Nicosia: Swimming and artistic gymnastics events concluded on Sunday at the 23rd Commonwealth Games, while anticipation builds for the athletics events set to commence on Monday. Cyprus's Maria Erokhina marked a historic moment by becoming the first Cypriot swimmer to reach a semi-final heat at the Commonwealth Games, finishing 13th in the 100m breaststroke on Saturday with a time of 1:09.44.
According to Cyprus News Agency, Erokhina's performance in the semi-finals was her second-best career time in the 100m breaststroke. Other Cypriot swimmers also competed, including Alexandros Gregoriou, Markos Iakovides, and Panayiotis Panaretos, who participated in the 50m breaststroke but did not advance to the semi-finals. Anna Hadjiloizou narrowly missed the 100m freestyle semi-finals, finishing 24th out of 70 competitors.
In artistic gymnastics, Georgia Charalambous made her debut at the Games, finishing 26th in the individual all-around competition, narrowly missing out on a place in the final.
The athletics programme is set to begin with four Cypriot athletes competing. According to the Amateur Athletic Association of Cyprus (KOEAS), Milan Trajkovic will start the Cypriot campaign in the 110-metre hurdles, aiming for a place in the final. Valentina Savva will compete in the women's hammer throw, seeking a top 12 finish to advance to the final. The men's hammer throw final will feature Iosif Kesides and Alexandros Poursanides, with Kesides having set a new Cypriot record this year.