Team Scotland is looking forward to welcoming fourteen year-old diver Grace Reid into the Athletes’ Village tomorrow as the final member of the aquatics squad to arrive in Delhi. Unfortunately however, Grace will now be the only diver representing Team Scotland in Delhi, after injury forced 23 year-old twins, Helen and Carol Galashan out of the Games.
Helen has suffered a scaphoid fracture in her left wrist. The initial injury was sustained before attending a pre-Games training camp in Leeds, and the repeated pressure of diving has caused the fracture to rupture. Unfortunately this also impacts on Helen’s twin sister Carol, who was due to compete with her as part of a pair in the 10m platform synchronised event.
Aquatics Team Manager, Derna Campbell said: “We are all really disappointed that Helen and Carol won’t be able to compete for us in Delhi. To suffer an injury so close to a Games is a major blow, but this is doubly saddening as it affects both Helen and Carol. We all wish Helen a speedy recovery and we are looking forward to seeing them both return to action soon.”
Both Helen and Carol have both competed for Scotland at previous Commonwealth Games in artistic gymnastics. Helen competed in Manchester in 2002 and Melbourne in 2006, with Carol joining her sister in Australia. The diving events get underway on 10 October, with Grace competing on 13 October.
Scotland’s men opened their campaign in Delhi with a tough match against Pakistan and faced a barrage of attacking moves in the intense heat.
Coach Russell Garcia reviewed the match saying, “I think we’ve got a lot to look at from the game and plenty we can build on. We made a few mistakes but towards the end of the game we put together some nice combinations and we can move forward with that.”
Pakistan, silver medallists four years ago, pressurised the Scottish defence from the opening whistle and were 2-0 up at half time. The second half was a marked improvement for the Scots who lost to Canada but drew with New Zealand in last week’s warm-up games. Scotland created chances and forced the Pakistani’s to make some saves but the third goal from a penalty corner eight minutes into the second half, took the match beyond reach.
Garcia continued, “Pakistan played as we thought they would, we had watched them on video so there was nothing unexpected.”
Scottish Captain Chris Nelson was aware of the key elements lacking in their first group match. He said, “We didn’t value the ball as we should have when we had possession. We started to create chances at the end so we’re disappointed but have a big game to look forward to tomorrow.”
Reigning Commonwealth gold medallists and world number one Australia, are the opponents tomorrow and will present an even tougher challenge. It will be their first match of the competition so they’ll be out to show the rest of their group what they’re capable of.
Mark Ralph reached his 150th cap today and earlier in the week talked about the about facing such a quality side from down under. He said, “It will be a joy to play against Australia and really test ourselves. They are the best side in the world at the moment so it will be a great experience.”
Goal Keeper Alistair McGregor made his 100th international appearance today and Ross Stott, brother of team mate Niall, was awarded his 50th cap.
Meanwhile, the women battled hard against South Africa but lost out 2-1, Ali Bell the scorer for Scotland in the second half.
“Again we faced a team that is much higher ranked than us but the girls are a bit disappointed as they are playing well. We changed our tactics in the second half and that made a big difference. Everyone stepped up their performance and we put South Africa under a bit of pressure,” said coach Gordon Shepherd.
With a finishing effort that was timed to absolute perfection, Robbie Renwick won Team Scotland’s first gold medal of the XIX Commonwealth Games in Delhi on Tuesday evening.
In his second event, the men’s 200m freestyle, Renwick began the race hoping to make up for his disappointment of the previous evening, when he finished sixth in the 400m freestyle. And he did – in spectacular and nail-biting fashion, coming from behind to touch the wall just two-hundredths of a second before Kenrick Monk of Australia.
As his fellow Scot David Carry raced into an early lead – just as he had done on his way to a bronze medal in the 400m on Monday – Renwick bided his time. He was languishing in 7th at quarter-distance, up to sixth at half-distance and still back in fifth with one length of the pool remaining.
