Born in Edinburgh in 1927, Helen Hamilton, nee Elliott, can lay claim to the title of Scotland’s most successful Table Tennis player in history. Captivated by the sport after playing Ping Pong in an air raid shelter during World War II, she would go on to win seven World Championships medals, including two Women’s Doubles gold, amid a glittering career.
Helen won the first of 13 consecutive Scottish Open Women’s Singles titles in 1946, only 3 years after she started playing. She gained her first Scottish cap in 1947 at the World Championships in Paris where she reached the quarter finals in the singles competition, a position she would match at each of the next three editions of this event.
She won the first of her World Championship medals the following year with silver in the Women’s Doubles, but it was in Stockholm in 1949 that she first struck gold alongside Hungary’s Gizella Farkas, repeating the feat in 1950 when she partnered England’s Dora Bergai. Bronze in the 1952 Women’s Doubles, a first Mixed Doubles medal with silver in 1955 and bronze in both Women’s and Mixed Doubles in 1957 completed her magnificent seven medal moments.
Winner at an array of Open Championships around Europe, she also took Women’s Doubles gold and Singles silver at the World University Games in 1955, and came out of retirement in 1971 to compete at the first Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships, held in Singapore.
She was inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame in 2003, the only Table Tennis player ever to be recognised in this way. She continued to give back to the sport as Honorary President of the Scottish Table Tennis Association and was twice nominated for President of the Commonwealth Table Tennis Federation. Helen died in 2013, shortly before her 86th birthday and will be remembered for her immense contribution to her sport, both in Scotland and around the world.
Olympic, European and Commonwealth Games medallist Callum Skinner has today announced his retirement from elite level Cycling. Three times a Commonwealth Games competitor for Team Scotland, culminating in bronze Gold Coast 2018, he now turns his attention to supporting other athletes in their sporting careers through his work with British Cycling, and as Athlete Representative for both UK Anti-Doping and the British Olympic Association.
Olympic gold and silver medallist at Rio 2016, his winning time in the Team Sprint, alongside Jason Kenny and Philip Hindes, was a new Olympic Record as they defeated New Zealand to take the Olympic title. His silver came in the Individual Sprint where he was defeated in an all-British final by Kenny.
Many times a British Champion, he took European Championship gold in the Kilo in 2014 and regularly graced the World Cup podium, both individually and in the Team Sprint. His bronze medal in the Kilo at Gold Coast 2018 turned out to be his last competitive appearance and a fitting way to end an outstanding career.
Announcing his decision to retire he said: “It’s been a long and amazing journey, starting out in the cold of Meadowbank, Edinburgh in 2006 to peaking at the Olympic Velodrome in the Team Sprint at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games in 2016.
“Cycling has been very good to me, I’ve made lifelong friends and realised my dream for which I am eternally privileged. I appreciate that 26 might seem to many quite young to be transitioning away from the track, but I have never considered myself just an athlete; I consider myself far more than that. Cycling is my first love and it was the ideal place with the perfect opportunities to focus my drive to achieve great things.
“Now I’m looking for a new challenge, my next Olympics. I want to build on the skills and perspective I’ve learnt and gained as a competitor over the last few years, and go on to greater things. As some of you will know, I’m particularly passionate about giving back to sport, using my profile for good, whether that’s in supporting the long overdue reform of sports governance, LGBT rights and encouraging people to get on their bikes.
“My last competition and podium place was at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast in 2018; it was great to finish on a high. Since that time, I have been on an extended break due to my health deteriorating. This has proved to be a very challenging time. Through seeking help outside the programme, and by the unswerving support of my friends, family and agent, I have made incredible progress and I’m pleased to say have almost fully recovered. My focus and effort now lies in working in partnership with British Cycling to continue to make the athlete experience more human whilst still maintaining that performance mindset. These two essential aspects are not mutually exclusive of each other.
“Overall, I have had an amazing time at British Cycling and would like to thank my current and former; coaches, performance support staff and team mates for an amazing and unforgettable ten years. I wish them every success going forwards.”
Team Scotland’s Sport Focus on Table Tennis will start with a bang this weekend as the country’s top players gather in Perth to chase national titles at the Scottish Championships.
