Sports

Yamba athlete Celia Sullohern who won the women’s division in the City2Surf in Sydney 2017 will compete at the Commonwealth Games. Image: Contributed

Local athletes to compete at Commonwealth Games

Lynne Mowbray |  Congratulations to three of the Clarence Valley’s top athletes, who have been chosen to represent Australia, at next month’s Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast. After her amazing back to back competition wins last year, Yamba marathon runner Celia Sullohern is competing in her first Commonwealth Games. Sullohern took out the women’s Sydney City2Surf run in August 2017 and then went on to claim the 10,000m Melbourne event in October and became the Australian Women’s 10,000m Champion in Melbourne, in December. The 25-year-old athlete will compete in both the 10,000m and 5,000m events at the Commonwealth Games in April. Previous Commonwealth Games representatives in squash, Cameron Pilley and Donna Urquhart have been selected to compete at these games, across all three disciplines – singles, doubles and mixed doubles. In August last year, Pilley teamed with fellow Aussie Ryan Cuskelly to win gold in the Men’s Doubles World Championships, held in Manchester. Gold medals are not unfamiliar to Pilley however, especially when it comes to the Commonwealth Games. At the 2010 Commonwealth Games in India, Pilley and mixed doubles partner Kasey Brown won gold. In 2014 Pilley scored another gold medal with doubles partner David Palmer at the Commonwealth Games, in Scotland. Fingers crossed, Pilley can make it three in a row, competing on home soil next month. Donna Urquhart from Yamba currently lives in Edinburgh, Scotland with her soon to be husband, Scottish squash player Greg Lobban. Urquhart started playing on the PSA [Professional Squash Association] World Tour in 2006 and last month collected the 11th title of her PSA World Tour career, at the Bahl and Gaynor Cincinnati Gaynor Cup 2018, in the US. This will be Urquhart’s third Commonwealth Games and we wish her well as she competes on home soil with the support from family and friends. A huge shout out to our three local sportspeople as they represent their country at this year’s Commonwealth Games.