It was a big ask for him to transform fifth into gold, yet Renwick powered over the final fifty metres to close the gap and claim victory, with his celebrations leaving no one in any doubt as to what this success meant to the Glasgow-based swimmer.
“It feels fantastic to be Scotland’s first gold medallist of the Games,” said Renwick. “It’s such a proud moment for me. We’re going to be hosting the Games in four years’ time in Glasgow, and I just know it’s going to be great. Scotland’s such a proud nation and I’m really happy to do that for Scotland.
“I’m pleased that I bounced back after yesterday’s disappointing performance in the 400,” Renwick continued. “I knew I was a 200 swimmer rather than a 400 swimmer, but to win the gold medal and be Commonwealth champion is just fantastic. I know I’ve got a lot more in me as well.”
Asked to explain his late charge, after he had faded in the final stages of the previous night’s final, Renwick said: “I had to learn from my mistakes yesterday, and I timed it perfectly. That’s the way I swim, you know. I love racing and that’s what I do.
“I definitely knew I was down during the race,” he continued, “but I just stayed calm and hoped for the best. That’s what all my training’s geared towards.
“I’m Commonwealth champion now,” Renwick added, “and I want to enjoy the moment.”
And enjoy it he certainly did, receiving a hero’s welcome from the large Scottish contingent in the stands at the Aquatics Complex.
Carry, meanwhile, raced courageously, but it was his turn to fade in the closing stages as he came home eighth.
“I thought I had a lot more in the tank than I actually did there,” said Carry. “I’m really, really disappointed with that, but I’m not going to dwell on it because we’ve got the relay tomorrow. And with Robbie swimming the way he is, and the way I swam last night, I think we can do something pretty special.”
Team Scotland will have two finalists in Wednesday’s men’s 100m breaststroke, with Kris Gilchrist and Michael Jamieson both qualifying from Tuesday’s semi-finals. It was a race, said Gilchrist, that was “definitely a step in the right direction for me.
“I didn’t feel fantastic in the morning but I felt sharper tonight,” Gilchrist continued. “If I can get that extra bit tomorrow I’ll be fine, and I’ll be happy if I can drop another half-second.”
Jamieson, though, was ecstatic. “That’s over half a second off my PB there,” he said. “I’m a bit speechless, to be honest. I’m not used to being so close to the top of the rankings in the 100m.
“The 200’s definitely my stronger event, but I think all the work I’ve put in on my front end speed has helped me. Now I’ll just rest up tonight, and prepare for the final tomorrow. I’d love to take another tenth or so off my time, but I’m just really enjoying being here and I think that’s coming out in my swims.”
Kathryn Johnstone was also happy to have made the final of the 50m breaststroke, admitting it had been “really exciting.” She was content with seventh. “I hadn’t been expecting to make the final,” she said.
“But to move up a place [from qualifying] to seventh is good, and I swam faster than I did in the semi. I’ve never raced against such big names before, but I enjoyed it. I’ve got the 100m [breaststroke] on Thursday, so hopefully I can do a PB in that – my goal there is to make the semi-finals.”
The track cycling programme got underway in Delhi today with Team Scotland enjoying an encouraging day, with some strong performances.
Jenny Davies’s fifth place in the women’s 500m time trial was the highlight, with the judo player-turned-cyclist smashing her personal best. “It was a huge personal best, 0.8 seconds faster than I went last week in the national championships,” said Davies.
Charline Joiner was eighth in the 500m, as was Callum Skinner in the men’s kilometre time trial.
Skinner flew round the first three laps, and appeared to be pushing hard for a medal until the effort started to tell over the fourth and final lap.
“I was really happy up to the third lap,” said Skinner. “The last lap was hard. This event isn’t on the Olympic programme anymore, so it’s not one I’ve been focusing on. It’s just one massive, painful effort, and everything hurts afterwards.
