The Gold Coast’s biggest sports stars flocked to the Surfers Paradise foreshore this afternoon to participate in the 2018 Commonwealth Games Glasgow Queen’s Baton Relay.

Olympic Gold Medallist Sally Pearson, Olympic swimmer Cameron McEvoy and former triathlete Karla Gilbert were among the prominent Gold Coasters that took part in the relay, with Queensland Premier Campbell Newman and Mayor Tom Tate also taking part in the game’s celebrations.

Representing the Club was senior coach Guy McKenna, who led a passionate crowd of one-eyed GC SUNS fans through the tenth leg.

“It’s a massive honour to represent the football Club, and hopefully by 2018 we would have had a couple of Premierships,” McKenna said.

Nearly 50 young Gold Coasters dressed in Club colours were on hand to greet the GC SUNS coach, with McKenna overwhelmed by the support.

“Since the Gold Coast SUNS have arrived it has really given the city’s young footballers a pathway into the AFL,” he said.

But having watched former Commonwealth Games athlete Glynis Nunn compete at the games on his family television box as a teenager, McKenna was in awe when accepted the passing of the baton from one of his former childhood heroes.

“I got the baton off Glynis, and I remember as a young kid watching the Olympics and the Commonwealth Games.”

“And to hand it to one of the up and coming athletes in Mel Schlander was a certain sporting thrill for me.”