Chloe Wilson (left) and Shauna O’Neill
BOWLS Mixed Pairs world champion Chloe Wilson is relishing representing Team NI for the second time at the Commonwealth Games.
Wilson was in Birmingham four years ago and has been selected to play with Shauna O’Neill in the pairs in Glasgow.
“Honestly, it’s unbelievable. I really didn’t think it was going to happen, but yeah, just over the moon,” enthused Wilson.
“In Birmingham I was 20, that was a dream come true, to get that experience at such a young age, to have the belief of everyone at home thinking that those girls can go out there and medal and be in such a young team as well.
”Play alongside your friends, I just couldn’t believe it really, I really enjoyed it, the results probably didn’t go our way, but I thought we’d done quite well for our first games.”
After Birmingham, Wilson lived in Australia while O’Neill and together with Sophie McIntyre won a bronze medal in the world outdoor championships.
“Australia’s class is just completely different to home conditions and all that I truly believe that if me and Shauna hadn’t have moved over when we did to prepare for World Bowls we wouldn’t have got that bronze medal, so it’s something that really sticks out for me.”
It will also be O’Neill’s second Commonwealth Games.
“I would say probably four years older, four years more experienced, t feels like a lifetime ago but also at the same time, it feels like just yesterday, so really looking forward to Glasgow now in a couple of months,” stated O’Neill.
“Birmingham was absolutely fantastic, like obviously it kind of felt like a home games for us because it was so close to home, the support, the atmosphere, I’ve never played in something like that before with the atmosphere, the grandstands, just being around all different athletes from different sports and things, it was absolutely fantastic, I loved every minute of it.”
O’Neill will compete in the singles and pairs in Glasgow teaming up with her good friend Wilson.
“Me and Chloe are used to being in each other’s pockets, we’ve lived together before on the other side of the world, it’s not foreign to us to spend so much time together.
“Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing for her, I don’t know, but I think it will really work for us whenever we go to Glasgow having that really tight-knit friendship.
“After Birmingham we decided to pack up our life and move to the other side of the world for six months, which was an amazing time.
“Just so many memories created together, building our friendship and that relationship on the green as well, to prepare for World Bowls.
“We ended up coming home with a medal, which seemed like it made all the sacrifices that we made worth it.”