“Some people pace it, but I wanted to do it full-on, because that’s the kind of effort I’ve been making in training for the Games,” continued Skinner. “The big one for us is the team sprint on Friday.”
Later on Tuesday, in the heats for the men’s points race, all three Scots – James McCallum, David Lines and Evan Oliphant – qualified for Wednesday’s final.
The second day in the velodrome will also see Davies and Joiner in action again, in the women’s team sprint, which is a new event on the Commonwealth Games programme. “We’ve been working really hard on the team sprint,” said Joiner, “and we’re definitely hoping for a medal.”
Davies is the lead-out woman, with Joiner set to finish off the effort on the final lap. “I’m the powerhouse,” said Davies, “and Charline’s the engine.”
Ross Edgar, the Team Scotland flag bearer during Sunday’s Opening Ceremony, will also make his first competitive appearance of the Games on Wednesday, riding the keirin at lunchtime before men’s sprint qualifying in the evening. Edgar won bronze in the keirin in 2006, one of his three medals in Melbourne.
And another Melbourne bronze medallist, Kate Cullen, contests the women’s points race on a busy day for the track cycling team.
Jennifer McIntosh and Kay Copland picked up Scotland’s second bronze medal of the 2010 Games, in a tense session at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range. The pair competed together in the 50m three position event in humid Delhi conditions, finishing third behind Singapore and India.
The results came down to the final shot of the competition with Kay; the sole remaining shooter on the range, needing a ten to secure silver for Scotland. A ten would have moved the pair level with India on points, but would have been enough to take them ahead due to their higher inner ten score, however she scored a nine and they had to settle for bronze.
After picking up her first Commonwealth Games medal Jen, 19 said: “I’m obviously delighted to have won a medal, though it’s a bit disappointing to come away with bronze rather than silver or gold. It’s tough, particularly when it came down to that last point.”
Kay added: “I’m really happy with the result. I had no idea it was so close, but it’s a great feeling to come away with a medal.”
McIntosh was one of the first shooters to complete all three positions, leaving her with the unenviable task of watching her partner finish. It was a tense half hour with the medal places changing after almost every shot.
“It was absolutely terrifying watching Kay shoot that last sequence”, said Jen. “It’s always the worst part for me”. Despite being alone in action, Kay was aware that there could be a lot riding on her last few points: “It was running through my head that there could be just a few points between gold; silver, bronze and fourth, but I was trying not to think about it too much. The thought of it maybe just got a bit too much today for my last shot.”
Shooting is predominantly an individual sport, so the opportunity to compete alongside compatriots is a rarity. The girls will face one another in the both the 50m prone and 3 position singles events, but say that their rivalry is confined to the range.
“Me and Jen are good friends”, says Copland. “We make sure that what happens on the range, stays on the range. The minute we walk off it all goes back to normal and there’s no competition between us.”
Jen’s dad and coach, Donald McIntosh was proud of the pair’s performance, saying: “It was a pretty tough day and the scores are actually pretty low. The girls fought well through the wind and came away with a medal which is great. There was the pressure of the occasion to deal with as well and a level of expectation about medals. There was plenty of adrenaline flowing between the two of them today.”
Both Jen and Kay will be back in action on Thursday in the 50m 3P singles event.
AQUATICS
It was another fantastic day in the pool for Scotland’s swimmers as Robbie Renwick picked up the team’s first gold medal in the 200m freestyle. Yesterday’s bronze medallist David Carry also made it through to the final where he finished eighth, while Andy Hunter narrowly missed out on a starting place.
Kathryn Johnstone continued to impress, finishing seventh in the 50m breaststroke final. Andrew Mayor narrowly missed out on tomorrow’s 50m butterfly final, while Kris Gilchrist and Michael Jamieson made it through to the final of the 100m breaststroke. Caitlin McClatchey and Sara Hamilton made it through to the semi-finals of the 100m freestyle but missed out on a place in tomorrow’s final.
