For most people making the Commonwealth Games is an achievement in itself. But for Beth Potter, she’ll look to make history on Australia’s Gold Coast by becoming the first Scottish athlete to compete in two sports at the same Games.
Already an accomplished runner, Potter was fifth in the 10,000m at Glasgow 2014, a truly home Games for the Glaswegian. So why then has she added another sport to her growing list of talents?
“Back in 2012 I remember watching Alistair and Jonny [Brownlee] in London and I was injured at the time. I was training a lot in the pool at Loughborough University and just watching them really inspired me. It was difficult to make the change then with the prospect of a home Games coming up in Glasgow, my home city, and I wanted to do that on the track. Having then done so well at the Commonwealth Games I thought I better give the Olympics a shot, so it’s been a long time coming but I’m happy with my decisions.”
After just missing a medal in Glasgow Potter pushed on, making the Olympic team for Rio with a very special run at the trial race, which was incorporated into the Highgate Night of the 10,000m PBs. But in the back of her mind the lure of Triathlon still lingered. So what was it that ultimately made her take the plunge?
“I suppose I had achieved what I wanted in running, making the Olympics, and Triathlon is just something I’ve always wanted to do. It’s not that time is running out, but I am getting a little older and I knew it would take me a couple of years to get used to it. So I thought if I’m going to be realistic about it and give myself the best possible chance I need to make the decision sooner rather than later. It came at a good time after the Olympics.”
So from that moment on one sport turned to three as Beth swapped London for Leeds and turned her whole world upside down.
“This time last year I was just really tired all the time and I was finding everything really hard. The combination of three sports everyday was really challenging and there were a lot of tears! Psychologically I moved to a new city where I didn’t know anyone, left all my friends, job and security in London and it was hard. I wasn’t really enjoying it for the first couple of months, but I just stuck with it.
“I hadn’t swum for a long period of time so I saw improvements really quickly in the pool but until last January I’d never ridden a bike with clip-ins! The skills of riding in a group and riding on a wheel were all things I had to learn, but having the cycle track here in Leeds has been really good and I’ve been doing sessions on there every week, so I’m a lot more confident now.”
Keeping her cards close to her chest, it’s hard to imagine exactly what the 26 year old wants to achieve Down Under. On the one hand her new sport is still a bit of an unknown despite some impressive results, whilst she’s was fifth on the track four years ago.
“I haven’t really voiced my goals, but it’s going to be a busy few days with the Individual Triathlon on the 5th April, the Triathlon Relay on the 7th and the 10,000m on the 9th. I’m definitely aiming to do all three but the Triathlon is my priority. I’d love to make history and compete in both sports. I finished fifth at the last Games in the 10,000m and really surprised myself with that run, so who knows, you can’t put a limit on it.”
At the time of writing Potter is on a plane to Australia ahead of a Triathlon World Cup in Mooloolaba on 10th March, where she’ll get some last minute practice in her new sport. She’ll be the first Team Scotland athlete out there and will be among the first to enter the preparation camp on the Sunshine Coast in the middle of March.
“I do have family out in Australia though who I’m going to stay with first, and both my aunts are coming to watch. I also have a couple of Australian friends going and some friends from home too, so there will certainly be some good support. Let’s just hope the Australian crowd are as good as the Glaswegians!”
Basketball returns to the Commonwealth Games, after a 12 year absence, for Gold Coast 2018. As we conclude our Sport Focus here are 12 things you might not know about the sport:
1. Basketball is one of several optional sports at the Commonwealth Games, which the host nation can choose to add to the programme.
2. Gold Coast 2018 is only the second time that the Commonwealth Games has featured Basketball and Gareth Murray is set to become the first player to have represented Team Scotland in Basketball at two Commonwealth Games.
3. At Gold Coast 2018, 17-year old Callan Low will become the youngest Basketball player ever to take the court for Team Scotland at a Commonwealth Games.
4. Basketball at Gold Coast 2018 is spread across three Queensland venues and if the men reach the final they will have travelled a total distance of 22, 471 miles by the time they arrive back in Glasgow!
5. Scotland captain and Team GB Olympian, Kieron Achara, has a passion for playing Lawn Bowls and, had his dream of becoming a basketball player failed, he would have pursued bowls further.
6. Basketball has Scottish roots! In 1891, Dr James Naismith created the sport. Naismith was the son of Scottish parents and first created the game in Springfield, Massachusetts.
