Commonwealth Games 2022: Who are the ones to watch from the North West?

There are more the 4,500 competitors from 72 nations and territories at the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham.

Team England will once again be one of the strongest teams, with more than 50 sports stars from the North West hoping for success at a home Games.

Here's some of our region's ones to watch.

The North West medallists:

GOLD (10 medals, nine events)

• Georgia Taylor-Brown - mixed relay Triathlon

• Laura Kenny - Scratch race

• Sarah Davies - 71kg weightlifting

• Katarina Johnson-Thompson - women's heptathlon

• Hannah Crockcroft - women's Para 100m (T33/34)

• Jamell Anderson - men's 3x3 basketball

• Anthony Harding - men's 3m Synchro

• Jack Hunter Spivey - men's classes 3-5 table tennis

• Fiona Crackles - women's hockey

• Holly Hunt - women's hockey

SILVER (nine medals, seven events)

• Georgia Taylor-Brown - Triathlon

• Freya Anderson - women's 4 x 100 Freestyle Relay

• Anna Hopkin - women's 4 x 100 Freestyle Relay

• Abbie Wood - women's 4 x 100 Freestyle Relay

• James Guy - men's 4x100m Freestyle relay

• James Guy - men's 4 x 200m Freestyle relay

• James Guy - men's 100m butterfly

• Olivia Broome - women's lightweight powerlifting

• Keely Hodgkinson - women's 800m

BRONZE (12 medals, 10 events)

• Laura Kenny - women's Team Pursuit

• Chris Latham, pilot to Steve Bate - men's Tandem B time trial

• Freya Anderson - women's 4x200m Freestyle Final

• Abbie Wood - women's 4x200m Freestyle Final

• James Guy - 200m butterfly

• Abbie Wood - women’s 200m Individual Medley

• Ola Abidogun - men's Para 100m (T45/47)

• James Guy - mixed 4x100m medley relay

• Freya Anderson - mixed 4x100m medley relay

• Tyler Baines - men's wheelchair 3x3 basketball

• Georgina Nelthorpe - women's freestyle wrestling 76kg

• George Ramm - men's freestyle wrestling 65kg

The ones to watch:

• Athletics

Keely Hodgkinson: The 20-year-old 800m runner from Atherton in Great Manchester burst onto the international scene with a sensational silver the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

After a second silver at the recent World Championships, she was a hot favourite to win gold in a field that didn't include her main rival Athing Mu from America, but it wasn't to be as Kenya’s Mary Moraa came past her on the home straight.

Katarina Johnson-Thompson: The Liverpool athlete defended her Commonwealth heptathlon crown dedicating her first title for three years to her late grandmother.

The Liverpool athlete beat Northern Ireland’s Kate O’Connor by 6377 points, with England team-mate Jade O’Dowda placing third at the event in Birmingham.

Holly Bradshaw: Britain's first ever women's pole vault Olympic medallist, Bradshaw from Preston, was forced to withdraw from the pole vault.

Bradshaw failed to recover from the hamstring injury she suffered in a freak accident at the World Championships where her pole broke during her final practice jump - seeing her land awkwardly and hurt her hamstring - and she had to pull out in Eugene.

After testing the injury prior to the Commonwealth Games competition, she was unable to compete.

• Cycling

Matt Walls: The 24-year-old from Oldham is the reigning Olympic Omnium champion. He also came back from Tokyo with a silver in the Madison.

Neither events are included at this Commonwealth Games so his aim was to go for gold in both the Scratch and Points Races.

But, just minutes into a qualifying heat of the men's scratch a horror crash saw the Olympic champion fly into the crowd and multiple others taken out as a result.

With no velodrome in Birmingham, racing will take place 120 miles away in London at the track used for the 2012 Olympics.

• Diving

Anthony Harding: The 22-year-old from Ashton-under-Lyne is making his Commonwealth Games debut.

He couldn't have a better partner in the 3m Synchro as he teams up with Olympic champion Jack Laugher.

The pair won the British title earlier this year and are were able to bag a Commonwealth gold.

• Netball:

Team England's gold medal victory on the Gold Coast was the highlight for many of the 2018 Commonwealth Games. This year they defend their title on home soil.

But the team missed out on any medals this year after losing to rivals Australia in the semi-finals, and then New Zealand in the bronze medal match.

Manchester Thunder: it's no surprise to see three Thunder players called up to the squad. Natalie Metcalf from Pendle in Lancashire will captain the side and she's joined by club teammates Eleanor Cardwell, from Blackpool, and Laura Malcolm.

Jade Clarke: England's most capped netballer, the 38-year-old from Partington in Greater Manchester, will make her fifth appearance at a Commonwealth Games.

• Powerlifting

Olivia Broome: The 21-year-old from Chorley already has a Paralympic bronze and World silver to her name.

She pulled out an impressive performance at the Commonwealth Games, setting a new personal best and lifting 111kgs to add a Commonwealth silver medal to add to her collection.

• Swimming

Once again the North West is well represented among Team England's swimmers with nine coming from the region.

2020 Olympic medallists Anna Hopkin from Chorley, Wirral's Freya Anderson, Luke Greenbank from Crewe and Bury's James Guy have all added to their medal tallies.

While Paralympic medallist Tom Hamer from Rawtenstall came sixth in the S14 200m freestyle.

• Table Tennis:

Jack Hunter-Spivey: The 27-year-old from Liverpool goes in as the top seed in his class.

It's been quite the journey for Jack, who suffered with his mental health and tried to take his own life three times. He now speaks out to encourage others to speak up and seek help.

After winning a bronze at last year's Paralympics he came away with a gold medal in the men's classes 3-5, beating Nigeria's Nasiru Sule.

• Triathlon

Georgia Taylor-Brown: The Manchester triathlete was part of Britain's all conquering mixed relay team that took gold at last year's Olympics.

She was able to repeat the success and won one of England's first medal of the Games in the women's race on the opening Friday.

• Weightlifting:

Andy Griffiths: The 29-year-old from Warrington made his Commonwealth debut in Birmingham - coming in sixth.

He went to the Games in the unique position of not only being a competitor but also a coach, as he helps to train Team Wales' Amy Salt.

Wrestling:

Six of Team England's nine wrestlers comes from the North West with the squad also based in Salford.

Making up the Super Six are 2018 Commonwealth medallist Georgina Nelthorpe from Burnley, along with Wiganers Charlie Bowling, Harvey Ridings, Sarah Clossick and Bolton duo Kelsey Barnes and George Ramm.

It was bronze for Georgina Nelthorpe and George Ramm.