Wednesday will be another busy day in the pool tomorrow with 12 athletes competing in the morning heats. Megan Gilchrist is first up in the 800m freestyle, followed by Jak Scott in the 100m freestyle and Louise Pate in the 100m butterfly. Craig McNally races in the 200m backstroke before Hannah Miley and Kerry Buchan swim the 200m breaststroke. Both the men’s and women’s 4x200m freestyle relays take place tomorrow with gold and bronze medallists Robbie Renwick and David Carry due to feature.
The synchronised competition also gets underway where Lauren Smith will perform her solo technical routine.
ARCHERY
Recurve
In the men’s individual elimination rounds, Simon Needlam and Mark Forrester finished joint 17th whilst James Laing gave a steady performance to finish 9th and unfortunately failed to make the finals. In the woman’s individual elimination rounds, Emma Downie also missed out on going through to the finals after ranking joint 17th.
Compound
In the woman’s individual elimination rounds it was another good day for Tracey McGowan who got through to the individual quarter finals on Saturday 9 October, whilst Claudine Jennings finished joint 9th and Susan Maitland joint 17th.
In the men’s individual elimination round Kyle Dods, Tim Keppie and Alistair Whittingham all finished joint 17th.
ATHLETICS
Lee McConnell will take her first steps onto the track tomorrow in round one of the 400m at 1915hrs local time.
BADMINTON
In the evening session of the badminton at the Siri Fort Complex and in the presence of Sports Minister Shona Robison, Scotland beat Group D rivals Wales 5-0 to all but guarantee themselves a place in the quarter finals of the mixed team event.
Kieran Merrilees got the Scots off to the best possible start, beating Martyn Lewis 21-19 21-15 before Commonwealth bronze medallist Susan Egelstaff put Scotland 2-0 up. The match was clinched when Paul van Rietvelde and Watson Briggs scored an excellent result in the men’s doubles, beating James Phillips and Joe Morgan 21-17 21-18 before wins for Jillie Cooper and Imogen Bankier in the women’s doubles and Briggs and Bankier in the mixed gave Scotland a 5-0 whitewash.
BOXING
Scotland’s boxers enter the ring for the first time tomorrow at the Talkatora Indoor Stadium where Josh Taylor faces Welshman, Darren Edwards in the afternoon session, from 1300hrs local time. The evening session kicks off at 1830hrs local time, featuring Aston Brown’s match against Kenyan Rayton Okwiri.
CYCLING
The track cycling programme got underway in Delhi today with Team Scotland enjoying an encouraging day, with some strong performances.
Jenny Davies’s fifth place in the women’s 500m time trial was the highlight, with the judo player-turned-cyclist smashing her personal best. Charline Joiner was eighth in the 500m, as was Callum Skinner in the men’s kilometre time trial.
Ross Edgar, the Team Scotland flag bearer during Sunday’s Opening Ceremony, will also make his first competitive appearance of the Games on Wednesday, riding the keirin at lunchtime before men’s sprint qualifying in the evening. Edgar won bronze in the keirin in 2006, one of his three medals in Melbourne.
And another Melbourne bronze medallist, Kate Cullen, contests the women’s points race on a busy day for the track cycling team.
GYMNASTICS
In the artistic team competition, Jordon Lipton, Tori Simpson and Amy Regan gave a strong performance as they competed on the four pieces of apparatus, ranking 14th, 16th and 22nd retrospectively. All three gymnasts have qualified for the individual all round competition tomorrow, which starts at 1700hrs local time. Their performance also qualified them for the individual apparatus events, where Amy will perform on the floor, Tori on the beam and Jordon on the bars.
After just missing out on qualification for the individual all round event, first reserve Ryan McKee is back in the competition after a withdrawal. He will compete in the man’s individual all around competition tomorrow at 1330hrs local time.