Top of the bill will be local boy Gavin Rumgay, bidding for a fourteenth Men’s Singles title, having surpassed Euan Walker’s record of 12 titles last year. He faces Gold Coast 2018 team mates Colin Dalgleish and Craig Howieson, runner-up last year, as well as past Commonwealth Games players Niall Cameron and Stewart Crawford, in a strong field of over 40 players.
In the women’s draw, Ayrshire’s Rebecca Plaistow will be going for a third Women’s Singles title, having scored a golden treble in 2018 as she took the Singles, Women’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles crowns. She is joined by 2018 semi-finalists Lara Stirling and Faye Leggett, the latter taking on the senior field again, having taken both Junior and Cadet Girls’ titles last year.
Many of the leading Singles competitors will also compete in the Men’s, Women’s and Mixed Doubles across an action-packed day of competition at the Bell’s Sports Centre on Saturday 2 March. With the senior titles decided, Sunday will see the turn of the younger players, as titles are decided in the Junior, Cadet and Minor age groups.
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 Table Tennis on Team Scotland’s website and social channels this month as the sport shares the spotlight with Fencing. 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.
Table Tennis at the Commonwealth Games
Table Tennis first appeared on the Commonwealth Games programme in Manchester 2002 and has appeared at each Games since. Originally optional, it has now been made a core sport. There is also a Para-Sport Table Tennis discipline which is an optional discipline. Singapore was the top nation in Table Tennis at every Games until Gold Coast 2018, when India topped the medal table with three gold, two silver and three bronze.
At the sport’s first Games in 2002, Scotland was represented by five players: Euan Walker, Niall Cameron, Gavin Rumgay, Stewart Crawford and Claire Bentley. The best result came in the Men’s Team Event where Scotland performed to their ranking, finishing 9th. Euan Walker was the top Singles performer, reaching the last 16.
Scotland won bronze in the Men’s Team Event at the 2013 Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships and came close to replicating that result at Glasgow 2014 for what would have been the country’s first Commonwealth Games medal in the sport. The quartet of Gavin Rumgay, Craig Howieson, Niall Cameron and Sean Doherty performed brilliantly to reach the quarter-finals, producing Scotland’s best Table Tennis result to date with fifth place in the Men’s Team competition.
Find out more about Table Tennis in the Commonwealth Games on our dedicated Table Tennis 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 Boxing at the Commonwealth Games with our boxers winning medals at every Games to date. To round off our ‘Celebrating Our Past, Building Our Future’ Sport Focus, here are 12 things you might not know about Boxing and the Commonwealth Games:
1. Boxing was one of six sports included at the first Commonwealth Games (then known as the British Empire Games) in 1930 and, as a core sport, must be included at every Games.
2. Boxing is the only sport in which Scotland have won medals at every Commonwealth Games. Scottish boxers have also won medals at every Youth Games where the sport has been included.
3. Scotland have won 65 Boxing medals at the Commonwealth Games; 17 gold, 16 silver and 32 bronze. This medal tally places Scotland 4th on the all-time Boxing medal table, just one gold medal behind Australia.
4. There is a three way tie for the title of Scotland’s most successful Commonwealth Games boxer; Josh Taylor, Tom Imrie and Dick McTaggart each won one gold and one silver medal.
5. Alongside his two Commonwealth games medals, Dick McTaggart took European Championship gold, became the first British boxer ever to compete at three Olympic Games and remains Scotland’s only Olympic boxing champion to date.
6. After winning Commonwealth Games gold at Kuala Lumpur 1998, Alex Arthur went on to win eight professional titles, including British, Commonwealth and European Super Featherweight belts and became WBO World Super-Featherweight Champion in 2007.
7. Glasgow 2014 gold medallists Josh Taylor and Charlie Flynn both won medals at the Commonwealth Youth Games before stepping up to senior competition.
8. John Docherty and Sean Lazzerini became the first Scottish boxers in history to win gold at the Commonwealth Youth Games at Samoa 2015 and both were selected for Gold Coast 2018 with John winning bronze.
