Loughborough Lightning star Jess Shaw is aiming for a good season for both club and country to secure a place in the England squad at this summer’s Commonwealth Games.
After leaving the Lightning in 2020, Shaw enjoyed success with Team Bath, Severn Stars and Birmingham Panthers, but now returns to last year’s Netball Super League runners-up as a much more polished player.
Ahead of Saturday’s season opener against the LexisNexis Dragons, Sky Sports live broadcastShaw has set his sights on this year, which features the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in July and August.
“This team is really exciting,” Shaw said. sky sports.
“They have been to the finals five years in a row so hopefully they can make it to the finals again this year.
“With it being a Commonwealth Games year, coming to the Lightning will help me play. I have the team behind me and if I play, I will be on the court.”
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Highlights from the second match of Vitality Roses’ three-match international series against South Africa.
Her return was off to an encouraging start as the Lightning kicked off the year with a Super Cup win at the weekend.
Shaw also explained that part of the reason for his move to Loughborough was to be able to get playing time in both wing attack and central positions.
She added: “With the Commonwealth Games season coming up it’s really important that I’m at the top of my game and excelling in both positions so hopefully I can get that this season.”
‘Diabetes still makes me anxious’
Shaw’s rise to the top of the sport is made all the more remarkable by the fact that she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as a teenager.
The 29-year-old still needs to take good care of his health, but he finds motivation to show his juniors that it is possible to succeed in elite sports.
“I think living with type 1 diabetes is still difficult,” Shaw said. “You still get caught off guard by other games and things.
“But as the years went on, I started to understand a little more what was right for me on race day and training around that.
“But then again, at some point something happens that’s out of your control and you’re really trying to get within that range.
“This is what I do for people who are younger and who look up to me as a role model, to know that living with type 1 diabetes doesn’t stop you and that reaching the top is actually a lot sweeter.”
Stream Netball Super League live on Sky Sports this season. Starting with champions London Pulse v Manchester Thunder, live coverage on Sky Sports Mix and Sky Sports+ from 7.25pm on Friday 27 February.