HOCKEY
The men’s team have an early start with an 0830hrs match against reigning gold medallists and world number one, Australia. The women have a well earned rest day tomorrow after a 2-1 defeat to South Africa, Ali Bell the goal scorer for Scotland. Their third match is on Thursday against Trinidad and Tobago.
LAWN BOWLS
The pairs and triples competition continued in the lawn bowls. The midday matches saw the ladies triples beat New Zealand 2-0 and the men’s pairs overcoming Nuie by the same score. Both team then lost their second matches to Australia and Papua New Guinea respectively. The men’s triples picked themselves up from disappointment on day one and had a comfortable win over Brunei followed by another victory over Niue. Women’s pairs also defeated Brunei and ended the day with a 2-0 win against Swaziland.
Play continues for the triples and pairs teams tomorrow from 0900hrs local time.
SHOOTING
Jen McIntosh and Kay Copland took bronze in the 50m 3P Pairs at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range. The medal places came down to the last shot, with Kay needing a ten to secure Silver. She fired a nine though, which meant they finished on 1142-41x, just one point behind India.
Three of Scotland’s shooters are in action tomorrow at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range. Graham Rudd competes in the 10m Air Rifle competition while pistol shooters Alan Ritchie and Caroline Brownlie will feature in the 50m and 25m events respectively.
SQUASH
In the men’s singles consolation plate event, Lyall Paterson beat Ian Rukunya (Uganda) 11-2 11-4 11-2 whilst Chris Small received a walkover. In the women’s singles consolation plate Lisa Aitken beat Safina Madhani 11-1 11-4 11-1.
On Wednesday Paterson will now face Zambia’s Kelvin Ndhlovu at 1300hrs and Small will play Botswana’s Lekgotla Mosope at 1345hrs. Lisa Aitken steps on court against Jersey’s Kate Cadigan at 1745hrs.
TABLE TENNIS
Scotland’s men’s team gave a good account, but lost 3/0 against Nigeria, the top seed in the group. They compete against Kenya tomorrow at 0930hrs local time, which is a match they need to win if they are to be in the afternoon draw to determine the next round of matches.
Two teams progress from each group and the Scots have two wins from two matches with a further two matches left to play. They face Kenya at 0900hrs local time on Wednesday, a match in which the Scots are hot favourites, before taking on hosts and second seeds India at 1900hrs.
TENNIS
There was more success for Team Scotland’s tennis squad at the R.K. Khanna complex today, with three out of four matches going in favour of the Scots. In the men’s singles, both Jamie Murray and Colin Fleming progressed to the second round. Murray beat Rodney Carey of the Bahamas 6-2 7-5 on Centre Court whilst Fleming scored an excellent victory against Welshman Chris Lewis, coming back from a set down to win 5-7 7-5 6-1 in a 2 hours 20 minute match in blistering 35 degree heat. Mhairi Brown and Joss Rae also won a straightforward women’s doubles match against sisters Jacklyn and Tara Lambert (Bermuda) with a 6-2 6-1 score line, but Brown couldn’t follow that success in the mixed doubles later in the evening when she and Murray went out to the Australian top seeds Paul Hanley and Anastasia Rodionova 6-3 6-4.
On Wednesday Murray is back on Centre Court with Colin Fleming for what is sure to be a tough doubles tie against the second seeds and home favourites Somdev Devvarman and Rohan Bopanna in the final match of the evening at 1900hrs. Murray is also scheduled to play singles against fourth seed James Ward (England) at 1200hrs on court three. Play gets underway on court four at 1130hrs where Fleming will play the sixth seed Rubin Statham (New Zealand) in the second match of the session whilst Brown and Rae will play India’s fourth seeds Sania Mirza and Rushmi Chakravarthi at 1700hrs on court one.
Mhairi Brown wrote herself into the history books today when she stepped out onto the show court of the 5000 seat capacity R.K. Khanna complex in Delhi to become the first ever Scottish tennis player to compete at the full Commonwealth Games.
