Scotland have won two medals in Commonwealth Games Squash to date and both came as the sport made its Games debut at Kuala Lumpur 1998. Four men and two women took to the court for Scotland at these first Games: Peter Nicol, Stuart Cowie, Martin Heath, David Heath, Claire Waddell and Senga Macfie.

In the Men’s Singles, Peter Nicol comfortably beat Graham Ryding of Canada, followed by England’s Mark Chaloner and Mark Johnson in the quarter- and semi-finals respectively to set up an intriguing  final against long-time rival, Canada’s Jonathan Power. The final did not disappoint, proving to be a thrilling five game epic. It was Power who scored first blood, taking the opening game 9-2, before Nicol hit back to win the next two games. Power took the fourth to level the score but Nicol prevailed in the fifth, taking it 9-2 to become the first ever Commonwealth Games Men’s Singles champion.

Following Nicol’s Singles triumph, he partnered Stuart Cowie to bronze in the Men’s Doubles, losing only to eventual winners England, for Scotland’s second Squash medal of the Games. It was another victory over Canada and Jonathan Power as the Scots dominated their quarter-final match 15-3, 15-7 over Power and his partner Graham Ryding. The Scottish pairing pushed the English duo of Johnson and Chaloner close in the semi-finals but could not quite find enough to make the gold medal match and had to settle for bronze.

Nicol went on to win a further three gold and one silver at the Commonwealth Games for England, including Singles gold at Melbourne 2006, after switching allegiance before the Manchester 2002 Games.

While gold and bronze from Kuala Lumpur 1998 remain Scotland’s only Commonwealth Games medals to date, they have not been far from the podium in subsequent Games. With three agonisingly close 4th place finishes in Men’s Doubles at the last three outings, Scotland will be looking to Birmingham 2022 to put Scottish Squash back on the podium at the Commonwealth Games.

The European Team Championships were a happy hunting ground for Scotland’s squash players as the men’s team beat top seeds and defending champions France to claim a podium place and the women scored a huge upset to finish 4^th, their best placing since 2005.

Scotland excelled, over four intense days of action at the Edgbaston Priory Club in Birmingham, with several notable wins over higher ranked opposition.

Greg Lobban’s superb five game win over world number 16 Gregoire Marche and Alan Clyne’s devastatingly clinical dispatch of Lucas Serme (WR41) in three, paved the way to victory over France in the bronze medal match.

22 year old Rory Stewart, ranked 153 in the world, was instrumental in the team’s success, pulling off sensational victories over two French players ranked inside the world top 100. He took a five game thriller against Baptiste Masotti (WR61) in the group stages and followed up with a win over Victor Crouin (WR73) in the bronze medal match. Scotland debutant Angus Gillams gave the men’s squad added depth and pulled off an important five game win over Germany’s Yannik Omlor in the opening group match to set the team up for a shot at the medals.

While the men replicated their medal success of 2016, it was the women who sprung the biggest surprise on their opposition. Promoted into the top division just last year and bottom ranked of the eight teams, they played superbly to qualify out of their group and make the semi-finals for the first time in 14 years.

The team were led by Scottish No. 1 Lisa Aitken, who played great squash against opposition ranked inside the top 10 in the world and scored a significant victory over world number 32 Milou van der Heijden in Scotland’s vital group-stage win over the Netherlands.

The rest of the young squad also stepped up to the plate with teenager Georgia Adderley stunning world number 46 Melissa Alves in the semi-finals, winning 11-7, 9-11, 11-9, 2-11, 13-11 against the French player. She also scored a win over Holland’s Tessa ter Sluis (WR75) 11-8, 13-11, 10-12, 11-9 in the group stages, while Alison Thomson’s victory over Welsh player Elin Harlow proved significant in the push for the semi-finals.

Scottish Squash National Coach Paul Bell was full of praise for his players:

“Every one of the players performed unbelievably well,” he said.

“In the past we have got really close and just fallen short at the final hurdle. This week seemed to be different and we have done a lot of work on the mental side of the game. The work paid off because every single time we have been in a tough situation we have managed to get over the line which has been the best thing from my point of view.

“We have always had the ability and talent to compete with these players. It’s one thing to compete with them but it’s a completely different thing to beat them. We feel the players are better than the world rankings suggest but you have got to get the results to prove it and this week they have certainly shown that.”

“The players came into this event with a completely different mindset and I think that’s a by-product of all of the work we do on a day-to-day basis. You instil that belief they belong on this stage and they weren’t scared to make things happen. All credit to them because they got their just rewards this week.”

Team Scotland’s Sport Focus on Squash has an action packed start as Scotland’s top players line up at the European Team Championships which begin today in Birmingham.