7. Scotland are set to face England in the opening game of the Gold Coast 2018 Basketball competition on 5 April in Townsville. Placed in Pool B, Scotland will then play Cameroon on 7 April and will conclude their pool matches against India on 8 April.
8. Team Scotland finished 6th in men’s Basketball at Melbourne 2006, with Australia taking the gold medal.
9. In Melbourne the medal winning nations were identical in both men’s and women’s competitions with hosts Australia taking gold, New Zealand silver and England bronze.
10. Basketball will feature in a new format at the 2022 Games in Birmingham with 3v3 and Wheelchair 3v3 making its Commonwealth Games debut.
11. Scotland got their Gold Coast preparation off to a flying start with a convincing 88-68 win over a Glasgow Rocks select on Sunday 4 March at Emirates Arena.
12. Team Scotland sends a strong squad of 12 to Gold Coast 2018 – meet the full team here.
Today, Commonwealth Games Scotland confirmed a number of athlete changes to the Team preparing to head out to Gold Coast in just a few weeks’ time.
Hammer thrower Rachel Hunter, who threw 66.46m to top the Scottish rankings in 2017 has withdrawn on medical grounds, whilst road cyclist Andy Fenn has withdrawn due to changes in the race programme of his professional team.
This has resulted in last minute call ups for shooter, Leonard (Lenny) Thomson and gymnast, Ellie Russell.
Banff-based shooter Lenny Thomson is selected in the 50m Rifle Prone after an impressive fourth place finish at the 2017 Commonwealth Championships in Brisbane, which was the test event for the Gold Coast 2018 Games. Inspired to the best result of his career to date by competing in the Games venue, the Scottish Championship medallist from both 2015 and 2016 is excited to join Team Scotland for a return trip Down Under.
Lenny said: “I’m delighted to be added to the team and really looking forward to being part of it. It’s disappointing for the person who I am replacing, so my thoughts go out to them and I wish them all the best. I’m looking forward to competing in Brisbane again, it’s a nice range so it will be great to go back there. Making the final will be the major aim, but I’ll be pushing for places and a medal would be fantastic.”
Ellie Russell from Newtongrange in Midlothian will join the nine gymnasts already named, having also achieved qualification standards and been nominated for selection. With five men and five women now travelling to Gold Coast, the nation will have the strongest possible representation in the artistic gymnastics competition.
Ellie is coached by Sandy Richardson at West Lothian Artistic Gymnastics Club and is part of Scottish Gymnastics national performance programme. The 15 year-was the Scottish junior women’s all-around champion in 2016 and 2017 before going on to qualify for apparatus finals in the same age category at last year’s British Championships.
Competing in her first year as a senior, the Newbattle Community High School student qualified for all four apparatus finals at last weekend’s Scottish national artistic gymnastics championships, winning gold on vault and silver on asymmetric bars and beam.
Speaking after hearing the news, Ellie said: “I am so happy and shocked to be honest, after the disappointment of not being named when the team was originally announced and I can’t quite believe I’m going to the Games.
“I have just been concentrating on training for the Scottish and British championships instead and after doing really well last weekend at the Scottish, this news just tops it off. I’m really glad to be joining the other girls in the Gold Coast.
“The past year has included lots of training camps and working on routines, trying to perfect everything and make them the best they could be for the selection competitions. I’m just happy for me and my coach that all the hard work we’ve put in has paid off.”
Announcing the changes, Jon Doig, Team Scotland Chef de Mission said: “It is always a bitter sweet moment when team changes happen at this late stage. You are extremely disappointed for those who have been forced to withdraw, whilst recognizing the exciting opportunity this presents to those called up.
“I would like to wish Rachel and Andy all the very best, and knowing them both I am sure they will be fully supporting their team mates from back home.
“I also look forward to welcoming Lenny and Ellie to Team Scotland. I am sure it will be a rollercoaster ride for them over the next few days, as we work closely with them to ensure everything is in place for their participation, but they both make great additions to the team.”
The ‘Beast from the East’ also took its toll on Team Scotland plans today, with triathlete Grant Sheldon, one of the first athletes due to depart for warm weather training ahead of the Games, delayed by the extreme conditions.
Gold Coast 2018 sees Basketball return to the Commonwealth Games for the first time since the Melbourne 2006 Games and Team Scotland send a squad of 12 in the men’s event, looking to improve on the 6th place finish of 12 years ago. This Sunday 4 March 2018 will see the Scotland side take on a Glasgow Rocks Select in an exhibition match at the British Basketball League Trophy Finals at Glasgow’s Emirates Arena.