9. Women’s Boxing was first included as a demonstration event at the 1904 Olympic Games. It was over a century before it was back on the programme as a full Olympic medal sport for the London 2012 Games.
10. Women’s Boxing events were included in the Commonwealth Games for the first time at the Glasgow 2014 Games. The first female boxers to compete for Team Scotland at a senior Commonwealth Games were Vicky Glover and Megan Gordon, both 18 years old when they competed at Gold Coast 2018. Nine months before making her senior Games debut, Megan Gordon was also Scotland’s first female boxer at the Commonwealth Youth Games, winning bronze at the Bahamas 2017 Games.
11. A Boxing bout consists of three rounds of three minutes for both women and men.
12. Head guards were first introduced in 1984 and were required for all amateur bouts until 2013, when they were dropped for senior male boxers. Female boxers and male boxers below senior level are still required to wear a head guard.
Find out more about the sport in the Commonwealth Games on our dedicated Boxing page and look out for our next sport focus as we profile each of the 25 sports in which Scotland has competed at the Commonwealth Games.
Dick McTaggart is a Scottish boxer from Dundee who triumphed at the 1958 and 1962 Commonwealth Games in Cardiff and Melbourne. He was also the first British boxer to compete in three Olympiads.
Having experienced close to a home crowd as he was crowned Commonwealth champion at the Cardiff 1958 Games, he says there’s nothing like it to spur you on to Commonwealth Gold.
He said: “The support at home is a huge factor for a fighter and when I competed in Cardiff it was a home crowd for me. To this day I still remember walking into the arena with everyone cheering my name. Nothing can match it and it does give you that edge.”
Dick was born to box. One of 18 children born in a tough neighbourhood in Dundee, the young fighter had to spar with his brothers. It stood them in good stead. The family had the honour of claiming the national boxing championship titles from all three forces. Dick was RAF champion for five years, his brother Peter Royal Navy champion and another brother was army champion.
At first he wasn’t selected to box for Scotland and boxed for England instead, but luckily Team Scotland finally noticed his talent and he brought home two Olympic medals for Team GB as well as two medals for Scotland as a lightweight amateur boxer at the Commonwealth Games.
He credits the discipline and fun Boxing offered with keeping him active and out of trouble.
He said: “Amateur boxing instils discipline and keeps kids off the streets. Since my success I’ve worked with many youngsters and some of my happiest memories are of when I was national coach for 12 years throughout the 80s and 90s.
“It felt like I could give something back and offer the next generation some of the benefits of my success. I saw the world, I travelled everywhere from Los Angeles, New Zealand, Canada, Australia. The opportunities sport offers are amazing, it’s not just about the competing but the training itself prepares you for anything in life.”
Dick won 610 of his 634 fights throughout his career sealed his place in Scotland’s Hall of Fame. He was also awarded an MBE for his dedication to his sport.
A staunch supporter of the sport, Dick was in the stands supporting at the London 2012 Olympics and Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, where he presented the medals in the Lightweight event, in which Team Scotland’s Charlie Flynn won gold.
Hear Charlie’s thoughts on Dick McTaggart and how special it was to recieve his Commonwealth Games gold from his sporting hero:
As part of our Sport Focus month on Boxing we’re taking a look back into the history of Women’s Boxing and how it has grown to become a Commonwealth Games and Olympic sport in recent years.
The Early Years
Boxing as we know it dates back to the early 1700s, although fought bare knuckle and with very different rules, and women participated almost from the start. Elizabeth Wilkinson Stokes “The City Championess” and Hannah Hyfield “The Newgate Market Basket-Woman” advertised their fights in newspapers and gained prominence in the 1720s, but the popularity of female contests declined throughout the century and by the 1830s women’s Boxing was invisible or extinct. There was a revival of the professional sport for women in the latter half of the 19th century, beginning in the USA and spreading to France, Germany and Great Britain, but the belief that contact sports were physically and mentally dangerous for women persisted. Women were encouraged to play Tennis or Croquet but Boxing, Wrestling, Hockey and Swimming were considered too rigorous.