Having secured promotion to the top division last year, the Scottish women’s team begin their campaign with a tough match against top seeds and eight-time defending champions England. Leading the team as Scotland’s No. 1 is Lisa Aitken who is in the form of her life with numerous wins on the PSA World Tour, including her first victory in a $10k event in Delaware in January. She is joined by a trio of young players: Alison Thomson, who made her Commonwealth Games debut last year in Gold Coast; reigning British Junior champion Georgia Adderley and Scottish Universities champion Katriona Allen.

Scotland’s men’s team of Greg Lobban, Alan Clyne, Angus Gillams, Rory Stewart, Stuart George and Chris Leiper also have a tricky opening match as they face long-time rivals Germany in what could prove to be a decisive result in reaching the semi-finals and medal play-offs. Germany have won bronze in five of the last seven European Team Championships, with Scotland defeating them in 2016 to win their first European Team medal for 13 years. With top seeds and defending champions France also in Pool A, Scotland will have to be at their best to replicate their medal winning feat.

You can follow the progress of both men’s and women’s teams on Scottish Squash’s Twitter, Facebook and Instagram channels.

As part of our ‘Celebrating Our Past, Building Our Future’ theme, each month Team Scotland are putting one or two sports in the Sport Focus spotlight, featuring all 25 sports in which Scotland has competed in the Commonwealth Games.

Look out for all things Squash on Team Scotland’s website and social channels this month as the sport shares the spotlight with Hockey. Join us as we delve into the archives for tales of past success and also look ahead to the rising stars of the sport in Scotland.

Squash at the Commonwealth Games

Squash first appeared on the Commonwealth Games programme at Kuala Lumpur 1998 and, as a core sport, has appeared at each Games since. Australia top the all-time medal table with 11 gold medals and have won every discipline on the programme at least once with the exception of the Men’s Singles event.

Scotland have won two Squash medals to date, both coming at the 1998 Games. At these first Games for Squash, Scotland was represented by Peter Nicol, Stuart Cowie, Martin Heath, David Heath, Claire Waddell and Senga Macfie, with Nicol winning the Men’s Singles title, coming back from a game down to beat Jonathon Power of Canada in the final. He then teamed up with Cowie to take bronze in the Men’s Doubles.

While these remain Scotland’s only Commonwealth Games medals to date, there have been several near misses, including three fourth place finishes in a row for Alan Clyne in the Men’s Doubles, first with Harry Leitch in 2010 and 2014 and then with Greg Lobban in 2018. Leading into the Gold Coast Games Clyne and Lobban had medal success at the World Doubles Championships, winning gold in 2016 and silver in 2017.

Find out more about Squash in the Commonwealth Games on our dedicated Squash page.

Scotland at the Commonwealth Games

The Commonwealth Games is the only occasion where Scotland gets to compete in a multi-sport event as a nation in its own right and is one of only six countries to have competed in every Commonwealth Games since their inception in Hamilton in 1930. Represented by 15 athletes participating in six sports at those first Games, winning a very creditable 10 medals, Scotland have gone on to win medals at every Games since.

Edinburgh became the first city to hold the Games twice in 1970 and 1986 and also became the first city to host the Commonwealth Youth Games.

Scotland hosted the Games for a third time when Glasgow welcomed athletes and officials to the XXth Commonwealth Games which was held from 23rd July – 3rd August 2014. Team Scotland celebrated their most successful Games in history, winning a total of 53 medals and went on to record their highest overseas medal tally ever at Gold Coast 2018.

Find out more about the Commonwealth Games and Team Scotland’s past success in our Past Games section.

Team Scotland has a proud history in Aquatics at the Commonwealth Games with our swimmers and divers winning medals at every Games with the exception of 1978 and 1990. To round off our Sport Focus, here are 12 things you might not know about Aquatics at the Commonwealth Games:

1. Aquatics is Scotland’s most successful Commonwealth Games sport with an all-time medal total of 94 ahead of Athletics on 75 and Boxing on 65. This places Scotland 5^th on the all-time Commonwealth Games Aquatics medal table behind Australia, Canada, England and South Africa.

2. Swimming is a core sport in the Commonwealth Games, meaning it must be included on the sports programme, while Diving, Synchronised Swimming and Open Water Swimming are optional sports. Despite Diving being an optional sport, it has been included, along with Swimming, at every Games since they began in 1930.

3. Peter Heatly is Scotland’s most successful Commonwealth Games athlete in Aquatics with three gold, one silver and one bronze in Diving, won between 1950 and 1958. Grace Reid is Scotland’s only female Diving medallist to date with gold at Gold Coast 2018.

4. Scotland’s most successful Commonwealth Games swimmer is Elenor Gordon with three gold and one bronze medal won at the Auckland 1950 and Vancouver 1954 Games. David Carry is Scotland’s top male swimmer with two gold, two silver and one bronze won at Melbourne 2006 and Delhi 2010.