Look out for all things Basketball on Team Scotland’s website and social channels this week as the sport takes the spotlight in our Sport Focus Series, which features each of the 18 sports on the Gold Coast 2018 programme through athlete interviews, facts & figures, competition news and more.
Basketball at the Commonwealth Games
Basketball is an optional sport in the Commonwealth Games and has made one appearance at the Games to date when it was included at Melbourne 2006. In Melbourne the medal winning nations were identical in both men’s and women’s competitions with hosts Australia taking gold, New Zealand silver and England bronze. The sport makes its return for the Gold Coast 2018 Games where Scotland will once again participate in the men’s competition.
For both men’s and women’s events, the eight teams are divided into two Pools of four teams with the top four ranked teams placed in Pool A. At the conclusion of the Pool stage, the top two teams from Pool A will proceed to the semi-finals, whilst the bottom two teams from Pool A will play the top two teams from Pool B in the qualifying finals. The remaining two Pool B teams are eliminated. The winner of the qualifying finals will then proceed to compete in the semi-finals.
Find out more about Basketball in the Commonwealth Games, including the competition format, rules and equipment on our dedicated Basketball page.
Team Scotland 2018
Team Scotland have named a strong squad of 12 players for Gold Coast 2018, including Scotland and Great Britain captain Kieron Achara who was part of the GB team that took 9th place at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Fellow Glasgow Rocks player Gareth Murray is the sole returning member of the Scotland team that finished 6th at Melbourne 2006, while 17 year-old Callan Low becomes the youngest player ever to be selected for Team Scotland at the Commonwealth Games in Basketball. Jonathan Bunyan follows in brother Keith’s footsteps, who was part of the 2006 team, while young players Sean Nealon-Lino, Fraser Malcolm and Kyle Jimenez make the step up from representing Scotland U18 at the European Championships.
Experienced internationals Alasdair Fraser, Chris Cleary and Nick Collins strengthen the team and are joined by Michael Vigor and Bantu Burroughs, for whom Gold Coast 2018 will be their first major tournament for Scotland.
Click here to meet the full Basketball team for Gold Coast 2018.
A total of 211 athletes have been named to Team Scotland for Gold Coast 2018 to date, with athletes announced in all sports except Rugby 7s where players will be confirmed in March.
Show Your Support!
You can show your support by uploading photos and messages on our supporters page and give Team Scotland’s athletes a boost as they prepare to do the country proud on one of sport’s biggest stages!
Look out for other ways to get behind the team in the countdown to Gold Coast on Team Scotland’s social media channels.
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.
Find out more about the Commonwealth Games and Team Scotland’s past success in our Past Games section.
Fourteen times a Scottish Champion and a former Great Britain U20 squad member, Jonathan Bunyan will be following in the family tradition as he heads to Gold Coast 2018 as part of Team Scotland’s 12-strong Basketball squad.
His brother Keith was part of the Scotland team that finished 6th at the Melbourne 2006 Games, the last time the sport was included on the Commonwealth Games programme, and his father John was also the team’s assistant coach. With Gold Coast preparations well underway and a big test against a Glasgow Rocks Select on Sunday 4 March, we caught up with Jonathan as part of our Sport Focus Series:
How special will it be to pull on the Scotland jersey at the Commonwealth Games?
“Anytime I get to play for Scotland it’s a great feeling, it’s an instant feeling of pride. I don’t think I can even guess as to how good it will be to pull on the Scotland shirt and represent Team Scotland in Australia. I just know we are all excited to be a part of such a great sporting event.”
You have quite a tradition of Basketball in the family, how does it feel to be following in their footsteps?
“Basketball and representing Scotland is really special for me, I wouldn’t be playing basketball if it wasn’t for my dad and older brother and certainly wouldn’t have been as dedicated to the sport as I am just now. My brother played in the last Commonwealth Games and my dad was involved in the coaching staff, so to know I have made it to the same level they did, and that their hard work helping me through the years has paid off is really special.”
The Commonwealth Games is unique in being the only multi-sport Games where athletes represent Scotland, how special will that be?
“I think being part of not only the Basketball team but Team Scotland as a whole will be great. Watching big events like the Commonwealth Games and Olympics at home on TV, you always get a sense that it’s a big group effort from all of the athletes and not just the ones in your sport. It will be great to feel part of that environment, knowing I am representing the whole country.”
