Fifth at the 2017 Commonwealth Championships, setting a new Scottish record in the process, weightlifter Lisa Tobias looked every inch the seasoned professional. But, incredibly, this former gymnast is a newcomer to the sport, inspired by watching the Glasgow 2014 Games.
Scottish Acro-Gymnastics champion multiple time in her youth, World champion and World record holder in Powerlifting and now one of four weightlifters ready to represent Team Scotland in at Gold Coast 2018, we caught up with this remarkably versatile athlete as part of our Sport Focus series:
So, how does a gymnast become a weightlifter?
“I think Gymnastics is what stood me in such good stead, it gave me the strength and the flexibility, all the core attributes that you need to be a weightlifter. I’d never lifted a weight I my life until four years ago. I wanted to get back into Gymnastics so I went to a personal trainer who got me lifting weights and I discovered that for my size I was really strong. So instead of Gymnastics I went down the route of Powerlifting and decided to focus on that.
Six months later I won the Scottish Championships, then I went on to the British Championships and won that and then the Europeans and the Worlds. But my ultimate goal was to compete at a Commonwealth Games. Back in my Gymnastics days that was always my ultimate goal, so it was at that point that we thought I could switch to Weightlifting. It was a big goal considering I’d never done any Weightlifting in my life, but it’s become a reality!”
What has been the hardest thing about changing sports?
“Learning the technique from scratch, that’s probably been the most difficult. Weightlifting is so much about technique and being explosive and dynamic, where Powerlifting you can get away with using brute strength. But my coach has been amazing, teaching me the whole thing from scratch.”
What is your ambition when you get to Gold Coast?
“To do the best I possibly can. To go out there and perform to the best of my ability, try to get personal bests and try to set a Scottish record out there. It would just be an amazing place to do it, so that’s what I’ll be training for.”
You had a great result at the Commonwealth Championships in 2017, does that give you confidence going into the Games?
I had a brilliant Commonwealth Championships and, with it being in Gold Coast, the whole venue and everything about it was so inspiring. To know I kept my composure under that sort of pressure gives me a lot of confidence. To think that I’ll be back in that same place to compete again for the Games is so exciting, I can’t wait!”
How do you deal with the pressure that Weightlifting brings – one chance to make the lift?
“Because it’s over in a matter of seconds, you just have to go out there with complete belief in yourself and trust in your own technique and all the training that you’ve done. If you’ve got any seed of doubt in your mind then you’re not going to get that weight above your head, so you just have to have complete confidence.”
What do you do away from Weightlifitng?
“I’ve got two children, age five and seven, and I own several pizza franchises so I’m kept pretty busy!”
Now you’ve achieved that aim of being selected for a Commonwealth Games, what does it mean to be part of Team Scotland?
“I’m just so proud to be representing my country, because it’s always been a goal of mine. It’s such an honour, I just want to enjoy every moment of it because this is what I’ve been working towards. I’m really looking forward to going out there and putting all the training into practise and showing what I can do.”
Lisa will compete in the 48kg category at Gold Coast 2018 – meet all four of Team Scotland’s weightlifters in their Athlete Profiles.
As a three time Commonwealth Games medallist, shooter Neil Stirton heads to his fourth Games in Gold Coast as one of the most experienced athletes on Team Scotland. As part of our Sport Focus on Shooting, we caught up with him on what it means to be part of the team, his experience of competing in Australia and what advice he would give to athletes joining Team Scotland for the first time:
What do you think is special about a Commonwealth Games?
I’m fortunate enough to represent GB at many international events, but I always find that the Commonwealth Games is that little bit different and extra special. It’s called the friendly Games, and it certainly lives up to its name when you’re there. I really enjoy the build-up and the approach I take to it is like most other competitions, in that I’m training hard but I’m also looking forward to being part of Team Scotland again.
Being part of the wider Team Scotland is an honour that only a handful of athletes get to experience, and the sense of being part of your country’s ‘sporting family’ at such a Games is truly unique and certainly helps motivate me when submersed in the heart of competition. When you see the Team’s first medals coming in, you can’t help but get psyched up for your own competition.
What is it about being part of the team in the village that is so special?
In other Games, shooting hadn’t always been in the main village, so I was delighted that when it came to my first Games in Melbourne we were. Just being in beside your fellow Scottish athletes and speaking to everyone around the village; and learning about their experiences is so valuable and I’d encourage everyone to integrate as much as possible.
You start to see the different strategies and approach that athletes from other sports take, which is really interesting. I learned a lot from that; not just from my shooting colleagues but also from other sports. Hopefully I can relay some of that to the newer members of the team.
How do you feel about going back to Australia again for what will be your fourth Games?
