Wilmot eager to repay Jamaica’s trust at Glasgow Commonwealth Games

English-born goal shooter Azara Wilmot says she intends to repay Jamaica’s belief in her after earning selection for the senior Sunshine Girls at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.

The Games take place from July 23 to August 2. For Wilmot, the tournament will be her first major senior appearance in Jamaica’s colours — a breakthrough she describes as unforgettable because the island backed her when others did not.

“They’ve given me an opportunity, an opportunity that no one else gave me and I’m ready to show what I can do on the international stage,” Wilmot told the Jamaica Observer.

Her 2026 selection follows a lengthy pathway through England’s netball structure. She began at AP Saints in Under-16 regional competition.

“I started playing netball in England at AP Saints, I was playing Under-16 regional and so I was actually not having playing netball that long,” she explained. “I moved to Northern Premier League with London Pulse and then I got picked for England Under-19 Roses Academy and I ended up leaving and coming into Jamaica,” she explained.

Choosing Jamaica over continuing with England was straightforward, she said.

“Jamaica was, to be honest, an easy option for me. They showed interest in me. They showed that they wanted to develop me as a player and I was willing to take that chance, the sacrifice that was making, it really didn’t mean anything,” she stated.

Wilmot believes her game has steadily improved.

“Netball has been really good for me. I feel like every year I have been getting better, developing more as a player. I feel like I am more confident in myself as a shooter and I just felt like that I working and I am building of myself,” she said.

With the Commonwealth Games nearly underway, she is focused on the occasion rather than any feelings about competing against the country of her birth.

“I am very excited. It’s a good opportunity for me to play for the Jamaica senior Sunshine Girls. The people that laid the footsteps that I’m walking in have paved a great way for me and I am really excited.

“I wouldn’t say I’m emotional. I’d say it’s an opportunity to play with Jamaica — I wouldn’t have it any other way. That’s where I’m looking to be for the rest of my career,” she ended.