How is preparation for Gold Coast 2018 going?
“Preparation has been going well so far, but I think the game at the weekend will be a really good opportunity to see where we are at. It will be a good environment to get the team together and play some high level talent. I am looking forward to this weekend being a real starting point for our countdown to Gold Coast and it would be great to see as many Team Scotland fans as possible at the Emirates Arena on Sunday!”
Tickets for Scotland vs Glasgow Rocks Select are available at: http://bbl.org.uk/trophy2018/
With Team Scotland’s gymnasts competing at the 2018 Scottish Artistic Gymnastics Championships this weekend in Perth, their final competition before Gold Coast 2018, we spoke to the 2017 Men’s All-Around champion Kelvin Cham as he looks to defend his title:
On being Scottish Senior men’s all-round champion:
“It was a great feeling winning the national title, especially because it was my first time competing as a senior. I felt a lot of pressure as well as I was alongside the likes of Dan Purvis and Frank Baines who are top gymnasts.”
On training ahead of winning all-round champ title:
“Training was very tough and I had to step up as I was transitioning from a being a junior gymnast the previous year. There was added pressure as it was also the first competition to achieve scores for the Commonwealth Games but it went really well, and I couldn’t be happier with the result.”
The prospect of representing Team Scotland in Gold Coast 2018:
“It means the world to me because this is what athletes train for from a young age. I know this is my first big opportunity to compete at a major event so I’ve put in a lot of hard work to cement my place in the team. It has always been a dream for me to represent Scotland at the highest level for gymnastics.”
On making sure there’s a training/work/life balance:
“For me it is difficult to balance training and social life because training dictates we have to spend a lot of time in the gym. As an athlete, holidays are also spent in the gym – and for even longer hours than normal!
I also coach younger gymnasts which is what I love – but that also means I spend more time in the gym, even when I’m not training myself! However, it’s all worth it when the hard work pays off and you get opportunities like competing in major events such as the Commonwealth Games.”
The Scottish Artistic Gymnastics Championships take place Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th at Bell’s Sports Centre, Perth – look out for results across the weekend on Scottish Gymnastics Twitter: @ScotGymnastics
With Scottish endurance running going through a golden era of success, we put some of our Gold Coast bound athletes under the spotlight to try and find out why the Saltire is flying so high for their sport.
First Athletics Memory
Eilish McColgan: My first running memory would be at Primary School when my PE teacher put me into the local cross country championships. I had never been in a race before but I loved every minute of it. I do have very vague recollections of seeing my mum and dad training as a young child, but at the time I didn’t really understand what they were doing – I was very naive to the fact they were both professional athletes!
Beth Potter: Watching Kelly Holmes at the 2004 Olympics. We were going to put a film on but then flicked over and the athletics was one, and we were glued to the TV for the rest of the Olympics. I remember getting her Olympic Diary book for Christmas as well!
Steph Twell: My Mum calling me in to watch Kelly Holmes.
Lennie Waite: Running with my Mum around our neighbourhood in Celigny, Switzerland when I was 6 or 7. I thought it was such a treat to be able to join her on her run!
Jake Wightman: My first running memory is racing a local school cross country race aged 8. I went off so hard, gained a huge lead, only to die completely and lose to the winner by an even bigger margin!
Guy Learmonth: My most vivid was when I was about 13 years old and my Dad taking an early finish from work to come home and take me to training at my first club, Dunbar AC. He was so excited to take me and I was unbelievably nervous; I tried to fake illness saying I ate something dodgy at school and pleaded with my Mum to convince him, but he saw right through me! When I got there I just remember doing some sprinting, some 100m reps and hammering everyone and I totally loved it, and so training and competing became a regular occurrence. I guess I have to thank him for that day – little does he know how much a positive impact it had on me.
Robbie Simpson: Running for Banchory Stonehaven AC in my first competitive race on a tartan track in Inverness and winning the 1500m. I also ran in the 4 x 100m relay team, which somehow we managed to win despite my lack of speed. Our team won the U13 title so it was a memorable day.
Highlight of your career to date
Eilish: I would say my first ever medal at the European Indoor Championships would be a highlight for me. I had made World and Olympic finals in two different events (5000m and 3000m SC) but to come away with a medal at the Europeans was really special.
