With the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games coming to a close this evening, Team England has revealed that quadruple Commonwealth champion gymnast, Jake Jarman, will be the host nation’s flagbearer at the Closing Ceremony.

At just 20-years-old, Jarman, from Peterborough, won the gold medal in the team all-around, individual all-around, floor exercise and vault. He is the first Englishman in 24 years to win four gold medals at same Commonwealth Games in his first major senior championship.

Jake Jarman commented: “It’s an absolutely massive honour to be asked to be the flag bearer for Team England, I can’t believe it. These Games have been the greatest experience of my life and I couldn’t be more proud to have represented Team England. To be a part of this group has been special, the feeling of competing with the crowd roaring and the whole nation supporting is something I’ll never forget and it definitely pushed me on to perform at my best. I’ll be carrying the flag tonight with a huge smile on my face, I can’t wait.”

Mark England OBE, Team England’s Chef de Mission, said: “As Birmingham 2022 comes to a close, we will reflect on the success of our athletes and the pride we have all felt when supporting Team England this summer. Each and every Team England athlete has contributed to this incredible Games, and we are excited to see Jake Jarman lead the team as our Closing Ceremony flagbearer. There have been so many incredible athletes at this Games but Jake Jarman was the standout, and winning four gold medals, he made it an easy decision for us.”

The nations’s most decorated hockey player, Laura Unsworth, will formally hand over the Commonwealth Games Federation flag to Australia ahead of Victoria 2026. Birmingham 2022 will mark the first time ever for an athlete to have this honour.

No current player has more caps for England women than Laura Unsworth; the Sutton Coldfield athlete edges close to the 300 appearance mark. Unsworth said: “It’s an absolute honour to hand it over in my home city of Birmingham to Victoria. I was speechless when I was asked. Birmingham has put on a fantastic Games and for me the highlight has got to be winning that gold medal on my fourth time trying, it’s been an absolute whilrlwind and the best 24 hours of my life. The city has been alive and the crowds at every single game have been incredible and they have been our 12th man at times.”

Team England has guaranteed its best ever medal haul at a Commonwealth Games with a number of gold medal match-ups in Squash, Badminton and Table tennis on the last day of competition after winning a gold and silver double in the 10m Mixed Synchronised Diving. On Saturday August 6th, two days before the end of the Games, Team England surpassed its medal total from the Gold Coast Games four years previous.

This has also been Team England’s most diverse Commonwealth Games team to date with medallists aged from 17 to 74 years old. The team featured 67 para-athletes (16%) who picked up an impressive 32 medals, and, for the first time, there were more women then men (226 to 203) representing the host nation.