5. Gold Coast 2018 saw Duncan Scott become the most decorated Scottish athlete at a single Games as he claimed one gold, one silver and four bronze at the Gold Coast Aquatics Centre. His gold in the 100m Freestyle was Scotland’s first ever in this event.

6. Also at Gold Coast 2018, James Heatly won 1m Springboard bronze, Scotland’s first diving medal since his grandfather in 1958. Grace Reid then won gold in the same event for Scotland’s first diving gold for 60 years and a first ever medal in the women’s diving events.

7. Aquatics can claim Team Scotland’s youngest ever Commonwealth Games medallist with 13 year old Erraid Davies taking bronze in the Para-Sport SB9 100m Breaststroke at Glasgow 2014.

8. Synchronised Swimming has been included in the Commonwealth Games on seven occasions with Canada the top nation, winning all 15 gold medals contested. Scotland’s Lauren Smith won bronze at Delhi 2010 in the solo event.

9. 18 year old Scott McLay became Scotland’s most successful Commonwealth Youth Games athlete in history, winning three gold, one silver and one bronze at Bahamas 2017. He has made an immediate step up into the senior team, winning bronze in the 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay at Gold Coast 2018.

10. Edinburgh’s Royal Commonwealth Pool is the only venue ever to be used at three Commonwealth Games (1970, 1986 and 2014). It also hosted the Swimming events at the 2000 Commonwealth Youth Games.

11. The Butterfly stroke used to be considered only a legitimate variation of Breaststroke. At Sydney 1938, English swimmer John G Davies won the 220 yards Breaststroke event and broke the existing record by using what was later to become known as the Butterfly with the result that the record established by Davies was to stand until 1958.

12. The Edinburgh 1970 Games were the first to be measured in metres rather than yards. David Wilkie was Scotland’s only Aquatics medallist with bronze in the 200m Breaststroke. He went on to win two gold and a silver four years later in Christchurch and Olympic gold and silver at the Montreal 1976 Games.

Find out more about the sport in the Commonwealth Games on our dedicated Aquatics page and look out for our next sport focus as we profile each of the 25 sports to have participated since the Games began in 1930.

As part of Team Scotland’s sport focus on Aquatics, the University of Stirling’s Richard Haynes dips into the Commonwealth Games Scotland archives for the story behind Scotland’s most successful Commonwealth Games diver and his journey to his first gold medal at the Auckland 1950 Games:

Sir Peter Heatly is one of Team Scotland’s most successful Commonwealth competitors, winning gold medals for Diving in three consecutive Games in Auckland (1950), Vancouver (1954) and Cardiff (1958) as well as bronze and silver medals. His story in sport is captured in his personal archives given by his family to the University of Stirling archives following his death in 2015. His early years in Diving and the journey to his first British Empire Games gold medal in Auckland 1950 is captured within his scrapbooks and photograph albums, which provide a fascinating insight in to one of Scotland’s all-time great Commonwealth Games champions and administrators.

Born in to a prodigious Swimming family in Leith in June 1924, Heatly seemed destined for success in the pool from an early age. He was inspired to pursue Diving after being taken by his father to see an exhibition by the 1928 Olympic diving champion, American Pete Desjardins, at The Pond in Port Seton. Inspired by what he saw, he joined Leith Swimming Club, then subsequently Portobello Swimming Club, and dived at Portobello Open Air Pool, which had opened in 1936 at a cost of £80,000, at that time the largest pool in Europe. The lido included a ten-metre diving platform and Heatly soon displayed his talent for the sport, winning the Eastern Counties diving championship in 1937, aged just 12. He would hold this title for three consecutive years until the competition was suspended at the outbreak of war. He was also a talented swimmer, between 1943 and 1948 he won every Scottish Free-style championship from 50 to 880 yards and set Scottish records from 440 to 1000 yards, which led the Edinburgh Evening Times to proclaim: ‘For his age Heatly is, perhaps, the best all-round swimmer in Scotland, if not Britain’.

In the 1930s Diving was a relatively new sport in Scotland. With little coaching available Heatly was self-taught, according to another report in the Edinburgh Evening Times learning ‘his dives from a book by photographing in his mind like a cine-camera record, consecutive pictures and descriptions of each highboard dive’. His diving came to wider public notoriety when he won his first Scottish diving titles for ‘graceful diving’ and Springboard in 1946, titles he kept for twelve successive years. In 1947 Heatly impressed at the Amateur Swimming Association event in New Brighton beating the then British Springboard champion Charles Johnson, and was soon invited to train with other British divers in Portsmouth, going on to compete internationally in Monte Carlo and Holland. Heatly won the British Springboard title in 1948 ahead of representing Britain in Springboard and Highboard competitions at the 1948 Olympic Games in London.

