THE 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games get under way today with a glut of medal hopefuls from Gwent hoping to strike it lucky in Australia.

Team Wales enjoyed their most successful Commonwealths four years ago when they claimed a best ever haul of 36 medals.

Big names including swimmer Jazz Carlin, athlete Dai Greene, triathlete Non Stanford, cyclist Elinor Barker and rugby’s Justin Tipuric feature in a party of more than 200 competitors.

A large proportion of those representing Wales down under hail from, or have links to Gwent, all with ambitions of making the podium over the next 12 days.

The region has a healthy contingent of seven riders in the cycling squad, all of whom will battle it out on the boards of the velodrome.

Sam Harrison, from Cross Keys, and Newport’s Jon Mould are both taking part in their third Games, while Rachel James is looking to follow in the footsteps of sister Becky, a double medallist in 2010.

Monmouthshire university student Lewis Oliva, another to make his third Commonwealths appearance, has been in great form over the last year, as has Ponthir para-cyclist James Ball.

He won silver and bronze at the World Championships just last month and should be a contender for more prizes on the Gold Coast.

Meanwhile, Ellie Coster and Zachery May will be out to make big impressions too.

There is a big Gwent presence in the men’s and women’s rugby sevens squads.

Dragons Hallam Amos, James Benjamin, Ethan Davies, Angus O’Brien and WRU-contracted sevens specialist Ben Roach, who has featured for the region this season, go for gold.

And Elinor Snowsill, Gemma Rowland and Sian Williams were all given the nod to participate in the women’s tournament.

Welsh hockey teams have never won a medal at the Games but Newport’s Sophie Clayton, Caerleon's Rose Thomas and Torfaen duo Danielle Jordan and Jacob Draper will be hoping to change that statistic.

Pontypool’s British champion gymnast Maisie Methuen is being tipped for big things and she is getting ready to make her Games bow in Australia.

Charlotte Carey, of Ebbw Vale, and Tredegar’s Chloe Thomas go for Wales in table tennis, while Ieuan Thomas is the region’s sole competitor on the athletics track.

Having run in last year’s World Championships, the Pontypool steeplechaser has his sights set on mixing it with Africa’s finest in the final next Friday.

Lauren Price was Wales’ first ever female boxing medallist in Glasgow when she claimed bronze, and the Bargoed ace wants to better that this time.

Newport’s Kyran Jones and Chepstow’s Rosie Eccles join Price in action on Friday – Mark James, from Cwmbran, is one of the team’s coaches alongside Colin Jones.

Cliff diver Aidan Heslop, whose mum hails from Blaina, and Torfaen para-swimmer Alex Rosser carry Gwent’s hopes in the pool and husband and wife Mike and Sarah Wixey are two sharpshooters targeting success.

Bowlers Stephen Harris, Jonathan Tomlinson and Marc Wyatt have a busy time ahead of them, while Peter Creed and Suzy Drane will fight it out on the squash and netball courts respectively.

Torfaen Warriors ABC head coach Simon Weaver is also out in Australia assisting Guernsey boxer Billy Le Poullain.

The Commonwealth Games start today with the opening ceremony and run until April 15.