IN 365 days sporting eyes will be firmly placed on Melbourne where 71 nations will be descending on one of Australia's liveliest cities for the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

Manchester produced a record haul for Welsh athletes winning 33 medals (6 gold, 15 silver and 12 bronze) in total.

And Melbourne in 12 months time promises to be just as successful for both Welsh and Gwent athletes competing in Australia.

No-one will ever forget the sight of Jamie Arthur boxing his way to Commonwealth gold or Jamie Baulch narrowly missing out on a relay gold medal.

And while Melbourne will see the sun go down on several Gwent athlete's sporting careers, the 2006 Commonwealth games will also see our stars burst onto the international scene.

Jamie Baulch, Julian Winn and Alex Gough have all enjoyed numerous success over the past decade or so, but all three are set to call it day after next year's Games.

31-year-old Baulch is likely to go in the individual 400m, but his best chance of glory will come in the 4x400m relay.

In Manchester two years ago he narrowly missed out on gold but along with Tim Benjamin, Matt Elias and Gareth Warburton the Gwent star could form part of a formidable quartet.

He said: "Individually, I'm looking for a podium position.

"I'm so close to getting a medal. I'm training alongside Avard Moncur, the 2001 World Champion. He will be at the forefront chasing a medal so it's superb experience for me."

Julian Winn will be competing at his third Commonwealth Games, having gone to Kuala Lumpur in 1998 and Manchester in 2002.

And the 32-year-old will be hoping that it will be a case of third time lucky in Melbourne.

He said: "I've been so near, yet so far! The road race is a complete lottery - anything can happen. I was in great form in Kuala Lumpur but the race just didn't pan out for me.

"In Manchester, I was again in excellent form but I hit my peak just two weeks early. I got it just slightly wrong. "I need to put these experiences together in order that the team around me can build the right training regime for Melbourne."

The 34-year-old Welsh squash player Alex Gough is aware that as time ticks on towards 2006, events are becoming "more relevant" and is looking towards Melbourne with extra motivation for medal success.

In previous years, the Welsh team has been pipped to medals by the eventual victors at the quarter finals stages, and this still smarts. Gough, and his likely doubles partner David Evans, "really want a medal".

"We have always narrowly lost to the eventual winner, and we've never had a Welsh doubles medal, so we are especially motivated this time round."

However, for Christian Malcolm, Anneliese Heard and Rhian Pugh, Melbourne could be the platform they need to launch themselves onto the international scene.

25-year-old Malcolm endured a torrid time at last year's 2004 Athens Olympics. The Newport 200m runner suffered kidney failure while warm-weather training at the holding camp in Cyprus.

He will be looking to add to his silver medal that he picked up at the 1998 games. He said: "I love representing Wales - It's a fantastic opportunity to represent your home nation on the world stage and it's one of the few chances we have of pulling on a Welsh vest and winning a major medal. That gives any Welshman a huge sense of pride."

23-year-old Anneliese Heard was disappointed to miss out on competing at last year's Olympic games.

But along with fellow Welsh triathletes Marc Jenkins, Leanda Cave and Helen Tucker she hopes to form a formidable Welsh team in Melbourne.

She said: "My whole season is geared towards Commonwealth qualification and achieving top ten spots at the World Cup competitions and the European Championships.

"I have been selecting my competitions very carefully as I want to ensure that I'm in perfect race condition ahead of the major championships."

16-year-old Rhian Pugh has burst onto the international scene over the past year. The Newport gymnast won a silver medal on the individual bars at the 2004 Commonwealth Youth games also in Australia.

And the talented youngster will be hoping to continue that success into next year's senior games, where she hopes to compete against some of the Team GB gymnasts she idolises at last year's Olympic games.

She said: "I watched the Olympics all day, every day and I was disappointed that Beth Tweddle didn't medal for GB. I hope she will be back to compete in Beijing in 2008 - fingers crossed and I might even be her team-mate.

"For now at least, my focus rests on qualifying to compete against her in the Commonwealth Games next year."

l Over the next six weeks, Argus sport will be featuring each of our 'Six of the best' athletes in more detail.