Beth: Making the Olympic team at Highgate; that night was just amazing, it was a dream come true. My family inspired me, as I told them not to come but they turned up on mass. It was my whole family – my mum, dad, sister, aunt, so the pressure was on, but I did it so it was all good!
Steph: Winning bronze at the 2016 European Champs. Winning a medal at international level after returning from such a long road to recovery with my ankle was special.
Lennie: Making the Rio 2016 Olympic Team. It is hard to explain to people what professional track and field is and all the training that it entails. Making the Olympics has made that process way easier – everyone knows what the Olympics is and they understand the level of commitment it takes to make it to the Olympic Games.
Jake: Winning the Bislett Games 1500m last year. A result I wasn’t at all expecting, but one I hope to replicate.
Guy: Has to be my first Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and my first major World Champs in London, both for very, very different reasons. They both top any time I’ve run, record I’ve broken or medal I’ve won.
Robbie: Finishing 3rd at the World Mountain Running Championships in Wales in 2015. I got tripped up at the start, hitting the deck and cutting my knees, shins and hands badly, but I ran probably my best race after that and just managed to get in the medal position on the final uphill. In the days after I was struggling to walk from the cuts and bruises from the fall, but in the race I didn’t feel it!
What you believe is the reason for the recent Scottish endurance success?
Eilish: It is a little strange but we’ve all grown up together! I remember watching Lynsey Sharp and Chris O’Hare making their first GB teams and thinking, “wait a minute… I know them, I’ve raced the same competitions as them for years so maybe I could do that!?” It really is a ripple effect of watching someone that you know really well preform to a high level – it elevates you and makes you start to think differently. I know that without Laura Muir breaking down barriers, both mentally and physically, I certainly wouldn’t be running as fast as I am now.
Beth: Mike Johnston, who was in charge before Mark, just never gave up on you. Using me as an example, I had a couple of bad years when I’d been injured and I fell out of love with the sport a bit, but he always supported me, never took me off funding, and having a team like that behind you really helps. They communicate really well too; everyone is linked in including physios and nutritionist, but they don’t all interfere – they let you get on with it but they’re there if you need help. It’s clearly worked!
Steph: I believe the Scottish success on the track is down to dogged determination and the desire to each be as successful as each other. I think our competitiveness is contagious but most importantly I think our success stems from off the track thanks to a down to earth, encouraging and helpful endurance management squad.
Lennie: Success breeds success! I really believe success is contagious. When you see your peers achieve great success and progress in the sport, it is motivating. It helps you realise what is possible and that belief can spread throughout a team.
Jake: I believe running in Scottish Athletics events and Scottish Schools let us be competitive in champs and make teams, which we may not have been able to do elsewhere when young. It taught us how to race and kept us motivated for success in the sport, which paid off when we were given the chance to compete across the UK and beyond.
Guy: There’s something in the water and it’s called self-belief and confidence. The Scottish Athletics endurance programme has been in place for years and everything is coming to fruition, everyone is sub-consciously pushing one another on as no one wants to be left behind. The bar’s been raised and continues to be raised and you’re now seeing the athletes push the boundaries, push the limits and raise their own game. All the records are starting to be broken and it’s been a long time coming; it’s a true golden era for athletics in Scotland.
Robbie: I think it’s a combination of factors. When I started out at 12-13 years old there was a big group of talented runners and most of them stuck with it and put in a lot of hard work, improving gradually each year and helping to raise the standard. In the junior age groups there were plenty of regional and national events, as well as international opportunities, so even though it was competitive it was still within reach to win medals or qualify for teams. In my own experience in mountain running the senior level wasn’t as strong as it was in other countries so I made the team aged 18 and was already targeting the international scene from a young age. Once a few people break through then it seems more attainable for the others and everyone moves forward.
Prediction for number of endurance medals at Gold Coast 2018
Eilish: That’s a very tricky question as the distance events are notoriously hard with the Kenyan athletes competing, so I will go for 2.
Beth: 4
Steph: 12 – I may need to revise that though!
Lennie: 3
Jake: 4/5
Guy: 5/6
Robbie: 5
It’s a huge week for Scotland’s gymnasts with the Scottish Artistic Gymnastics Championships this weekend in Perth, and also for our track & field stars as the Emirates Arena hosts the Glasgow Grand Prix. Both sports step into the Gold Coast 2018 Sport Focus spotlight as they count down to the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Look out for all things Athletics and Gymanstics on Team Scotland’s website and social channels this week as both sports share the spotlight in our Sport Focus Series, which features each of the 18 sports on the Gold Coast 2018 programme through athlete interviews, facts & figures, competition news and more.
