Cycling superstar Mark Cavendish will spearhead Team Isle of Man’s hunt for medals at April’s Commonwealth Games after being named in the 32-strong Manx team that will jet out to Australia’s Gold Coast on March 19.

Cavendish is one of 11 cyclists in the selection that was unveiled at the Claremont Hotel on Tuesday evening.

The island’s badminton, lawn bowls, athletics, shooting, swimming and triathlon fraternities will also be represented at the Games as the Isle of Man Commonwealth Games Association aims to add to the three gold, two silver and six bronze it has won in the past.

The team of 32 comprises:

â?¢Joe Harris (Athletics - Javelin)

â?¢Erika Kelly (Athletics - 20km Walk)

â?¢Kim Clague (Badminton - singles and women’s doubles)

â?¢Ben Li (Badminton - singles and mixed doubles)

â?¢Jessica Li (Badminton - singles and mixed doubles)

â?¢Cristen Marritt (Badminton - singles and women’s doubles)

â?¢Matthew Bostock (Cycling - track)

â?¢Sam Brand (Cycling - Road)

â?¢Mark Cavendish (Cycling - Road)

â?¢Anna Christian (Cycling - Road)

â?¢Nick Corlett (Cycling - Mountain Bike)

â?¢Matthew Draper (Cycling - Track)

â?¢Nathan Draper (Cycling - Road)

â?¢Lizzie Holden (Cycling - Road)

â?¢Jake Kelly (Cycling - Road)

â?¢Leon Mazzone (Cycling - Road)

â?¢Tom Mazzone (Cycling - Road)

â?¢Nicole Burns (Gymnastics - Artistic)

â?¢Clive McGreal (Lawn Bowls - Singles and pairs)

â?¢Mark McGreal (Lawn Bowls - Pairs)

â?¢Rachel Glover (Shooting - Small-bore rifle)

â?¢Jake Keeling (Shooting - Double Trap)

â?¢Gemma Kermode (Shooting - Small-bore rifle)

â?¢Tim Kneale (Shooting - Double Trap)

â?¢Neil Parsons (Shooting - Olympic Trap)

â?¢David Walton (Shooting - Olympic Trap)

â?¢Charlotte Atkinson (Swimming - specialises in butterfly)

â?¢Stephanie Brew (Swimming - specialises in breaststroke)

â?¢Guy Davies (Swimming - specialises in breaststroke)

â?¢Laura Kinley (Swimming - specialises in breaststroke

â?¢Niamh Robinson (Swimming - specialises in breaststroke)

â?¢Jenny Newbery (Triathlon)

The athletes will be joined by a support team led by Chef de Mission Leonie Cooil.

The team flies to Australia in mid-March where they will have a week of acclimatisation before moving to the athletes’ village in Gold Coast.

Isle of Man Commonwealth Games Association president, Basil Bielich, said: ’The selection for the team has highlighted the high level of sporting talent in the Island, with 43 athletes meeting the qualifying criteria, of which only 32 could be selected for the team.

Leonie Cooil added: ’I am delighted with the team that we have selected. It is a mixture of experienced athletes and those making their Games debut. Every athlete on the team has the opportunity to show the rest of the world what a force the Isle of Man is on the global sporting stage.’

The athletes will be joined by a support team including general team manager Trevor Taubman, Doctor Frank Vaughn, physiotherapists Ruth Cooil and Wendy Shallcross and Commonwealth Games Intern Kirree Quayle.

Support teams for each sport will also accompany the athletes:

â?¢Steve Partington (Athletics team manager)

â?¢Alex Marritt (Badminton team manager)

â?¢Graeme Hatcher (Cycling team manager)

â?¢Andrew Roche (Cycling coach)

â?¢Alex Jaffrey (Cycling mechanic)

â?¢Gennady Tsyganov (Gymnastics manager)

â?¢Bernice McGreal (Lawn bowls team manager)

â?¢Harry Creevy (Shooting team manager)

â?¢Ed Barker (Shooting coach)

â?¢Rosemary Kinley (Swimming team manager)

â?¢Lee Holland (Swimming coach)

â?¢Juan Kinley (Triathlon team manager)

Team champions, Auxesia, Escape the Rock, Manx Telecom, Paysafe, Skanco and SMP Partners, have supported the Isle of Man Commonwealth Games Association with the costs involved in getting the team to the Games.