The Cyprus Commonwealth Games Committee's delegation continues its competitive campaign at the 23rd Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on Sunday 26 July, fielding seven athletes across three sports. Cyprus is represented by two gymnasts in artistic gymnastics, four swimmers and one weightlifter, on a day of particularly high competitive stakes. Attention centres above all on the artistic gymnastics finals, where Marios Georgiou is among the leading medal contenders, and on the weightlifting, where 2014 Commonwealth gold medallist Dimitris Minasidis returns to Glasgow aiming to reclaim a place on the podium. Meanwhile, Cyprus' swimmers will look to set personal bests and reach the evening semi-final rounds.
Artistic gymnastics
The greatest interest centres on the men's all-around final, where Marios Georgiou will aim for the top prize. Cyprus' leading gymnast finished qualification in second place, though the way the team event unfolded forced him to manage his effort on the final apparatus and to drop certain elements from the routine he intends to use in the final. Those two factors likely cost him first place in qualification, which went to Canada's Felix Dolci, who battled Canada's team for the team gold right up to the final apparatus and competed at the very limit of his ability.
Also competing in the final is Giorgos Angonas, who qualified from 15th place. The Cypriot gymnast suffered several misfortunes in qualification on apparatus where he is capable of significantly higher scores, and his aim is to produce a much stronger performance, pushing for a meaningful rise in the final standings.
In the evening, in the women's all-around final, Georgia Charalambous, having already secured her place through Saturday's qualification, will compete free of qualification pressure, aiming for the best possible placing among the 18 finalists.
Swimming
Anna Hadjiloizou will compete in the 100m freestyle heats, aiming for a time close to or better than her personal best, which is effectively the benchmark needed to reach the evening semi-final.
Alexandros Grigoriou, Markos Iakovidis and Panayiotis Panaretos will compete in the 50m breaststroke. In an event decided by hundredths of a second, all three are aiming for personal bests, a Cyprus record, and qualification for the semi-final rounds.
Weightlifting
Dimitris Minasidis' participation in the 65kg category is of particular interest. The 37-year-old weightlifter returns to Glasgow, where in 2014 he celebrated gold when the Commonwealth Games were last held in the Scottish city.
Twelve years have passed since that triumph, but Minasidis retains the same passion and the same competitive hunger. Eleven athletes will take part in Sunday's competition, with five or six of them considered medal contenders. Among them is the Cypriot champion, who, provided he overcomes the minor injury that has troubled him in recent days and his performance is not affected by pain, has every reason to believe he can challenge for a repeat of his 2014 triumph.
Competition schedule (Cyprus time)
Swimming, Tollcross International Swimming Centre
13:08 Men's 50m Breaststroke (Heats) Alexandros Grigoriou
13:33 Women's 100m Freestyle (Heats) Anna Hadjiloizou
14:05 Men's 50m Breaststroke (Heats) Panayiotis Panaretos
14:11 Men's 50m Breaststroke (Heats) Markos Iakovidis
21:47 Women's 100m Freestyle (Semi-final) If qualified
21:57 Men's 50m Breaststroke (Semi-final) If qualified
Artistic Gymnastics, the Arena
14:00–17:30 Men's All-Around Final Marios Georgiou, Giorgos Angonas
20:00–23:00 Women's All-Around Final Georgia Charalambous* (if qualified)
Weightlifting, The Armadillo
20:45 65kg Dimitris Minasidis
Live broadcast schedule, CyBC 2 / CyBC HD
CyBC (RIK) continues its extensive coverage of the 23rd Commonwealth Games, with total live broadcast time set to exceed 60 hours. All events involving Cypriot athletes that fall outside the live broadcast schedule will be covered by a CyBC crew stationed in Glasgow, with reports carried on the broadcaster's news programmes.
For Sunday 26 July, the live broadcast schedule is as follows:
12:30–14:00 Swimming (Heats)
14:00–17:30 Artistic Gymnastics, Men's All-Around Final
20:00–23:00 Artistic Gymnastics, Women's All-Around Final
The Cyprus Olympic Committee extends its warm thanks to Allwyn (Diamond Partner), Petrolina (Gold Partner), Deloitte (Professional Services Partner) and Bioiatriki (Medical Diagnosis Partner) for their ongoing support in delivering the mission of its delegation.
By Ilias Pratsos, Cyprus Olympic Committee correspondent in Glasgow