HRH The Earl of Wessex was in attendance to watch tennis make its Games debut and as Brown took to the court under the glare of the TV cameras to face Australian sixth seed Olivia Rogowska, the twenty eight year old from Edinburgh was cheered by the rest of the tennis squad as well as a contingent of the wrestling team who had come along to support their fellow Team Scotland athlete.
Speaking afterwards about the moment when she walked out onto the show court, Brown said: “It was exciting to be out on Centre Court and I’m glad I’ve experienced that. I played the Commonwealth Youth Games in Edinburgh 10 years ago but it’s totally different playing the full Commonwealth Games.
“It was a proud moment to be the first tennis player to walk out onto the court representing Scotland, especially on a show court and it’s an experience I’ll never forget.”
In Edinburgh in 2000, Brown was part of the girls team who beat Australia on the way to winning a silver medal at the inaugural Commonwealth Youth Games.
However, her full Commonwealth debut today was a less successful outing against Australian opposition as the doubles specialist experienced something of a baptism of fire, going out of the singles in a 6-2 6-1 defeat in scorching conditions on Centre Court.
Brown won the toss and elected to serve, but she struggled to cope with the heavy topspin of her opponent on the hard court and the Australian quickly took a 2-0 lead. Brown got on the score-board in the third game of the set courtesy of three powerful first serves, but Rogowska won the next three games to take a 5-1 lead before holding her serve at 5-2 to take the set.
The second set was a similar story as Rogowska, who described Brown as ‘having a tricky sliced backhand and being difficult to read’ stepped up a gear. Brown had no answer to the powerful shot making of Rogowska and the Australian went through in a 6-2 6-1 scoreline.
After the match, Brown, who came out of international retirement to qualify for the Commonwealth Games, said: “I didn’t play my best tennis but at least I made her play a lot of balls. To go out and compete against players who are playing full time tennis is tough, especially in singles.
“My opponent today was a good player. She played well, she’s a bit stronger than me and she hit the ball harder. She just played better than me today.
“But I have a style of game that will trouble a few people and I’m pretty strong mentally. I’m looking to make the experience I’ve just had work for me in the ladies’ and mixed doubles – I’m stronger in those events than in the singles.”
There was indeed better news for Brown and her mixed partner Jamie Murray in the evening session as they beat Ugandans Duncan Mugabe and Jalia Nanfuka to reach the quarter finals in the last match of the night under the floodlights on court three.
The Scots broke serve in the third game of the first set and from there they never looked back, taking the set 6-2 with only Mugabe holding serve for the Ugandans. Although the second set was closer Murray and Brown were never really troubled throughout and ran out 6-2 6-4 winners.
After the match Murray said: “It’s nice to win and get through to the next round. It wasn’t the most difficult match but it’s always good to get a win under your belt. I think we play the top seeds in the next round so that should be an interesting match.”
Brown continued: “It’s nice to get a win on the board and the atmosphere on the court was really good – we were the last match on so we had quite a lot of people watching us. We have the Aussies in the next round and I’m looking forward to that one.”
In the match immediately preceding Murray and Brown’s victory, their team mates Colin Fleming and Jocelyn Rae fought back from a set down to reach the quarters, beating Australia’s Matt Ebden and Sally Peers in a difficult first round tie against tricky opposition. The Scots twice had good chances to break serve early in the first set but somehow found themselves 4-1 down and struggling. From there the set went with serve and the Aussies took it 6-3.
In the first game of the second set the Scots found themselves 0-30 down on Fleming’s serve but crucially they came back to hold and from there began to take control. Despite putting Ebden under pressure in the next game the Scots weren’t able to break his serve, but they broke Peers’ in the fourth and eighth games of the set before Fleming served out to level the match at one set all.
