BIRMINGHAM, England — Star shooter Jhaniele Fowler is eager to get the Sunshine Girls’ Commonwealth Games campaign off the ground with a strong performance against Wales today and believes the team is equipped to move further up the medal podium and push for gold in Birmingham.

The world number four-ranked Jamaica is expected to get the better of the Welsh team when they meet in their Pool A contest at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) at 6:00pm (12:00 pm Jamaica time) as the Sunshine Girls look to make a statement in their push for an improvement on the bronze medal they won at the last Games in Gold Coast, Australia, four years ago.

“I’m really looking forward to this competition because I think that we have learned so much in preparing not only on the court but off the court and just wanting to get out there and play with my teammates,” Fowler told the Jamaica Observer.

“The last Commonwealth Games we got the bronze medal so we’re looking forward to doing better than that this time around. We’re looking forward to making it to the final for this one,” Fowler added.

Fowler, who logged another impressive season competing for West Coast Fever in the Suncorp Super Netball League, is happy with her form coming into the tournament and is certain that the talent and experience of her teammates make the difference when it matters.

“My own preparation, I reckon, has been good because I’m coming off a good season in Australia, so I’m hoping to bring that over into the team and the other team members have also been preparing well. Everybody’s on the same page, we all want the same thing and we are ready to push for it,” Fowler stated.

Her sentiments were shared by Netball Jamaica President Tricia Robinson.

“We always want a podium finish for the girls and for team Jamaica. What is important is that every team wants the same thing and so we can’t take anything for granted. It is the team that comes out prepared the most and is most focused that will get the results on the day and we are aware of that,” said Robinson.

“The Commonwealth Games is a major championship for netball next to the Netball World Cup and so we must do well here and that is the intention,” she added.

“The ladies are prepared to give it their all and so we’re expecting everybody to give their best on the day, one game at a time. We’re going to take the same approach and have the same mindset with every game that we play and as we said, we are expecting to finish better than we did the last time,” said Robinson.

The netballers will highlight the opening day of competition for Jamaica, with the island set to be represented in seven other disciplines in Birmingham today.

Badminton players Joel Angus, Samuel Ricketts, Tahlia Richardson and Katherine Wynter will be the first Jamaicans in action, when they come up against South Africa in mixed team group stage play at the NEC at 9:00 am (3:00 am Jamaica time).

All seven of Jamaica’s swimmers in Birmingham will bow into action today at the Sandwell Aquatics Centre, with Olympian Keanan Dols leading the way in men’s 100m backstroke heats. He will be joined by youngster Nathaniel Thomas, in the second heat of the event starting at 11:51 am (5:51 am)

Sidrell Williams in the men’s 50m butterfly at 11:31 am (5:31 am), Mackenzie Headley in the women’s 50m breaststroke at 11:41 am (5:41 am), Zaneta Alvaranga at 12:04 pm (6:04 am) and Kelsie Leigh Campbell at 12:13 pm (6:13 am) in the women’s 100m butterfly and Kito Campbell in the men’s 200m breaststroke at 12:20pm (6:20 am) will all get going in the pool, as Jamaica’s swimming programme starts life without record-breaking star Alia Atkinson, the three-time Commonwealth Games medallist, who retired in 2021.

Squash standout Chris Binnie was drawn against Ghana’s national champion Evans Ayih in the men’s singles Round of 64, which will also be played at the University Court starting at 12:30pm (6:30am). Julian Morrison will face Pakistan’s Nasir Iqbal in his Round of 64 tie at 6:00pm (12pm), also at the University Court.

Gymnast Michael Reid will begin his qualification at Arena Birmingham at 12:00 pm (6:00 am), while cyclists Zoe Boyd, Malik Reid and Daniel Palmer will begin their competition in the men’s team sprint qualifying at 12:16 pm (6:16 am) at the Lee Valley Velopark in London.

Mervyn Edwards and Robert Simpson have two assignments today in men’s pairs action in lawn bowls at Victoria Park.

They will first play the Norfolk Islands pair of John Christian and Tim Sheridan at 3:00 pm (9:00 am) before meeting Namibians John-Pierre Fouche and Carel Olivier at 6:00 pm (1:00 pm).

Triathlete Phillip McCatty is the other Jamaican in action today and he will line up in the men’s individual final at 11:00 am (5:00 am).