Prior to selection for the Scotland team for the Auckland Games announced in autumn 1949, Heatly had maintained his British titles in the Highboard, the 3m Springboard, and the 1m board Pete Desjardens trophy. He therefore left for New Zealand in ebullient mood. An eighteen-strong Scotland team – accompanied by team manager Colonel Dougie Usher and his wife acting as female chaperone – left the port of Southampton on 16^th December 1949. Travelling in the S.S. Tamaroa, on the Shaw Saville and Albion Line, it was a five-week journey to Auckland, stopping off to refuel in the port of Willemstad on Dutch Caribbean island of Curaçao, before travelling through the Panama Canal on Christmas Day, with another stopover in Panama City, before heading south across the Pacific to New Zealand.

Heatly’s photograph album of the journey provides amazing snapshots of the Scotland and other British teams on board the steamship, including the 18×12 feet ‘swimming pool’ made from wooden planks and tarpaulin for the swimmers to practice their leg kicks and turns, but little else. Scotland had sent three female swimmers – Margaret Girvan, Elizabeth Turner and 16-year-old Helen Orr ‘Eleanor’ Gordon who went on to win gold in the 220 yards Breaststroke – as well as Albert Kinnear who, as a P.E. instructor, ran physical training classes on the deck to keep the team in good shape. Kinnear would capture a bronze medal in the 110 yards Backstroke. Heatly himself used a steel girder on which to hang and practice his diving tucks and maintain his upper-body strength, but it would not be until the short stopovers in Curaçao and Panama that he could practice his diving effectively.

5000 local residents welcomed the Scotland team as they arrived at the port in Auckland, and as the team stepped off the gangway they were greeted by a dozen Māori women performing a Haka. As the team travelled to the Athletes Camp in Ardmore, situated 23 miles outside Auckland, they received further welcome on crowded streets from New Zealanders including a Caledonian pipe band keen to extend their hospitality to what they still considered the ‘home’ British nations. In 1950 more than 60% of immigrants to New Zealand were British, a high percentage of them Scots. Indeed, boxing coach Ken Shaw, a former Scottish heavyweight champion, used the opportunity of travelling to New Zealand to emigrate to the country.

Heatly trained twice a day at the Newmarket Pool in Auckland, which accommodated 5000 spectators in its open-air arena. The official report of the Games recalls the divers ‘trained from six to eight hours daily, undeterred by sunburn, cracked lips and peeling noses.’ However, in his report to the Scottish National Sports Federation, the forerunner to Commonwealth Games Scotland, Heatly noted the depth of the pool designated to diving didn’t quite reach international standards. ‘Consequently’, he wrote, ‘in executing certain dives, the point of entry into the water is made at places where the depth is below the limits of safety.’ Regardless, Heatly’s diving from the highboard, against his main rival George Athans of Canada, was imperious and he comfortably won the gold medal with a combined score of 156.07. In the 3m Springboard the tables were turned as Heatly flunked his final dive to enable the Canadian victory by 0.41 points, the smallest of margins.

The hosts New Zealand had entered five divers in to the men and women’s competitions ‘all capable of executing dives of the standard required for international competition’. Heatly lamented the state of Scottish diving which at this time persisted with the concept of ‘Graceful Diving’, unfashionable internationally, and concluded: ‘Until such time as these events are erased from the list of Scottish Championships, Diving in Scotland will continue to remain in its primitive state.’

Sir Peter did more than anyone to modernise Diving in Scotland, going on to compete in two further Commonwealth Games as well as the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. He subsequently became Team Manager in the 1960s and was integral to the delivery of the first Commonwealth Games held in Scotland in 1970, employing his knowledge of pool engineering to assist the design of the Edinburgh Commonwealth Pool. The pinnacle of his administrative career in sport came as Chairman of the Commonwealth Games Federation between 1982 to 1990. In his albums, scrapbooks and assorted collection of official Team Scotland blazers, ties and ephemera, Heatly has left a remarkable archival legacy of Scotland’s participation in the Games. The family heritage in aquatic competition was passed on to his grandson, James Heatly, who dived for Scotland in the 2014 and 2018 Games. James’s bronze in the 1m Springboard in Gold Coast was Scotland’s first Diving medal since his grandfather 60 years previously.

Gold in the 200m Freestyle for Duncan Scott on the final evening of action rounded out a hugely successful British Swimming Championships for Scottish swimmers after six days of intense competition for titles and major championship places at Glasgow’s Tollcross International Swimming Centre.

Scott made it five medals, and a hat-trick of titles, having taken gold in British record time in the 100m Freestyle and 200m Individual Medley gold in a new Scottish record, just 0.01 away from the British record, earlier in the week.

His two silver medals came in the 100m and 200m Butterfly, both behind 2015 World Champion James Guy, setting a new Scottish record in the 100m event.