In the final set the Aussies took the first game before Fleming held his serve in a tense game punctuated by numerous deuce points. Once again his hold proved to be crucial, signalling the start of a run of six games without reply for the Scots as they completed a 3-6 6-3 6-1 win.
Fleming said: “We had a bit of a slow start but we came back in the last two sets and I thought we were playing great tennis.”
Rae confirmed: “It took us a while to get into the match but we kept each other positive. We picked things up in the second and third sets and found our rhythm a bit more and now we’re just looking forward to our next match.
All of Team Scotland’s tennis squad will be in action tomorrow (Tuesday) in the men’s singles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles.
Everyone was expecting a packed stadium at tonight’s women’s match where Scotland face hosts India and many of those home fans were expecting a victory for their team. But Scotland came out firing and upset a team ranked ten places above them in the world with a 1-1 draw.
The crowds were considerably lacking in numbers but did their best to make up for it with their cheers and chants. Scotland’s support wasn’t far behind though and the flags of family and friends around the ground were a real support to the team.
People had barely settled into their seats when Scotland took the lead with a strike from Holly Cram in the fourth minute. A man-down after Cram was given a yellow card, India tried to counter attack, earning a penalty corner minutes later that came off the post. Aimiee Clark had to retire from the match with a hand injury but Scotland stayed calm and controlled the majority of first half play to stay ahead.
India upped the pace in the second half and capitalised on some Scottish errors to push into the circle and eventually got their reward in the 15th minute. Scotland kept pressing for the remainder of the match with end to end play that excited the spectators which included Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Shona Robison, Scotland’s Minister for Public Health and Sport.
Scotland’s scorer Cram reflected on the match saying, “It was great to score a goal tonight. We created lots of chances and we have lots to take forward into our next game.”
The Scottish Women’s Player of the Year in 2008 continued, “All credit to everyone behind the scenes in our team. We are definitely the fittest and fastest Scottish team I have been part of and our fitness will really tell towards the end of the competition.”
Coach Gordon Shepherd was delighted with his team. He told reporters after the match: “We’ve just drawn with a side that is ten places above us in the world and who were at the World Cup. I thought we played some brilliant hockey and fought right to the end.”
When asked about the small attendance he said, “The lack of crowd is disappointing but they still made a lot of noise and we just focused on our game. We have another massive game tomorrow and we’re still on track.”
There is not much time for recovery and reflection as the women are back on the pitch tomorrow evening against South Africa who defeated Trinidad & Tobago 12-0 earlier in the day. The men play their first match of the competition at 10am against Pakistan and they will be hoping to continue the strong start from the women.
Team Scotland’s archers took part in an official practice match today, with the team shooting on target and passing a formal equipment inspection.
Prior to the match, which took place at the Yamuna Sports Complex, the competition venue for archery, the team had a thorough examination of the bows, arrows and clothing by a Commonwealth Games technical official to ensure that the equipment met the world governing body, FITA, regulations.
Even the heat and humidity of the Delhi sun didn’t deter 28 year old compound archer, Tim Keppie, from exceeding his targets. He said, “We’ve been training here for nearly a week now and I’ve stayed focused on the competition and worked hard to acclimatise myself to the new environment.
“The match today couldn’t have gone better for me, I’ve peaked at the right time, and I feel I’m shooting better than I ever have done. I’m shooting beside people I have only ever read about in the past, which has been a huge confidence boost and I can’t wait to get started tomorrow.”
All ten archers, a mixture of compound and recurve disciplines, are now ready for the qualification round which takes place tomorrow (Monday 4 October): Recurve 1000-1200 hrs and Compound 1500-1700 hrs local time.
David Carry got Team Scotland’s swimmers off to a positive start in the Delhi pool, winning a bronze medal in a thrilling men’s 400m freestyle race in which the lead swung back and forth, before Canada’s Ryan Cochrane emerged in the final fifty metres to win the race and take Carry’s title.
