There’ll be Olympic and world champions, world record holders, and global icons galore at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games. 

With more than 5,000 athletes from 72 countries competing across 20 sports, here are our picks for unmissable moments from the international brigade. 

The races could be the highlights of the Games, with the top three women in the world on show.

Jamaican stars Shelley-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Shericka Jackson, Elaine Thompson-Herah will again go head to head in Birmingham after lighting up the track at the recent World Championships in Oregon.

Fraser-Pryce is one of the greatest sprinters of all time, and at 35 years old, she’s still got it.

She just won her fifth world title over 100m, and silver in the 200. 

Jackson initially specialised in the 400m, but since switching her focus to the shorter distances and running the second-fastest 200m in history to win the Worlds, she’s shown she might become the best of them all.

And Thompson-Herah is the reigning two-time Olympic gold medallist across both distances.

England's great hope and bronze medallist from the 200m at the World Championships, Dina Asher-Smith, will not compete due to a hamstring strain.

But Daryll Neita could still bring home a medal for the host nation. She upset Asher-Smith to win the 100-200 double at the British Nationals

The Americans swept the podium at the World Championships, but the Commonwealth nations  will still bring some blistering speed. 

Jamaica's Oblique Seville and South Africa's Akani Simbine were fourth and fifth respectively at the World Championships.

Reigning African champion, Kenya's Ferdinand Omanyala, will also be there.

Unfortunately, three members of Canada's World Championship gold-medal-winning men's 4x100m relay team will not be competing.

Andre De Grasse, Aaron Brown, and Jerome Blake have all withdrawn from the Games, with Athletics Canada saying the trio needs time to rest and recover.

One of the bolters in the field could be Welshman Jeremiah Azu, who ran a stunning wind-assisted 9.9 seconds to upset favourites Reece Prescod and Zharnel Hughes at this year’s British Championships.

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https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-28/biggest-international-names-birmingham-commonwealth-games/101197524