The Birmingham Commonwealth Games kind of snuck up on us didn’t they?

It’s fair to say there have been plenty of other things on our minds over the last few months, and while Newstalk’s sports hosts did a great job introducing us to athletes heading to Birmingham there hasn’t been a lot of hype.

And yet, the 22nd Commonwealth Games seems to have arrived at the perfect time.

July has been grim. The weather has been lousy, a second wave of Omicron has swept through the community, the rising cost of living has made us think twice about putting the heater on and what we slip into our supermarket trolley.

So while the Commonwealth Games isn’t in the same league as the Olympics or many World Championships, they’ve provided some much needed positivity and distraction.

It’s been fabulous to wake in the morning, and count the many overnight successes – or occasionally to get up and enjoy the glory live.

The reality is that the absence of Russia, USA, and China has an impact on the level of competition. Earlier in the week, my partner and daughter tried to entice me to watch the gymnastics, saying “gymnasts are falling off apparatus all over the place, you’ve got to see this!” 

But equally, many performances have been world class. Watching Kiwi triathlete Hayden Wilde battle it out with England’s Alex Yee was heart-stopping stuff, until the helmet kerfuffle made it heartbreaking. I assume our cycling team consider the Commonwealth Games a stepping stone towards the Paris Olympics, they’ll be thrilled with their progress.

The Com Games is also an opportunity for us to appreciate the incredible effort that goes into competing on the world stage by athletes in sports which don’t usually get much publicity, like judo, wrestling and lawn bowls.

Then there are the history-making firsts – Hamish Kerr is the first New Zealand men’s high jumping gold medallist. Young athletes, like our 15-year-old neighbour who’s a bit of a whizz at high jump, see this kind of success and their dreams and ambitions go to a new level. Kerr has been performing well recently, especially at the Indoor World Champs; but not many knew. I hope he enjoys the recognition he’s currently receiving.

It’s really easy to shrug and say ‘it’s only the Commonwealth Games’. But very few of us have the talent, tenacity and dedication to be selected to compete for our country, let alone win a Commonwealth Games medal.

I think accomplished squash player, former World number 1 and current British Open Champion, Paul Cole said it best after winning gold this week – this is “one of the best moments of my life”.

Congratulations to all competitors and thanks for the feel-goods this week.