Finishing second behind Scott in the 100m Freestyle was rising star Scott McLay, five-time Commonwealth Youth Games medallist in 2017. It marked a significant step into the senior ranks for the 19 year old University of Stirling athlete and he was followed closely home by fellow Scots Jack Thorpe in 4th and Craig McLean in 5th. McLay also put in a stellar performance in the 50m Butterfly to finish 4th and break Todd Cooper’s Scottish record, set at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

Ross Murdoch was also on form, winning two silver and one bronze in the Breaststroke events. A tremendous race with James Wilby in the 200m Breaststroke saw the Englishman just touch home ahead but Murdoch joined him in dipping below 2mins 8 seconds, the first time two British swimmers have ever achieved this landmark in the same championship. Murdoch’s time of 2.07.96 was also a World Championships qualifying standard.

Craig Benson was also right to the fore in that 200m Breaststroke, sitting in second ahead of Murdoch for much of the race. Murdoch’s strength told over the final stages as Benson took his second bronze medal of the championships, having finished in the podium in the 50m Breaststroke earlier in the week. With a qualifying time for the World University Games in the bag, Benson will be looking for a spot on the plane to Italy later this summer.

There were silver medals for Mark Szaranek in the 400m Individual Medley and Craig McNally in the 200m Backstroke. Returning from knee surgery, Kathleen Dawson took 100m Backstroke bronze on the second day of the championships, just ahead of fellow Scot Cassie Wild in 4th. The positions were reversed in the 50m event, with Wild taking bronze. There were encouraging signs too for Hannah Miley, as bronze in the 400m Individual Medley marked her return to this level following ankle surgery.

Competing alongside the senior swimmers, Scotland’s next generation were also making waves. Fourteen year old Katie Shanahan was the youngest swimmer to qualify for the Open 400m Individual Medley final, and she looked right at home, finishing 5th and breaking Hannah Miley’s Scottish Junior record in the process. Another outstanding performance in the 200m event saw her break the British Age 14 record as she won gold in the Transition final.

Also in record-breaking form was Warrender’s Katie Goodburn, setting new Scottish Junior record figures in the 50m Breaststroke while Archie Goodburn and Charlie Hutchison both set multiple qualifying marks for the World and European Junior Championships.

With the championships doubling as a selection event for the World Championships in South Korea, as well as the World University Games, World Junior Championships, European Youth Olympics and European Junior Championships, swimmers will now await team announcements in the coming days.

Planning for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies and the wider cultural programme has taken an important step forward with the appointment of Martin Green CBE as Chief Creative Officer.

A large part of each Games’ unique personality, the cultural programme is hugely important to the experience of athletes and spectators alike. Alongside responsibility for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, Green will also oversee the Queen’s Baton Relay (part of which will pass through Scotland) the Team Welcome Ceremonies (performed when each competing nation and territory arrives at the Athletes’ Village), how the sports are presented and showcased in venues, medal ceremonies and spectator entertainment.

The Birmingham 2022 Organising Committee made the announcement one year on from Gold Coast 2018’s Closing Ceremony which incorporated Birmingham’s spectacular handover segment, produced by Green and performed live in Birmingham’s Victoria Square.

Head of Ceremonies for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, recruiting and leading the team of 500 people that successfully delivered the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, the torch relays and victory ceremonies, Green has a wealth of experience working on global sporting events.

He will take up his new role before the end of month and said: “Ever since working on last year’s ‘Go the Distance’ handover celebration, part of the Gold Coast 2018 Closing Ceremony, I knew I just had to be involved in the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. I was blown away by the local performers who took part, as they were so talented and enthusiastic and I loved the way that the people in Birmingham and the region embraced the handover event.

“I can’t wait to get started and I’m delighted that I’ll be working with organisations from across Birmingham and the West Midlands once again. This region is overflowing with talented, creative people and I want to get their input and ideas, to ensure that the ceremonies and culture programme are dynamic, uniquely Birmingham and truly memorable.”

John Crabtree, Chairman of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee, welcomed Green’s appointment and said: “We are absolutely thrilled that Martin has joined our team and I am delighted that someone with such relevant experience will be helping us deliver the biggest sport and cultural event ever to be staged in this region. There was a strong vision in Birmingham’s bid and so an inspirational leader is needed to bring that vision to life and Martin definitely fits that description.

“Martin’s experience on the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games made him the perfect candidate for this role on Birmingham 2022 and we were also impressed with the hugely successful handover event that Martin directed for Birmingham last year as, in just a few weeks, he orchestrated such a bold and brave live performance. I can’t wait to see what he will create for us over the next three years.”

The Birmingham 2022 Opening and Closing Ceremonies will take place at the Alexander Stadium, which is in line for a £70 million upgrade to increase seating capacity from 12,700 to 40,000 for the Games. The revamped venue, which is already used for Diamond League athletics events, will have new community sports facilities, a permanent warm-up track and a new conference meeting space. A permanent seating capacity of 20,000 will be retained for future events.