Quest for Olympic Inclusion
Women’s Boxing featured as a demonstration event at the 1904 Olympic Games, as did Boxing for men. The men’s event was subsequently adopted into the Olympic programme and the results made official, but not so for the women. In fact it would be over a century before female boxers would next appear in the Olympic ring.
The revival was pioneered by the Swedish Amateur Boxing Association, which sanctioned events for women in 1988. The British Amateur Boxing Association sanctioned its first boxing competition for women in 1997. The first European Cup for women was held in 1999 and the first AIBA Women’s World Championships in 2001 with 125 boxers from 30 countries participating.
Women’s Boxing was proposed as an Olympic sport in October 2005, for inclusion in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, but was rejected by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) amid concerns over the number of nations that would be represented and the skill level of the athletes. Despite this set back, its supporters kept up the momentum with two special exhibition bouts held at the 2007 Men’s World Championships in Chicago to showcase the women’s sport in front of an audience of invited IOC officials.
By the 2008 World Championships, participation had grown to 237 boxers from 42 nations and the sport was once again put forward for inclusion in the London 2012 Olympic Games. UK Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell made a strong pitch for the sport, as well as championing men in traditionally female sports such as Synchronised Swimming.
The initial proposal for 2012 was for 40 female boxers to compete in the Games – eight boxers in each of five weight categories. This was eventually revised to 36 boxers – 12 in each of three weight categories. This time the proposal was successful and the announcement of Women’s Boxing as an Olympic sport was made by IOC President Jaques Rogge in August 2009.
He said: “I can only rejoice about the decision of inclusion of women’s boxing. The sport of women’s boxing has progressed a tremendous amount in the last five years and it was about time to include them in the Games.”
On the Olympic Stage
London 2012 saw the first female Olympic Champions crowned in Boxing. Team GB’s Nicola Adams won the first gold medal as she took the Flyweight title, defeating reigning World Champion Ren Cancan of China in the final. The Lightweight gold medal went to Ireland’s Katie Taylor, with Team USA’s Claressa Shields winning Middleweight gold.
The impact of the sport’s inclusion at London 2012 was huge, with the champions becoming household names and role models for the next generation of female boxers. Nowhere was this more clearly demonstrated than by a 30% jump in participation numbers at the 2013 Women’s Junior & Youth World Championships.
Three weight categories were again included at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, where Nicola Adams and Claressa Shields defended their titles from 2012, and the sport is now an accepted part of the Olympic programme.
Commonwealth Games
Following the impact the sport made at London 2012, the decision was made to include women’s boxing in the Commonwealth Games at Glasgow 2014. The same weight categories used in Olympic competition were included. A total of 38 female boxers from 20 different nations participated, with England winning two titles (Nicola Adams, Flyweight and Savannah Marshall, Middleweight) and Australia’s Shelley Watts taking Lightweight gold.
At the Gold Coast 2018 Games, the number of female medal events was doubled to six. Scotland’s first female boxers were selected for these Games, with Team Scotland represented by 18 year olds Vicky Glover and Megan Gordon. Megan made the step up to the senior team, having become Scotland’s first female boxer, and first female boxing medallist, at the Commonwealth Youth Games just nine months before at Bahamas 2017. Both Vicky and Megan finished in 5th place in Gold Coast, Megan unlucky to draw six-time World Champion Mary Kom of India in her quarter-final bout and Vicky losing out on a place on the podium by split decision.
Women’s Boxing in Scotland
Women first competed at the Scottish Elite Championships finals on 26 March 2010, when Katy Atkin defeated Gemma Brodie to become Scottish Welterweight Champion. The following year saw Katy defend her title and a first Scottish title for Stephanie Kernachan, who went on to become Scotland’s first female British Champion in 2015. The 2018 Women’s World Championships in Delhi, India were a landmark event for Boxing Scotland as Stephanie, alongside Vicky Glover and Megan Reid, became the first Scottish boxers ever to compete at this event.
The number of female boxers entering the Scottish Championships continue to rise and Scottish boxers are now looking to make their mark at major international events. Scottish women now regularly compete on the international stage and, following Vicky and Megan’s success at Gold Coast 2018, Team Scotland will be looking for their first Commonwealth Games medal in Women’s Boxing at Birmingham 2022.
