The Commonwealth may well be a dated institution in its make-up but that does not detract from the clear highpoint of its contemporary standing: the Commonwealth Games.

There's something undeniably special about 24 different sports being contested by athletes from 71 different countries - and not all of it is the absence of the traditional world beaters from the US, Russia and China.

The Brits have already made a splash in the pool but which ones are going to make the most of the opportunity on the track? CLAIRE HUGHES looks at the five best GB hopes...

Handbags at five paces with team-mate and long-jump rival Jade Johnson aside, Kelly Sotherton is staring at a golden opportunity in the women's heptathlon.

Everything is in place for the 29-year-old to finally cast her past failures aside but it will come down to whether she can focus her energy on the game and not the game-playing, and whether her javelin can withstand the pressure.

It was that element of the seven events that cost her a shot at the World Championships last year.

Four years ago she came in seventh and bounded into the limelight two years later with a bronze in the Athens Olympics behind dynamic Swede Carolina Kluft and Frenchwoman Eunice Barber.

With those two out of the equation, Sotherton should shine, although Sheffield's Jessica Ennis was giving her something to think about after the first few events.

Big event ever-present Dean Macey has patched himself up yet again for what could well be a last chance of decathlon gold.

The 29-year-old is the track-and-field equivalent of Jonny Wilkinson with an injury list that looks more like a medical guide to anatomy.

He has previously overcome a foot problem, an elbow nightmare, hamstring and calf strains and lost virtually all of last year to a knee injury.

But this Essex boy is a tough cookie and has said he would retire tomorrow if he thought he couldn't win any medals. If he was a racehorse, he'd be one that would either fall or be placed. He hasn't retired, so expect his name on the medal roster come the end of the day.

The men's relays are flashing up medals like pound signs into the eyes of onlookers for the English men but it will not be a walk in the park.

The 4x400 metres squad has been hit by injuries and Graham Hedman's replacement, North Yorkshire's own rising talent Richard Buck, is the latest casualty and is looking almost certain to miss out.

The baton (excuse the pun) is therefore passed over to Robert Tobin, Andrew Steele, bright young hope Martyn Rooney, Californian Malachi Davis and hurdler Chris Rawlinson.

The good news - well, as good as it gets - is that the Welsh squad have been similarly shorn in size with stars including Iwan Thomas and Jamie Baulch not in the picture, forcing Christian Malcolm - himself being followed by hamstring shadows - to link up with both relay squads. The Jamaicans will be the biggest threat.

Similarly, the 4x100m team has been dented. Jason Gardener has flown home for treatment on a sciatica-type problem after failing to qualify for the individual 100m semi-finals.

Mark Lewis-Francis, meanwhile, will be full of fire after being disqualified from the individual event and a combination of him and the in-form Marlon Devonish could prove potent.

Scottish eyes may not be overburdened during the athletics schedule but they will be trained on 400m sprinter Lee McConnell.

The softly-spoken Scot won approval from hero Michael Johnson for her technique during the last Olympics and she has speed to boot. But she is struggling to pick either the flat 400 or the 400 hurdles and that indecision could cost her.