Mid Wales

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Welsh weightlifting bronze medallist Laura Hughes has been reflecting on her second Commonwealth Games third place

On winning another bronze: "It feels absolutely incredible. I think it's only just starting to sink in. The first time someone asked me that question, I just drew a blank because I couldn't put it into words.

"But now, I just feel so happy. There are so many emotions. Having my family in the crowd made it special. I'm normally quite shy in those situations, but I could feel their energy and it carried me through every lift.

"I've got a massive sense of achievement. I'm so satisfied because all of the hard work has finally been put on display."

On achieving two personal bests: "I am absolutely thrilled. To have the opportunity to go close to 100kg in the snatch was amazing. I've lifted more than that in training, but competition is all about timing and strategy.

"I managed to snatch 99kg on the platform. Even though it was overturned, I'm still incredibly proud I was capable of doing it. Then to finish with a personal best in the clean and jerk and a personal best total makes it even more special."

On how this compares to winning bronze eight years ago: "In 2018 I was a bit like a deer in the headlights. Everything happened so quickly that I don't think I really took it in.

"This time I've been able to enjoy every moment. The qualification process has been long, but it's prepared us for this. It feels like we've won this medal together as a team.

"Having my family here makes it even more special. I'm about to go and see them now and I don't think there'll be many dry eyes."

On the influence of Wales weightlifting coach Gareth Evans: "Gareth has been one of the biggest reasons I've been able to win this bronze medal.

"We've built a huge amount of trust. When I walk into the warm-up room now, I know all I have to do is lift the bar because Gareth has everything else under control.

"He's such a fierce competitor. He told me yesterday he had a really good feeling about the competition.

"I was trying not to get carried away, but having someone with that belief in you gives you such a massive advantage."

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Welsh record holder Jake Heyward eased through his heat in third place to qualify for Saturday night's one-mile final.

Heyward ran the third-fastest overall time in 3:54.18, with his heat substantially quicker than the one won by world record holder and home favourite Josh Kerr.

Heyward said it was "a comfortable qualification."

"It feels amazing, honestly. I think the most important thing and the best thing for me is that my body's healthy," he added.

"When I'm on the track, it's smooth, it's relaxed, I don't have to try to muscle my way through anything."

Heyward had double Achilles surgery and did not run for 20 months before making his return at the start of the year.

"Even though I've only been training since January, I can actually be myself and express myself on the track," he said.

Heyward believes he can mount a significant challenge in the final: "I think I'm coming in under the radar.

"The other guys are probably going to be looking at other people, which is fair enough, and I can use that to my advantage."

Also in action on the track on Wednesday morning was Abigail Pawlett in the 200m.

Pawlett finished fourth in her heat with a time of 24.60 seconds - which is 1.59 seconds slower than her personal best - in her first race of the year

"It's been a really difficult year," she said, having also struggled with an Achilles issue.

"I knew I wasn't going to come here with fireworks, having been quite injured and only got out of a boot a few months ago, so it's been a bit of a race against the clock to be here.

"I wanted to do what I could to be here on the start line, representing Wales, so all in all I can't be too disappointed.

"It wasn't a good race for me but it's probably a reflection of where I'm at since that Achilles issue; it kind of catapulted into a few more things than trying to get back sprinting."

And Pawlett says she was frustrated that she was unable to compete for a podium spot in the heptathlon.

"I knew I wasn't going to have time for heptathlon so to get back sprinting in a short period has been really tough," she said.

"I know that if I was in the heptathlon I'd have been going for a medal.

"I've got to back myself; I think I would have, but I couldn't do that.

"I wanted to say thanks to Welsh Athletics for the backing and support they've given me over the past two years."

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Weightlifter Laura Hughes claimed her second Commonwealth Games bronze medal with a third-place finish in the 77kg section.

Hughes, 33, lifted 95kg in the snatch before a personal best of 129kg in the clean and jerk produced a best ever total of 224kg.

It was enough to achieve a podium position behind Samoa's gold medal winner Seine Stowers and England's silver medallist Isabella Brown.

Hughes, from Rhyl, previously won bronze on the Gold Coast in 2018.

Wales have now secured 11 medals at the 2026 Games, including one gold, three silver and seven bronze.

They are guaranteed at least one more medal with boxer Connor Williams having reached the semi-finals.

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Luke Hemmings
BBC Sport Wales

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Newport County interim manager Chris Todd urged his players to cut out the costly mistakes that gifted Reading a 4-0 victory in their first pre-season outing at Rodney Parade.

Although Todd felt Jacob Brown's early opener was a quality finish, he was left frustrated by the manner in which the three goals that followed were conceded.

Reading's second came after new signing Yahya Bamba surrendered possession near the halfway line - with Josh Stokes finishing the move three passes later - before Jerae Jones struck twice late on as County failed to clear their lines.

"We were good in spells, but [they were] terrible goals to concede. All four of them really are mistakes," said Todd.

"If you're going to concede and you're going to lose games, you have to lose by them cutting you open, but we kind of gifted them goals, which is disappointing.

"They know that that's not good enough and that's the facts, and I've told them that."

Having conceded 77 goals in League Two last season, many from their own errors, Todd is clear that a similar trend cannot "creep in" to the Exiles' games this term.

Despite the scoreline, the interim boss was encouraged by periods of Newport's performance, though there was little forthcoming in the way of chance creation for County.

"We held our own, first half especially," he added.

"It was very clear to see that we had good opportunities. We should be scoring at least one of those opportunities that we had."