With medals at the European Junior Championships in 2016, Commonwealth Youth Games in 2017 and European Youth Championships in 2018, Dundee boxer Sam Hickey is making a name for himself as a major championship performer, as he looks to follow in the footsteps of some of Scotland’s boxing greats.
Making the step up to senior level this year, he will be buoyed by a hugely successful 2018 which, alongside European Championship bronze, saw him take bronze at the prestigious Golden Glove tournament in Serbia, represent Scotland at the World Youth Championships and lift the British title for the first time in his career.
“2018 was a very good year for me,” he said. “Winning the medal at the Europeans is up there as one of the best moments, but my personal highlight of the year, that I am most proud of, was the British gold medal. It meant a lot to me as the championships were in Scotland this year and it was the first time I had won the GB title. I felt like I had been very unlucky not to win it over the years and that all the hard work in the gym was starting to pay off.”
“Training is going well and over the next year I would like to win my first Scottish senior title and establish myself as the best elite boxer in Scotland. I also want to win medals at multi-nation tournaments around the world.”
Sam’s ambitions don’t stop at 2019 and he’s keen to make a return to the Commonwealth Games as a senior, having tasted medal success at the Bahamas 2017 Youth Games on his debut for Team Scotland.
“Birmingham 2022 is definitely in my plans and I am doing my best to make sure I am going to the Games,” he said. “The Commonwealth Youth Games was a great experience. Representing Team Scotland was amazing and something I will never forget. I really enjoyed it as it wasn’t just boxing, there were loads of other sports to go and watch. The whole atmosphere of the Youth Games was brilliant and it’s really made me set my eyes on making sure I am going to be at the next Games come 2022.”
A further boost to his goals has come in the form of a PHM Athlete Award via the Team Scotland Youth Trust. The fund provides awards of up to £1,000 to athletes under the age of 26, to assist with their preparation for significant major events including the Commonwealth Games and Sam is encouraged, both by the financial support and by the recognition in receiving the award.
“Receiving PHM Athlete Award support means a lot to me, especially as there are a lot of other top athletes out there. To be in this group of people who received funding gives me a little boost of confidence in itself. It’s going to help with a lot of things financially, especially travel expenses and my strength and conditioning. It will just make everything that little bit easier and take a lot of pressure off my shoulders and it has given me another boost to get the head down and get ready for the seniors in 2019.”
Team Scotland boxers have an impressive track record and Boxing Scotland Head Coach for the past three Commonwealth Games, Mike Keane, rates Sam’s chances of reaching his goals:
“Sam is one of our best prospects at the moment, demonstrating his skills at major events and winning bouts in both domestic and international competition. He qualified for last year’s World Championships where he lost out on a split decision, but performed well in what is one of the biggest competitions he can attend. He’s definitely one to look out for as a potential for Birmingham 2022.”
Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth medal winner Daniel Purvis has today announced his retirement from competitive Gymnastics after an impressive international career which included an historic Olympic Team bronze at London 2012 and Scotland’s first ever Commonwealth Games Team medal at Glasgow 2014.
That silver medal came at the start of a superb debut Commonwealth Games for Dan as he went on to perform brilliantly on Parallel Bars to take gold and add bronze on Rings for a full set of medals. Gold Coast 2018 saw a second successive Team Event medal as he took bronze alongside Frank Baines, Kelvin Cham, Hamish Carter and David Weir. He also took individual bronze on Floor to bring his overall medal tally to five, making him Team Scotland’s most decorated gymnast in Commonwealth Games history.
Six-time Scottish champion, Dan showed early promise, winning Team gold and All-Around silver at the 2008 Junior European Championships. He went on to earn a further gold, three silver and four bronze European medals as a senior, as well as World Championships silver and bronze, four British titles and was twice series champion in the World Cup Series. It was ahead of Gold Coast 2018 when he decided the Games would be his last major event.
He said: “I wanted to represent Scotland at the Commonwealth Games and thought if I had a good Games, I could go out proudly after that.