Athletics at the Commonwealth Games
Athletics is a core sport at the Commonwealth Games and has been contested at every Games since their inception in 1930. Scottish athletes have won 70 medals to date in Athletics, with Allan Wells Scotland’s most successful Commonwealth Games athlete across all sports with four gold, one silver and one bronze.
Scotland’s track & field athletes delivered their best medal haul for 24 years at Glasgow 2014 – one gold, two silver and one bronze – with Libby Clegg and Mikhail Huggins victory in the Para-Sport T12 100m Scotland’s first gold on the track since Yvonne Murray in 1994. There were silver medals for hurdler Eilidh Doyle (nee Child) and 800m runner Lynsey Sharp while Mark Dry claimed Scotland’s first throws medal since 1982 with bronze in the hammer.
Find out more about Athletics in the Commonwealth Games, including the competition format, rules and equipment on our dedicated Athletics page.
Gymnastics at the Commonwealth Games
Artistic Gymnastics is a core sport at the Commonwealth Games and has been included on eight occasions to date. Rhythmic Gymnastics is an optional discipline, which was first included in 1990. Scottish gymnasts have won nine Commonwealth Games medals to date, with Jo Walker the first medallist with bronze in the Hoop in 1994, which remains Scotland’s only medal in Rhythmic Gymnastics.
Steve Frew was Scotland’s first gold medallist in the sport, winning on the Rings at Manchester 2002 and the men’s team continued that success with an incredible five medals at Glasgow 2014 including a first ever medal in the Team Event with silver. Daniel Keatings became Scotland’s most successful Commonwealth Games gymnast, adding gold on Pommel and silver in the All-Around while Dan Purvis took gold on P-Bars and bronze on Rings.
Find out more about Gymnastics in the Commonwealth Games, including the competition format, rules and equipment on our dedicated Gymnastics page.
Team Scotland 2018
With record numbers of Scots selected for the 2016 Olympic Games and 2017 World Championships, Team Scotland has named 23 track & field athletes for Gold Coast 2018, including Glasgow 2014 medallists Eilidh Doyle, Lynsey Sharp and Mark Dry. They are joined by World 4x400m silver medallist Zoey Clark and Diamond League winners Chris O’Hare and Jake Wightman in an incredibly strong team. World champion and World record holder Sammi Kinghorn leads a strong trio of Para-Sport athletes, joined by double Paralympic Games medallist Maria Lyle and World Junior champion Amy Carr.
Click here to meet the Athletics team for Gold Coast 2018.
In Gymnastics, World and Olympic medallist Dan Purvis and reigning British Floor and Vault champion, Frank Baines are the returning members of the successful Glasgow 2014 men’s squad and are joined by three 19 year-old rising stars in Kelvin Cham, Hamish Carter and David Weir. After a fifth place in the Team Event in Glasgow, Cara Kennedy leads a women’s trio which includes multiple Scottish Champion Shannon Archer and reigning Scottish champion on Bars, Isabella Tolometti.
Click here to meet the Gymnastics team for Gold Coast 2018
A total of 211 athletes have been named to Team Scotland for Gold Coast 2018 to date, with athletes announced in all sports except Rugby 7s. These final athletes will be named in March.
Show Your Support!
You can show your support by uploading photos and messages on our supporters page and give Team Scotland’s athletes a boost as they prepare to do the country proud on one of sport’s biggest stages!
Look out for other ways to get behind the team in the countdown to Gold Coast on Team Scotland’s social media channels.
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.
Find out more about the Commonwealth Games and Team Scotland’s past success in our Past Games section.
Part of the women’s team that finished in 5th place at Glasgow 2014, Cara Kennedy will head to her second Games in Gold Coast this April alongside Commonwealth Youth Games team mate from 2011, Shannon Archer, 18 year-old Izzy Tolometti and 17 year-old Sofia Ramzan.
Since 2014 Cara has come through a string of injuries and is back at her best as the Gold Coast 2018 Games approach. After a team bronze at the 2017 Northern European Championships, Team Scotland’s women will be out to impress Down Under and we caught up with Cara as part of our Sport Focus Series:
How special was competing in a home Games at Glasgow 2014?
