Welshpool High School trio book Commonwealth Games places

Welshpool High School is celebrating the news that three former pupils have been selected to compete for Team Wales at next month’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

The nervous wait was over this morning for the trio, with Adele Nicoll (shot put), Dan Jones (swimming) and Joshua Whitehouse (Judo), all named in the 114-strong squad to compete in Scotland from July 23-August 2.

Adele’s confirmation comes just four months after she competed for Team GB in the bobsleigh at the Winter Olympics, while Dan, who is also 29 like Adele, is in the form of his life in the swimming pool. Both are competing in their second consecutive Commonwealth Games.

But for Joshua, from Llanymynech, the selection represents an incredible rise to elite sport for the 24-year-old having started Judo at the age of six.

He has been coached at Go Judo in Llandrinio by Pete Castell who was brimming with pride this morning and said: “Joshua's selection is a proud moment for his family, his local community, and everyone involved with Go Judo Llandrino and Welshpool.

“We wish him every success as he prepares to wear the Welsh dragon on the international stage at Glasgow 2026.”

He will compete in the heavyweight +100kg category having earned his place through a series of superb performances. He is the current British Open Champion, the current British No.1 in his weight category, and is ranked 104th in the world by the International Judo Federation.

One of his many recent successes was winning gold at the Mandurah Oceania Open, the biggest international title of his career to date, further underlining his status as one of Britain's leading heavyweight judoka.

Adele also makes bombshell announcement

Adele used the announcement to confirm though that she is stepping away from bobsleigh to focus on her dream of reaching the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics in athletics.

“This feels like the right time to share that I’ve decided to temporarily step away from the British Bobsleigh programme,” she said this morning.

“This isn’t goodbye and it’s certainly not because I don’t love Bobsleigh. It was the hardest decision I’ve ever been asked to make and it now means I will be self-funding, again! But this is the right decision for me at this point in time.

“I always encourage young people to dream big and I think it’s important to lead by example. Sometimes that means being brave and willing to take a different path. I want to throw as far as possible and see what’s achievable over time. The dream is to compete at both the Summer and Winter Olympics.”