“It’s a surreal feeling retiring. I think until I stop training it’s not going to hit me fully. So it’s a scary feeling knowing that I won’t be training, competing and doing what I have loved to do for many years. I am certainly going to miss it but on the other hand I have been fortunate enough to start on the elite athlete to coach transition programme and I’m looking forward to new challenges ahead.
“It’s hard to say just one highlight over the years as there has been so many I have had individually and with teammates. However the one that stands out the most for me was the London 2012 bronze team medal. It was always a dream of mine as a little boy to go to the Olympic games but to come away with a medal was something I never thought would happen and I still get goose bumps to this day thinking about it.
“It was an incredible moment and to share that feeling with my team mates was even more special. Achieving it on home soil with my coach, family and friends there watching was even more amazing and something I will never forget.
“It’s been a great honour to represent Team GB and Scotland over many years. I am very proud to have been selected for both teams and been part of historic and amazing results over the years.”
Scottish Gymnastics’ Head of Performance, Sam Hendrikson paid tribute to Dan and his achievements over the past decade. She said:
“On behalf of Scottish Gymnastics, I would like to offer a huge congratulations to Dan for a fantastic career. He is a role model in Scottish sport, for our young gymnasts in particular, and has been an inspiration to them all.
“Dan’s commitment in the lead up to major events and Commonwealth Games campaigns has been amazing. As captain of the Gold Coast team, he really showed his leadership skills, was so calm and collected, and earned the respect of the whole team. With his sportsmanship, approach to training, and focus, we can all learn from him, but more than anything, Dan is a very elegant gymnast and a joy to watch.
“We may have lost our most decorated Scottish gymnast, but the sport is gaining a fantastic coach for the next generation. We thank him for everything he has contributed to the sport in Scotland and wish him all the best for the future.”
My name is Sílvia Puig Saltor and I am a student of the MSc Sport Management program at University of Stirling. I am from Spain and I moved to Stirling to continue with my education. One of the reasons to chose the University of Stirling was because this program required students to do an internship of at least 60 hours in a sport organisation, which means for me the opportunity to gain experience and allow me to enter the real working world.
I chose to start working with Team Scotland after finding out at a job fair that it was an option for my internship. Team Scotland is a big organisation that offered me both management and sport experience and is a great chance to get to know the day-to-day of an organisation that works on planning for big events, such as the Commonwealth Games. The organisation works to give the best and take care of the athletes that represent Team Scotland on the international stage.
During the time I have been with Team Scotland I have worked with the Marketing and Events team, helping out mainly with the planning of a policy review workshop for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games. I assisted with all tasks involved in organising the event, such as sending invitations, creating the event agenda and preparing the presentations for the day of the event. Attending the event was a great opportunity to learn more about the policies and meet the Team Managers from different sports. I also met some retired athletes who gave their point of view based on their own experience at last Games to make suggestions for improvement in Birmingham 2022. I have been involved in other tasks, including contacting our guests for the Scottish Women in Sport Awards and sending reminders to people attending different events. From the first day, everyone working in the offices treated me as one of the team, giving me autonomy to develop myself as a professional.
Now I am back after the Christmas break I am continuing my internship, working on other core projects to ensure that Team Scotland remains active during non-Games years. This has included working with the Digital Services Manager to produce a social media plan for 2019 and sending Countdown Magazine out to supporters and sports. I will also have the opportunity to work along with Scottish Gymnastics in organising the 2019 Scottish National Artistic Gymnastics Championships.
Finally, I hope to keep learning from my colleagues for my future job opportunities. I think that doing an internship is the best way to expand your knowledge, as well as to build a network with people already working in the area you are interested in.
Team Scotland boxers have such a fantastic record at the Commonwealth Games that choosing just five ‘top’ Games is a hard task. From the highest number of medals won to performances that ended long waits for Scottish gold, here are just some of the highlights of Scotland’s participation in Commonwealth Games Boxing.
Cardiff 1958 – Boxing’s Best Ever Games
Six medals, including gold for Dick McTaggart and Jackie Brown, make Cardiff 1958 Scotland’s top Boxing performance to date. In fact Boxing contributed the most medals of any sport to the Scottish medal tally in Cardiff, almost half of the total 13 medals won. Jackie Brown took the Flyweight title, the third Scottish boxer in as many Games to do so, while reigning Olympic Champion Dick McTaggart performed to expectations to take Lightweight gold, never looking troubled by his final opponent James Jordan of Northern Ireland.