Team Scotland Gold Coast 2018 medallists and rising stars are aiming for medals and major championships places as the British Swimming Championship kick off in today (Tuesday 16 April) at Glasgow’s Tollcross International Swimming Centre. The venue for Glasgow 2014 and last summer’s European Championships, Tollcross plays host to six days of intense competition, with Scottish swimmers set to be right in the mix.

The opening day of action will see local heroes Ross Murdoch and Craig Benson set their sights on a podium place in the Men’s 100m Breaststroke, battling it out with world record holder Adam Peaty and European silver medallist James Wilby in a strong field.

Day one also includes the Women’s 400m Individual Medley, where Hannah Miley will go head to head with Aimee Wilmott in a rematch between the Gold Coast 2018 gold and silver medallists. With Wilmott just getting the touch for gold to deny Miley a third straight Commonwealth title, the latter will be looking to be back at her best following ankle surgery at the end of last summer.

Many of Scotland’s Gold Coast 2018 stars are in action with names such as Stephen Milne in the Men’s 400m Freestyle, Lucy Hope in the Women’s 200m Freestyle and Craig McNally in the Men’s 50m Backstroke in action on the first day.

After an outstanding 2018 which saw him win six medals at Gold Coast 2018, becoming Scotland’s most decorated athlete at a single Commonwealth Games, as well as three gold and one silver medal at the European Championships, Duncan Scott is back to fight for national honours and, crucially, a place at July’s World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea.  The end of a packed programme will see him go head to head with 2015 World Champion James Guy in the Men’s 200m Freestyle on the final day of competition.

With the Championships doubling up as a selection meet for the World Championships in Gwangju as well as the European Juniors, European Youth Olympic Festival, World Juniors and World University Games, there is a lot of stake across all age groups and Scotland’s rising stars will look to make their mark alongside the established names.

A limited number of tickets are still available on the door at the venue but if you can’t make it along to Tollcross you can follow all the action on the live stream or live results.

As Scotland’s most successful Commonwealth Games sport, with 94 medals won in Swimming, Synchronised Swimming and Diving, choosing just five ‘top’ Games is a hard task. From the highest number of medals won to outstanding individual performances, here are just some of the highlights from nearly 90 years of Team Scotland participation in the pool.

Melbourne 2006 – Gold Rush and Highest Medal Tally

The Melbourne Sports & Aquatics Centre was the magnificent backdrop for the historic performances that unfolded in the pool. With an amazing double gold triumph on the first night from Caitlin McClatchey and David Carry, the swimmers grew in confidence to take on the Aussies in their home pool.

Winning 12 medals – 6 gold, 3 silver and 3 bronze – Swimming became Scotland’s most successful sport in Commonwealth Games history, a title held until Judo’s 13-medal haul at Glasgow 2014. A superb overall team effort with 11 swimmers winning medals, their success was built on the performances of their three double gold medallists, Caitlin McClatchey, David Carry and Gregor Tait. With a further two bronze medals to his tally Gregor was the Scottish swimmer of the meet and the top Scot of the Games.

Kirsty Balfour was a double medallist, following up silver in the 200m Breaststroke with bronze in the 100m event, while Euan Dale also stepped onto the podium twice with silver in both the 400m Individual Medley and as part of the 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay alongside David Carry, Andy Hunter and Robbie Renwick.

Glasgow 2014 – Home Games Success

The action at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre got underway on day one of the Games and, from the outset, Scotland’s swimmers were on top form and added to the team’s early gold rush. First up, Hannah Miley retained her title as Commonwealth Games champion in the 400m Individual Medley, an impressive feat and the only Scottish athlete to do so in any sport. She added a bronze in the 200m Individual Medley later in the week. Within minutes of Miley collecting her gold, there was the first surprise of the night when 20 year old Ross Murdoch beat hometown favourite and fellow Scot, Michael Jamieson into second place in the 200m Breaststroke in a new Games record. The expression on Ross’s face said it all! Murdoch went on two days later to collect a bronze in the 100m Breaststroke to confirm his arrival on the world stage.

A third gold in the pool came from Dan Wallace on day two in the men’s 400m Individual Medley and he went on to pick up a further two silver medals in the 200m Individual Medley and as part of the men’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay team, to finish as the top Scottish swimmer of the Games.

But the darling of the pool was Shetland’s Erraid Davies, who at 13 years old was Team Scotland’s youngest ever team member and now medallist, winning bronze in the Para-Sport SB9 100m Breaststroke. Erraid’s beaming smile was a Games highlight that trended worldwide on Twitter and will be remembered for many years to come.

