Commonwealth Games 2010: Wales medal haul praised

Dai Greene celebrates after winning one of Wales two golds in the 400m hurdles

Chef de mission Chris Jenkins hailed the "exceptional" performances of Team Wales after winning 19 medals at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

Wales won two gold, seven silver and 10 bronze medals during the Games.

"The performances across the board have just been exceptional," Jenkins told BBC Sport Wales.

"The target for us was to get as many people into finals as we possibly could and once you're in the final, then frankly anything could happen."

On the track, Dai Greene collected Wales' first gold medal in the 400m hurdle.

Rhys Williams secured bronze behind Greene in the hurdles before Christian Malcolm claimed bronze in the 200 metres - but the Newport sprinter was favourite to claim the crown won by England's Leon Baptiste.

The other gold medal went to lawn bowler Robert Weale who beat Australia's Leif Selby in a thrilling three-set final in Delhi.

Weale, 47, finally claimed the Commonwealth singles crown after silver at the 2006 Melbourne Games and bronze in Manchester 2002.

Bowlers Anwen Button and Hannah Smith secured a Commonwealth medal as they won a bronze in the women's pairs with victory over Australia in the third-place play-off.

Jazmin Carling won two medals in the pool - a silver and bronze - while teenage cycling star Becky James also celebrated a medal double on the track.

Robert Weale won Commonwealth silver at the 2006 Melbourne Games

And captain Michaela Breeze, who ends an 18-year weightlifting career after the Commonwealths, collected her silver in the 63kg category after being beaten to gold by Nigerian teenager Obioma Okoli.

Bantamweight boxer Sean McGoldrick narrowly missed out on gold after losing to Sri Lankan veteran Manju Wanniarachchi.

The Newport teenager, 18, was level 7-7 on points but the gold was awarded to 30-year-old Wanniarachchi, in his third Commonwealths, after his impressive final round.

Fellow boxers Jermaine Asare, the Pontypridd light-heavyweight, and Keiron Harding, the middleweight from Bedlinog, took bronze as they were beaten by Scotland's Callum Johnson and Northern Ireland's Eamonn O'Kane respectively.

Bridgend shooter Johanne Brekke, who won Commonwealth gold at Manchester 2002, also took bronze in the individual 50m prone after Scotland's Jen McIntosh broke the Commonwealth record to win.

And 19-year-old Frankie Jones claimed the last of the medals, a gymnastic silver in the hoop final.

Despite winning the same amount of medals as in Melbourne four years ago, Wales won one less gold, which was the lowest number since 1978.

But Jenkins

"It always is disappointing because people focus on the gold, but we had a lot of silvers, a lot of bronzes and a lot of fourths," he said.

"We all wanted more gold, some more silver and more bronze, but we've got what we've got.

"Overall, I'm very pleased. I genuinely didn't have a target. It was about taking a young team, see how it goes in Delhi and that gives us another four years into Glasgow and beyond."

---

Welsh 2010 Commonwealth Games medallists:

Gold:

Dai Greene (Men's 400 m hurdles)
Robert Weale (Men's singles lawn bowls)

Silver:

Jazmin Carlin (Women's 200 m freestyle)
Carys Parry (Women's hammer)
Becky James (Women's sprint cycling)
Michaela Breeze (Women weightlifting 63kg)
Jenny McLoughlin (Women's 100m T37)
Sean McGoldrick (Men's bantamweight boxing)
Frankie Jones (Women's gymnastic hoop)

Bronze:

Becky James (Women's cycling 500 m time-trial)
Jemma Lowe (Women's 100 m butterfly)
Jazmin Carlin (Women's 400 m freestyle)
Georgia Beth Davies (Women's 50m backstroke)
Christian Malcolm (Men's 200m)
Rhys Williams (Men's 400m hurdles)
Jermaine Asare (Men's light-heavyweight boxing)
Keiran Harding (Me's middleweight boxing)
Anwen Button and Hannah Smith (Women's pairs bowls)
Johanne Brekke (Women's shooting 50m prone)