Ellie Bowen, who lost her right leg after contracting necrotising fasciitis at 13 months old, is set to make her Commonwealth Games debut for Wales in the seated shot put. Now 17 and the youngest member of the Welsh athletics squad, she will compete in Glasgow, fulfilling a dream she has held since early childhood despite the severe bacterial infection that once put her life at risk.

Bowen's parents feared they might lose her as a baby, and although she survived, doctors amputated her leg. She was later introduced to wheelchair racing by Anthony Hughes of Disability Sport Wales before discovering a passion for throwing events, winning "best performer" at an early competition after returning to sport following the Covid pandemic. Her father built her an adapted bicycle and later a campervan to support her travel to competitions, and her parents describe themselves as "lucky" to see her competing at Glasgow's Scotstoun Stadium.