Other Swimming medallists included Corrie Scott in the women’s 50m Breaststroke and the Men’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay team of Stephen Milne, Robbie Renwick, Duncan Scott & Dan Wallace, with Jak Scott, Gareth Mills, Cameron Brodie & Craig Hamilton ensuring the team cruised through the heats. This was the third successive Games where Scotland has taken silver in this event. Swimming won a total of 10 medals: 3 gold, 3 silver and 4 bronze to take Aquatics’ overall Commonwealth Games medal tally to an impressive 83 (including 23 gold), more than any other Scottish sport at the Games.

Over in Edinburgh at the Royal Commonwealth Pool, Scotland’s two divers Grace Reid and James Heatly acquitted themselves well, both setting new personal bests in the heats and finals of the 1m and 3m Springboard events.

Vancouver 1954 – Making Up More Than Half the Medal Tally

Aquatics won seven medals in Vancouver including three gold. Impressively this was more than half of the Scottish team’s total of 13 medals across all sports.

Elenor Gordon successfully defended her 220yds Breaststroke title having first won gold four years previously in Auckland. She won in a new Games record time of 2 minutes 59.2 seconds. Peter Heatly had victories with a gold in the 3m Springboard and a bronze in the 10m Platform to add to the gold and silver he had won in 1950. But the glory of the Games for Scotland was the triumph of the Women’s 3x 110 yards Medley Relay team. Elenor Gordon, Margaret Girvan and Margaret McDowall won in a new Games record time of 3 mins 51 secs to upset the traditional order. Victory against the swimming might of Australia, New Zealand, Canada and England had seemed too much to hope for.

There was a further medal for Margaret Girvan as she took bronze in the 440 yards Freestyle, while John Wardrop was also a double medallist with silver in the 440 yards Freestyle before teaming up with twin brother Robert and John Service to win bronze in the 330 yards Medley Relay.

Christchurch 1974 – Double Gold for Wilkie

David Wilkie won two gold & a silver in Christchurch, a tally not bettered by a swimmer until Gregor Tait in 2006. Two years later Wilkie would go on to win Olympic gold in World Record time, a record that remained unbroken for six years. He would go on to become the only swimmer ever to hold British, American, European, Commonwealth, World and Olympic titles at the same time.

Kim Wickham and Sandra Dickie were the other individual medallists in Christchurch, Wickham winning silver in the 100m Butterfly and Dickie bronze in the 100m Breaststroke, with both also part of the medal winning Medley Relay.

Television viewers could watch all the Swimming action unfold in colour for the first time, one of three sports (the others Athletics and Boxing) to be broadcast in colour as the Games marked the introduction of colour television to New Zealand.

Hamilton 1930 – Swimmers Shine at First Commonwealth Games

Aquatics was one of only six sports contested in Hamilton and the only sport open to women at those first Games. There was no gold in the pool for Scotland, but the team did manage to collect two silver and three bronze medals from just five swimmers.

Twice Olympic silver medallist and World record holder, Ellen King was the star of the pool for Scotland with one silver and two bronze medals. She took second in the 100 yards Freestyle, bronze in the 200 yards Breaststroke and her third medal as part of the bronze medal winning 4 x 100 yards Freestyle Relay. Cissie Stewart, also part of that Relay team, took bronze in the 400 yards Freestyle, while Scotland’s only male swimmer at these Games, William Francis, took silver in the 100 yards Backstroke.

Training on the long sea voyage to Canada was to prove difficult. The ship did not have a swimming pool but the captain ordered a huge tarpaulin to be swung between two booms on the deck and filled with sea water. It gave the swimmers about 20 feet of length in which to practise. Also popular was the punch ball brought by a member of the athletics team. Ellen King was particularly enthusiastic and was presented with her own punch ball by her team mates at the end of the journey!

Team Scotland’s most successful Commonwealth Games sport, Aquatics is next up in our ‘Celebrating Our Past, Building Our Future’ Sport Focus, which features all 25 sports in which Scotland has competed at the Commonwealth Games.

Look out for everything Aquatics related on our website and social media channels in the coming month as we follow Scotland’s swimmers and divers from their first appearance in 1930, to contributing the most medals to Team Scotland’s record breaking medal tally exactly one year ago at Gold Coast 2018.

Aquatics at the Commonwealth Games

One of the six sports included in the first Commonwealth Games in 1930, Aquatics includes both Swimming and Diving, with both being contested at every Games to date. Edinburgh’s Royal Commonwealth Pool, built for the 1970 Games is the only sporting venue in the world to be used at three Commonwealth Games, hosting both Swimming and Diving events at both Edinburgh 1970 and Edinburgh 1986 as well as the Diving events at Glasgow 2014.

With 94 medals: 25 gold, 32 silver and 37 bronze, Aquatics leads Athletics and Boxing as Scotland’s most successful sport at the Commonwealth Games. While Australia dominate in Swimming and are a close second behind Canada in Diving, Scotland sit 4th on the all-time medal table for Diving and 5th for Swimming, having won medals at every Games with the exception of Edmonton 1978 and Auckland 1990.