Though he admitted to “a tinge of sadness” at not winning back-to-back gold, Carry said any disappointment was outweighed by his happiness at returning to the Games podium.
Carry made the early running, going out fast in the opening 100 metres to build a significant lead over opponents including Cochrane, Ryan Napoleon of Australia and England’s David Davies, with Scotland’s Robbie Renwick also in the mix.
“That was absolutely the plan,” said Carry of his explosive start. “I knew there were a couple of 1500m [specialists] a couple of lanes away, and I really needed to do something different just to shake up the race a bit, and hopefully panic those guys.
“I wanted to make them feel like they were swimming my race rather than theirs,” continued Carry, who, after his rapid start, faded slightly – he dropped to fifth after 300m – before an impressive late charge to claim the bronze.
“I didn’t have the legs to go with them initially, when they came back at me,” Carry explained, “and I felt a bit heavy in that middle, but I seemed to get something back towards the end.
“There is a tinge of sadness at giving my title away,” he added, “but not too much, because I’m back on that podium. I knew that after Beijing I had a lot of work to do, but I feel like I’m getting there. It’s really good to be on the podium.”
There was disappointment, though, for Renwick, who started steadily, and was fifth at quarter-distance, before he ate into the leaders’ advantage, taking the lead at 300m. Having looked as though he had timed his effort to perfection, he slipped to third before dropping out of the medals, finally placing sixth.
“I went out to win it,” said Renwick. “I didn’t go out to come second or third, but it turned out I had nothing left in the last fifty metres. In a way I’m proud of myself that I tried to win the race, and didn’t want to settle for anything but gold: it was an all or nothing effort. But I was so involved in the race that I didn’t think about my body enough, and I used up my reserves too early.
“Now I’ve got the 200, which I consider my main event, and I really want to bounce back for that.”
Another swimmer looking forward to her main event is Hannah Miley, who was fifth in the “splash and dash” 200m individual medley. “I’m a little bit disappointed I didn’t get in the medals, but I gave it everything I’ve got,” said Miley.
“I’m here for the 400m medley, so this was a stepping stone for me. The splash and dash of the 200 is too short for me. But on the first day I just wanted to get out there and swim.”
After Team Scotland’s two gold medals on the opening day of the 2006 Commonwealth Games – thanks to Carry and Caitlin McClatchey – Miley admitted that, this time, the team hadn’t been sure what to expect. “We’ve had some good performances from the younger swimmers, which is great,” she said.
“But the real positive thing is the team support when you stand up there and they call your name,” added Miley. “The loudest cheer is for the Scots, because we’re there to support each other, and the team spirit is great.”
McClatchey, who has had an illness-interrupted season, was in action in the morning’s heats, though she stumbled at the first hurdle in her defence of the 200m freestyle. “I’m really disappointed,” said McClatchey. “I knew it was going to take something quite fast to make the final. I really wanted to come here and defend my title, but I don’t think I had it in me today.
“I knew it was going to be hard here, because I haven’t been able to train consistently this year,” she continued. “I think I needed one swim to get into the meet; I’ve got more swims coming up over the next few days, which I want to focus on now.”
In the women’s 50m breaststroke, meanwhile, Kathryn Johnstone gave a fantastic performance to qualify for Tuesday’s final, while 17-year old Corrie Scott made it into the semi-final but narrowly missed a place in the final. “I can’t ask for more than that,” said Johnstone. “To make the semi-final was a definite aim, to make a final was a bonus. I felt more comfortable in qualifying, but I think I can change a few things for tomorrow night and hopefully go faster.”
The men’s relay squad of Carry, Renwick, Andy Hunter and Jak Scott was also looking forward, after placing fifth in the 4x100m freestyle. “We’ve got a really strong 4×200 team, so we’re looking forward to that on Wednesday,” said Renwick.
“I just can’t wait for the relay,” said Carry, who was in the squad narrowly pipped to gold in the same event four years ago. “I’m so excited about that.”