Abi Galpin, Emily Pike, Joe Chadwick, Josh Duke.
200m: Abi Galpin, Isabelle Lowe, Lucas Rive.
400m: Sophie Porter, Rebecca Toll, Cameron Chalmers, Peter Curtis.
800m: Kate Bain, Darcey Hodgson, Chris Bain, Gian-Luca Robilliard.
1500m: Nix Petit, Richard Bartram, Alex Rowe.
5,000m: Megan Chapple, Nix Petit, Richard Bartram, Dan Galpin.
10,000m: Sarah Roe, Ulrike Maisch, Dan Galpin, James Priest.
3,000m steeplechase: Jack Le Tissier.
100m/110m hurdles: Rhiannon Dowinton, Vicky Hancock, Peter Curtis, Dale Garland.
400m hurdles: Alastair Chalmers, Peter Curtis.
High jump: Alice Hunt, Dale Garland.
Long jump: Vicky Hancock, Sofia Mella, Jordan Kelly, Dale Garland.
Triple jump: Holly Drake, Vicky Hancock.
Shot put: Steven Marley.
Discus: James Bougourd.
Hammer: Sia Banbury.
Javelin: Ali Higgins, Rebecca Le Tissier, James Bougourd, Josh Avery.
Women’s 4x100m relay: Abi Galpin, Isabelle Lowe, Rebecca Toll, Rhiannon Dowinton, Emily Pike, Tilly Beddow, Edie Dorrian, Amelia Hart.
Men’s 4x100m relay: Joe Chadwick, Josh Duke, Lucas Rive, Peter Curtis, Cameron Chalmers, Gian-Luca Robilliard.
Women’s 4x400m relay: Abi Galpin, Sophie Porter, Kate Bain, Rebecca Toll, Hannah Lesbirel, Isabelle Lowe, Darcey Hodgson.
Men’s 4x400m relay: Cameron Chalmers, Alastair Chalmers, Peter Curtis, Chris Bain, Josh Duke, Lucas Rive, Gian-Luca Robilliard.
Half Marathon: Nat Whitty, Sarah Roe, Ulrike Maisch, Steve Dawes, James Priest, Sammy Galpin.