“It was amazing! The support from the home crowd was a very heartwarming feeling as you felt like every single person was right behind you. It was extra special for all of my family to be able to come watch me compete, in particular both my grandparents.
How does it feel to be representing Scotland once again in Gold Coast?
“I feel honoured and, being four years older now, going through a second campaign has made me realise what a privilege it is.”
Give us an idea of your training over the last year:
“Since the Glasgow Games training has been a rollercoaster due to many ankle injuries. At the start of 2017 and the beginning of the qualifying campaign, I had my third ankle operation so I had to be patient and build up to full training slowly. I had built up well and was training all four apparatus again… but for only three months as an Achilles inflammation set me back again! Determined to keep the faith, I slowly built back up to competing all four apparatus and finishing the year on a high!”
What was your highlight from last year?
“My highlight of 2017 was competing in the vault final at the Northern European Championships. As you have to show two different vaults, it’s the first time since 2013 that I have been able to do this and it’s meant overcoming a lot of physical and mental barriers for me.”
How do you maintain a balance between training and everyday life?
“The hardest thing is when it’s been a particularly tough training day or week and you lose sight of what you’re aiming for. For the last 14 years, gymnastics has been my life and while it may be a different life to most teenagers I have a great group of friends and family who I always have fun with when not in the gym.”
Athletes and staff for Team Scotland 2018 gathered in Dunblane for the final Team Camp before the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games. With the overwhelming majority of athletes in attendance, it was a first coming together of all 18 sports, with the Team Scotland ethos of ‘One Team’ central to proceedings.
Information ranging from travel, acclimatisation and health, to living in the Athletes’ Village and performing at a multi-sport Games was on the agenda. Athletes also learned life-saving skills with CPR workshops from Save a Life for Scotland. Team Scotland 2018 also had the opportunity to hear from past athletes as they shared their experiences and passed on their top tips for a successful Games, before the day ended with the all-important collection of the team kit.
Bowls duo Alex Marshall and Paul Foster, shooter Jen McIntosh and athlete Eilidh Doyle were named as nominees for the honour of leading Team Scotland into the Gold Coast 2018 Opening Ceremony as flagbearer. Marshall and Foster took gold in both the Pairs and Fours in Glasgow while McIntosh is Scotland’s most decorated female athlete at the Commonwealth Games and Doyle is Scottish Athletics’ most decorated athlete in history.
Joining the 207 athletes already announced on Team Scotland for Gold Coast were four new additions to the team; gymnast Sofia Ramzan and Squash players Kevin Moran, Lisa Aitken and Alison Thomson, bringing the number of athletes selected to 211.
Seventeen year-old Ramzan from Dundee took three individual silver medals, including the All-Around at the 2017 Scottish Artistic Gymnastics Championships and joins the recently announced Cara Kennedy, Shannon Archer and Isabella Tolometti in the Women’s Team Event. With Gold Coast her first experience of Commonwealth Games competition, she will look to build on recent international success having taken three medals at the Malar Cup International plus a gold and bronze at the Stormarn Cup in 2017.
Squash player Kevin Moran, part of Scotland’s bronze medal winning team at the 2016 European Team Championships, returns for his second Games having reached the last 16 of the Mixed Doubles at Glasgow 2014. He plays in the Singles event in Gold Coast and is joined in the Mixed Doubles by Lisa Aitken.
Aitken reached the quarter-finals of both Women’s and Mixed Doubles at the Delhi 2010 Games and returns to Team Scotland after an incredible comeback from serious illness. Dengue fever contracted while competing at the Malaysian Open in the summer of 2014 derailed her sporting ambitions for over two years, but she has made her mark in recent months winning her first World Tour title at the New Zealand Classic in June and adding a second at the PwC Open in October.
Aitken will also play Women’s Doubles in Gold Coast alongside 21 year-old Alison Thomson, reigning Scottish champion in both Women’s and Mixed Doubles. Thomson has had an excellent start to 2018, reaching the Singles quarter-finals at the Edinburgh Open and taking silver at the British U23 Open. Both Aitken and Thomson will also play in the Women’s Singles.
Jon Doig OBE, Team Scotland Chef de Mission said: “Today has been a fantastic opportunity for athletes and staff to get to know each other and come together as one team before heading to Australia over the coming weeks. The information they have received will stand them in great stead for Gold Coast and we hope they leave inspired and ready to perform with distinction, as we aim for our best overseas Games in history.”