Robert Kane took silver, beaten in the Light Welterweight final by Olympic bronze medallist Henry Loubscher of South Africa, while Alfred Owen (Bantamweight), Robert Scott (Welterweight) and William Bannon (Light Heavyweight) took bronze.
Edinburgh 1986 – Highest Ever Boxing Medal Tally
Seven medals from the 10 boxers selected – three silver & four bronze – gave Scotland their top boxing medal tally in history. The only thing missing was a gold, the unluckiest boxers probably being Jim McAllister, taking Welterweight silver after retiring after a cut and Dougie Young, who was well ahead on points before being caught by New Zealand’s Jimmy Peau with a desperate punch 32 seconds from the end of the Heavyweight final.
Harry Lawson took silver in the Light Heavyweight, while Scotland’s four bronze medals came from Glen Brooks (Bantamweight), Wilson Docherty (Light Flyweight), George Ferrie (Middleweight) and Alec Mullen (Light Middleweight).
Perth 1962 – McTaggart Takes Second Medal
For the fourth consecutive Games, Scotland won two Boxing gold medals as John McDermott took the Featherweight title and Robert Mallon upheld a 12 year run of keeping the Flyweight title in Scottish hands. Defending Lightweight champion Dick McTaggart had to settle for silver on this occasion as he moved up to Light Welterweight, defeated in the final by Ghana’s first Olympic medallist Clement Quartey.
With this silver in addition to his 1958 gold, McTaggart became the first Scottish boxer ever to win two Commonwealth Games medals and he remains Scotland’s most successful Commonwealth Games boxer alongside Thomas Imrie and Josh Taylor. Rounding out the 1962 medal count was Thomas Menzies, bronze medallist in the Light Heavyweight event.
Glasgow 2014 – Home Games Success
The early rounds of the Boxing competition were held at the SECC and after a busy week in the ring, Scotland’s boxers secured four places in the semi-finals and were guaranteed four medals. Reece McFadden (52kg), who had taken out the World number 1 from Wales in his opening bout of the competition, had to settle for bronze in the Flyweight category after losing out in a split decision to Andrew Moloney of Australia. There was a bronze too for Heavyweight, Stephen Lavelle (91kg) who battled hard but came up just short against David Light of New Zealand.
But Delhi Silver medallist, Josh Taylor, and larger than life character, Charlie Flynn, made it all the way to the finals. There was a change of venue for the big occasion to the fabulous SSE Hydro Arena, packed with 10,000 fans determined to witness more Scottish success. Postal worker Charlie Flynn delivered in style and took Scotland to the 50 medal mark with boxing’s first gold of the Games in the 60kg Lightweight division, while Josh Taylor (64kg) completed his set of Commonwealth medals, adding gold to his Youth Games bronze in 2008 and silver in Delhi two years later. The final medal tally of two gold and two bronze was the best result for the sport since 1962.
Auckland 1950 – First Scottish Boxing Gold for 20 Years
Only two Boxing medals but both gold. Henry Gililand and Hugh Riley end Scotland’s 20 year wait for a Commonwealth Games champion. Scotland had last struck Boxing gold at the first Commonwealth Games ever held in 1930 as Jim Rolland took the Lightweight title. While Scottish boxers continued to pick up medals at the 1934 and 1938 Games, gold had eluded them and this, combined with the cancellation of the 1942 and 1946 Games due to World War II, meant it was a full two decades before Scotland took their second (and third) boxing gold.
Gilliland and Riley’s achievements are all the more remarkable as they had to adapt their training to conditions on board ship during the three week sea voyage to New Zealand. In fact, Gilliland, the reigning British champion, had to pause his training twice on the journey due to injury but still came through to take the Featherweight title by defeating Peter Brander of England in the semi-finals and Rhodesia’s Andy Verceuil in the final.
These of course are just some of the highlights across almost 90 years Commonwealth Games history. With medals at every Games since they began in 1930, there is a wealth of Scottish Boxing history to celebrate.