Games Key Facts
- Sports
- 20
- Events
- 280
- Competitors
- 4822
- Countries competing
- 72
- Main Stadium
- Alexander Stadium
NZ Team Key Facts
- Athletes
- 234 (110 men, 124 women)
- Sports
- 19
- Medals won
- 50 (20 gold, 12 silver, 18 bronze)
- Position on medal table
- 5th
- Chef de Mission
- Nigel Avery
- Opening ceremony flagbearers
- Joelle King and Tom Walsh
- Closing ceremony flagbearer
- Aaron Gate
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The Birmingham 2022 Games
Birmingham stepped in to host the 22nd Commonwealth Games when original host Durban was ruled out over financial concerns. Previously, Birmingham had planned to bid for 2026 Games.
Competitors at Birmingham included a record number of 311 para athletes, contesting 8 sports. For the first time at a world multi-sport festival, there were more women’s events than men’s.
New Zealand scaled new heights by winning 20 gold medals, and its total medal haul of 50 was its highest at any Commonwealth Games held outside New Zealand. Para athletes won 2 golds and 2 silvers. Our medalists ranged in age from 17 (para swimmer Joshua Willmer) to 57 (lawn bowler Val Smith).
Memorable Moments
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First time NZ was represented by two flagbearers
For the first time, New Zealand was represented in the opening ceremony by 2 flagbearers - Tom Walsh (Shot Put) and Joelle King (Squash).
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The cycling team won a total of 13 medals for the NZ Team
8 gold, 4 silver and 1 bronze. Mountain bikers Sam Gaze and Ben Oliver boosted the tally with their gold and silver, Georgia Williams claimed bronze in the time trial and Aaron Gate’s stunning gold in the road race was the icing on cycling’s cake.
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Ellesse Andrews and Aaron Gate were cycling standouts
Gate claimed four gold medals - in the individual pursuit, points race, team pursuit and road race, setting a New Zealand record for the most golds at a single Commonwealth Games. At just 22, Andrews won gold in the individual sprint, team sprint and keirin, along with a silver in the team pursuit, performances that hinted at even greater success to come at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
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Squash star Joelle King added to her commonwealth games medal tally
Joelle King left Birmingham with golds in the women’s doubles and mixed doubles, giving her an overall Commonwealth Games total of 8 medals (5 golds).
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The swimming team won 9 medals - including 5 golds
Lewis Clareburt led the way with gold in the 400m individual medley and 200m butterfly, plus bronze in the 100m individual medley, joining Sophie Pascoe as the only Kiwis with two golds at a single Commonwealth Games. Andrew Jeffcoat claimed gold in the 50m backstroke, Cameron Gray took bronze in the 50m butterfly, while para swimmers Pascoe (100m freestyle S9) and Joshua Willmer (100m breaststroke SB8) earned gold, and Tupou Neiufi (100m backstroke S8) and Jesse Reynolds (100m backstroke S9) secured silver.
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Tom Walsh and Jacko Gill dominated the shot put final
Walsh claimed gold with a best throw of 22.26m, but Gill’s final effort of 21.90m wasn’t far behind. Englishman Scott Lincoln threw 20.57m for third, a distance that Walsh bettered 6 times and Gill 4. Walsh left Birmingham having won silver-gold-gold in his 3 Commonwealth Games.
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Corbin Strong’s scratch race gold was one of the most inspiring moments of the Games
After nearly losing his cycling career to a broken vertebra in 2018, the 22-year-old surged clear in the final laps following a perfectly timed lead-out from teammate Campbell Stewart to claim a brilliant victory.
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Back to back victory for Sam Gaze
Sam Gaze claimed consecutive Commonwealth Games golds with a commanding victory in the mountain bike cross-country race, followed home by fellow Kiwi Ben Oliver. New Zealand might have had a third medal, but 2014 champion Anton Cooper was forced to withdraw at the last minute due to Covid.
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Two standout performances in squash
Paul Coll built on his 2018 success, capturing gold in both the singles and mixed doubles (with King) after previously earning silver and bronze on the Gold Coast. Meanwhile, left-hander Amanda Landers-Murphy came out of near-retirement to team up with King and successfully defend their women’s doubles title.
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Tayla Ford picked up her second commonwealth games bronze medal
Adelaide-based Tayla Ford picked up her second Commonwealth Games wrestling bronze medal in the 68kg grade in Birmingham. Ford had won bronze in the 58kg division at the 2014 Glasgow Games.
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Julia Ratcliffe claimed her third consecutive Commonwealth Games hammer throw medal
Ratcliffe claimed silver in Birmingham making this her third consecutive medal at a commonwealth games - gold in 2018, silver in 2014.
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Three Judo athletes took home medals
Kody Andrews won silver in the men’s 100+kg, and Moira de Villiers (78kg) and Sydnee Andrews (78+kg) took home bronzes. The 2 Andrews aren’t related, but de Villiers and husband Jason Koster (7th in 100+kg division) were competing in their second Commonwealth Games together.
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Hamish Kerr became the first NZ athlete to win gold in high jump at a Commonwealth Games
The Christchurch jumper edged out Australian Brandon Starc after both had cleared 2.25m because he’d cleared all his heights at first attempt.
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Hayden Wilde was a heroic silver medalist
Hayden Wilde delivered a thrilling triathlon performance in Birmingham, leading Alex Yee by 16 seconds into the run. A 10-second penalty at the bike changeover left them level at the final straight, and Yee edged out Wilde, who finished 17 seconds behind.
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Michaela Blyde finished as the women's rugby sevens highest overall points scorer
The NZ women’s sevens rugby team lost 17-12 to eventual champions Australia in the semi-finals, then beat Canada 19-12 to secure bronze. Michaela Blyde finished as the women’s tournament’s highest overall points scorer, with 55, and the player with the most tries (11). Tyla Nathan-Wong was the 6th equal highest points scorer with 29.
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Ngarohi McGarvey-Black was the only NZ player to make the points scorer leaderboard
The men’s sevens team lost to Fiji 19-14 in the semi-finals, then beat Australia 26-12 to secure the bronze. Ngarohi McGarvey-Black was the only NZ player to make the points scorer leaderboard, whose total of 43 points placed him 4th overall.
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Two NZ athletes who competed at Melbourne 2006 also competed in Birmingham
Lawn bowler Val Smith was at her 5th Games and her bronzes in the triples and the fours in Birmingham lifted her overall medal tally to 4. Gymnast Misha Koudinov was also at his fifth Commonwealth Games. He was only 14 when he competed in Melbourne.
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Birmingham was the last Commonwealth Games for a few athletes
Besides Sophie Pascoe, several other long-time favourites exited the Commonwealth Games after competing in Birmingham, including Sam Webster (cycling), Shane Archbold and Olivia Merry (hockey), Amanda Landers-Murphy (squash), Julia Ratcliffe (athletics), Aniwaka Haumaha (née Roberts) and Sam Dickson (rugby sevens) and Bailey Mes (netball).