Todd points to Harrison Biggins' teasing cross in the first half as a key moment that just needed that finishing touch from someone in amber.

"We worked on that yesterday, so it's little details that they've got to get right to get a better outcome," he said.

With an EFL Cup match at AFC Wimbledon to come on Saturday, 8 August (15:00 BST), Todd believes there were enough positives to build on as Newport seek to avoid another relegation battle.

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So after a gymnastics gold for Ruby Evans, Matt Richards' swimming silver and Para-bowls bronze, day five represented the most successful of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games so far for Wales.

So what will day six bring? Richards will be aiming to turn 100m freestyle silver into 200m gold on the final day of pool action.

It is a throwing paradise at the athletics with Aled Davies, Harrison Walsh, Funmi Oduwaiye, Bree Cronin and Adele Nicoll all in action.

Five boxers, Owain Harris-Allan, Rosie Eccles, Orlando Holley-Sotomi, Niamh Brookes and Daniel Pitt are in quarter-final bouts on Wednesday knowing a victory will guarantee a medal.

Athletics

10:30: Abi Pawlett, women's 200m heats

11:10: Jake Heyward, men's mile heats

19:00: Funmi Oduwaiye and Bree Cronin, women's discus throw F42-44/F61-64

20:01: Adele Nicoll, women's shot put

20:06: Issy Boffey, women's 800m semi-finals

20:25: Aled Davies and Harrison Walsh, men's discus throw F42-44/F61-64

21:35: Cari Hughes, 3000m steeplechase

Bowls

15:00: Daniel Salmon and Ross Owen, men's pairs, Wales vs Malta

17:50: Amy Williams, women's singles, vs South Africa's Bridget Herselman

Boxing

12:00: Niamh Brookes v Amber-Jane Wall, women's 51kg quarter-final

13:15: Rosie Eccles v Samukelisiwe Sinothile Ncube, women's 70kg quarter-final

13:30: Owain Harris-Allan v Nicholas Devlin, men's 60kg quarter-final

14:00: Orlando Holley-Sotomi v Refiloe Thai, men's 70kg quarter-final

20:45: Daniel Pitt v Paul Trainor, men's 90+kg quarter-final

Netball

19:00: New Zealand v Wales

Swimming

10:42: Matt Richards, Kieran Bird, Tyler Melbourne-Smith, men's 200m freestyle heats (final at 19:21)

11:16: Meghan Willis, women's 100m freestyle S9 heats (final at 20:09)

11:40: Women's 4x100m medley relay (final at 21:20)

11:52: Men's 4x100m medley relay (final at 21:31)

19:43: Theodora Taylor, women's 50m freestyle final

Weightlifting

09:30: Laura Hughes, women's 77kg final.

Image source, Team Wales

It has been a busy day for Team Wales with the first gold medal for gymnast Ruby Evans, a silver for swimmer Matt Richards and a bronze for the Para-mixed bowls pair Steffan James and Julie Thomas.

Here's what else you might have missed on day five.

Bowls

It was the turn of men's pairs Daniel Salmon and Ross Owen and Amy Williams in the women's singles to begin their campaigns.

Team Wales baton bearer Salmon has yet to play a fixture but began alongside Owen with a straightforward victory over Niue.

Williams shrugged off the disappointment of missing out on pairs bronze this morning with a 2-0 win over India's Nayanmoni Saikia.

Weightlifting

Haverfordwest pair Charlotte Whalley and Chloe Hood competed in their respective weightlifting finals.

Whalley finished eighth in the women's 68kg, setting a total of 186kg, while Hood was ninth in the women's 69kg event with 190kg.

3x3 wheelchair basketball

It was the end of the road for both the men's and women's 3x3 wheelchair basketball teams as they both lost their 'play in' matches.

Both sides had to play a qualifier ahead of a potential semi-final tomorrow.

The men's side lost 21-6 to Australia and then the women fell to Canada, 21-3.

Luke Hemmings
BBC Sport Wales

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Newport County suffered a 4-0 pre-season defeat by League One Reading at Rodney Parade.

Interim Exiles boss Chris Todd gave starts to five summer signings and teenager Harri Pugh on the right wing but it was one of the Royals' new recruits that opened the scoring.

Former Portsmouth forward Jacob Brown slotted home calmly from the edge of the area after 10 minutes and Reading had further chances to extend the lead before the break.

They doubled their advantage early in the second half when Josh Stokes finished a neat move after the visitors capitalised on Yahya Bamba's misplaced pass.

Jerae Jones added two more goals in a dominant performance by the Royals, who finish their pre-season against Crawley and Charlton.

Rodney Parade was sparsely populated for the visit of Reading but should be packed to the rafters on Tuesday, 4 August as Newport host Italian giants Roma.

The Exiles play their first competitive game at AFC Wimbledon in the Carabao Cup on Saturday, 8 August (15:00 BST) and then host Rochdale on Saturday, 15 August (12:30 BST) in their League Two opener.

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Welsh sprinter Jeremiah Azu missed out on a Commonwealth medal for the second games in a row after finishing fifth in the men's 100m final

It was the same position he managed in Birmingham four years ago.

The Welshman had eased through the heats and ran 10.00 seconds in his semi-final but could only manage 10.03 seconds in a rain-affected final won by Cameroon's Emmanuel Eseme.

"I don't feel like I really made any mistakes so it's a hard one to take. These guys are just running crazy fast," he said.

"I felt like I put a good race together. I thought it would be won in 9.9-low which I think I'm capable of, I just didn't put it together today.

"But to represent Wales is always a pleasure, always an honour."

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