A WEIGHTLIFTER from Anglesey has won a gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia.

Gareth Evans from Holyhead caused an upset by taking the top prize in the men's -69kg category.

The 31-year-old posted a total of 299kg to win Wales' first gold medal on day two of the Gold Coast Games.

The silver medal was won by Sri Lanka's Indika Dissanayake Mudiyanselage, while Deepak Lather of India claimed bronze.

Evans opened with a snatch of 130kg and of the 14 lifters competing, was the only one successful in all three snatches.

He finished with six successful lifts out of six, totalling 299kg, two kilograms ahead of runner-up Mudiyanselage.

Evans was an Olympian, who was at London 2012 and came fifth in the -62kg category in Glasgow four years ago, made his Commonwealth Games debut at Delhi in 2010.

The proud Welshman took to Twitter immediately after winning gold on Friday.

Donning his Wrexham Football Club shirt and holding the medal in his hand he posted the following message:

"Well what a day!

"Could you tell I enjoyed that performance? Had to wear my true colours."

Upon hearing the news of Evans' success, former Holyhead Town Councillor Jeff Evans congratulated his fellow islander. "What a performance; what an achievement. We at Holyhead are all so proud of Gareth," he said.

"It is also worth giving a special mention to his coach, the inimitable Ray Williams. What a great advert for Holyhead they both are.

"They are a credit to the sport of weightlifting, a credit to their families and a credit to our island."

Cllr. Evans also added praise to Bob Wrench, who he says was the inspiration behind weightlifting at Holyhead which has led to the small town being such a force in the sport.