Diver Sir Peter Heatly holds the prestigious position of being Aquatics’ most successful athlete, winning three gold, one silver and one bronze for Scotland over three Commonwealth Games. His grandson, James Heatly, was the first Scot to win a Diving medal in since his grandfather 60 years previously. At Gold Coast 2018, Duncan Scott became the most successful athlete in history at a single Games as he took six medals, including gold in the 100m Freestyle.

Sean Fraser was Scotland’s first Para-Swimming medallist with silver in the S8 100m Freestyle at Delhi 2010, after para-sport events were first included at the Manchester 2002 Games. Lauren Smith remains Scotland’s only Synchronised Swimming medallist to date with bronze in the Solo event, also at Delhi 2010.

Find out more about Aquatics in the Commonwealth Games, including the competition format, rules and equipment on our dedicated Aquatics page.

Scotland’s Commonwealth Champions

While Scotland’s swimmers won five medals at the inaugural Games in 1930, a gold medal proved elusive. Scotland’s first Commonwealth champion in the pool came in 1934, quickly followed by the second, as William Francis and Norman Hamilton won gold in the 100 yards and 200 yards Backstroke respectively. No gold in 1938 and the cancellation of the 1942 and 1946 Games due to World War II meant it was 1950 before a Scot returned to the top step of the podium. Those Auckland Games gave Scotland its first female Swimming champion in Elenor Gordon and first Diving title courtesy of Peter Heatly and both would go on to win a further two gold medals. At the 1954 Games, Elenor defended her 220 yards Breaststroke title and took Medley Relay victory alongside Margaret Girvan and Margaret McDowall, while Peter missed out in the defence of his 10m Platform title, taking bronze, but won 3m Springboard gold instead. In 1958 he recaptured his 10m Platform crown to complete his Commonwealth Games haul, Ian Black Scotland’s other gold medallist in the pool at those Games with victory in the 220 yards Butterfly.

Gold medals proved hard to come by in the following decades with David Wilkie’s 200m Breaststroke and 200m IM double in 1974 the only … until Alison Sheppard took 50m Freestyle gold in 2002 to kick start a run of Scottish victories over subsequent Games. Since then there has been a Scot on the top step of the podium at every Games, Melbourne 2006 being the most successful Games in history for Aquatics as David Carry, Gregor Tait and Caitlin McClatchey all took double gold. Robbie Renwick took the 200m Freestyle title at Delhi 2010, where Hannah Miley won the first of her two 400m IM titles, going on to defend at Glasgow 2014 and narrowly miss out on a third in Gold Coast, taking silver. The Glasgow 2014 Games gave us memorable wins for Dan Wallace and Ross Murdoch, while at Gold Coast 2018 Duncan Scott became the first Scot to take 100m Freestyle gold and Grace Reid won Scotland’s first Diving gold for 60 years and a first medal of any colour in the women’s events.

Team Scotland Aquatics Gold Medallists

Click here for a full list of Team Scotland’s Aquatics medallists

Youth Games Success

At the Commonwealth Youth Games, just as in the main Games, Swimming is a core sport while Diving is optional, with the latter yet to be included at a Youth Games. Swimming is Scotland’s most successful sport at the Youth Games, with an impressive record of 75 medals over six Games and at least one gold at every Games since 2004.

Many swimmers, including Hannah Miley, Robbie Renwick, Andrew Hunter, Todd Cooper, Lewis Smith and Kirsty Balfour competed in the Youth Games before going on to compete and win medals for Team Scotland in the Commonwealth Games. Craig Benson held the title of Scotland’s most successful Youth Games athlete of all-time with four medals at the 2011 Isle of Man Youth Games until his tally was surpassed by Scott McLay with five medals at Bahamas 2017, including three gold.

Scotland at the Commonwealth Games

The Commonwealth Games is the only occasion where Scotland gets to compete in a multi-sport event as a nation in its own right and is one of only six countries to have competed in every Commonwealth Games since their inception in Hamilton in 1930. Represented by 15 athletes participating in six sports at those first Games, winning a very creditable 10 medals, Scotland have gone on to win medals at every Games since.

Edinburgh became the first city to hold the Games twice in 1970 and 1986 and also became the first city to host the Commonwealth Youth Games.

Scotland hosted the Games for a third time when Glasgow welcomed athletes and officials to the XXth Commonwealth Games which was held from 23rd July – 3rd August 2014. Team Scotland celebrated their most successful Games in history, winning a total of 53 medals and went on to record their highest overseas medal tally ever at Gold Coast 2018.

Find out more about the Commonwealth Games and Team Scotland’s past success in our Past Games section.