Having been out at the test event last year and getting a sneak preview of the Australian set-up and how they’re preparing the facilities, it puts you in a great frame of mind for the Games.
There’s a challenge with the Games being in Australia as it’s landed at the start of the season, so we don’t really have any competitions outdoors before then. I’m sure that’s true for many other sports, but it does mean you need to prepare a little differently than for the Games in say Glasgow or Delhi which were later in the year.
Where does Melbourne sit in your career highlights?
Melbourne was my first Games, and the feeling of the hairs on the back of my neck standing up as I walked into the MCG to the roar of over 80,000 people is something I’ll never forget. Even as the years go on and having been to subsequent Games that still stands out as one of the highlights of my sporting career.
The Aussies truly know how to run an event. They are 100% behind sport so going back there some 12 years later I have high expectations of the Games they’re going to deliver.
What do you remember about coming into the Commonwealth Games for the first time?
Both within our sport and within Team Scotland; because we’re such a close-knit unit, I felt really supported coming into that environment. You absolutely learn from the experienced team members, and you’re nervous and excited all at the same time coming into your first Games.
What is your training schedule like at the moment?
We’ve just been out a training camp in South Africa and everything is really ramping up. We went there to get some warm-weather training with minimal time zone changes and I came back home having done some solid technical training, and brought a lot of positives back with me.
Coming back to Scotland this past couple of weeks I have started seeing some of the benefits of the South Africa trip shine through. There are still a few things that are a work in progress, as always, but everything is heading in the right direction.
What advice will you be giving to athletes making their Games debut?
I think the key thing is to treat it like any other competition; you need to focus on what to do on the day. It is vital that you enjoy it though and soak up the atmosphere which will hopefully help you smash your goals on the day. The athletes village can be an overwhelming place with a huge variety of activities to pass the time. Just remember to do things little and varied, especially if you’re trying something new, as now is not the time to be venturing too far into uncharted territories. Those are the things I really picked up on when I first started and would say to anyone coming into the team.
I’d really hit home the fact that they’re there, they’ve done the hard work to qualify and while performing in competition will always come first, you need to make sure you’re enjoying that atmosphere, being part of Team Scotland and the experience that the Games provides.
With selection for Gold Coast 2018 just around the corner, Scotland’s cyclists were on top form at the British Track Cycling Championships in Manchester landing a host of podium places including seven gold medals.
World and Olympic champion Katie Archibald led the way with a hat-trick of titles in a unique treble, defending all three of the titles she won last year. On the first day of competition she took the Individual Pursuit ahead of GB team mate Emily Nelson, before making a rare outing in the Sprint, honing her speed for her endurance events and picking up a bronze medal.
She went on to produce stunning finishes to take gold medals two and three. The first came in the Scratch Race, closing down a breakaway group and piling on the pressure over the final laps to take victory. She won the Points race on the final day of competition in similar style, gaining a lap in the closing stages and taking 2nd in the final sprint to complete an outstanding weekend.
Katie was not the only Archibald to top the podium over the weekend, with older brother John claiming a first British title in the Points Race. Making the switch from road to track just a few months ago in an attempt to qualify for the Gold Coast Games, he looked right at home in his new discipline. He took Individual Pursuit bronze on the opening day before his Points Race triumph on day two, adding a further bronze in the Team Pursuit. With several Gold Coast qualifying times already in the bag, he could well realise his Commonwealth Games dream.
At 18 years old, Jenny Holl was Scotland’s youngest champion of the weekend, taking a maiden British title as she teamed up with Abbie Dentus, Becky Raybould and Jess Roberts in the Team Pursuit.
Jack Carlin was a double champion, the 20 year-old taking gold in both the Individual and Team Sprint. He was in esteemed company in the Team event, riding with 2016 Olympic champions Philip Hines and Jason Kenny to take the title.
The man who won that Olympic gold alongside Hines and Kenny, Callum Skinner, was in action in the Kilo, taking silver in a highly competitive event won by Joe Truman. There were silver medals too for Jonny Wale in the Team Pursuit, after a mechanical failure in the final cost his team a chance of gold, and for the duo of Lucy Grant and Luisa Steele in the Team Sprint.
Scotland’s para-cyclists were also in fine form as they raced in a series of mixed gender events. Double gold medallist for Team Scotland at Glasgow 2014, Neil Fachie, along with pilot Matt Rotherham, took silver in the BVI Flying 200m as Scottish duo Laura Cluxton and Emma Baird took bronze. Cluxton and Baird were back on the podium with silver in the Pursuit, while Fachie and Rotherham took bronze in the Kilo. There were two 4th places for Glasgow 2014 silver medallists Aileen McGlynn and Louise Haston, finishing just off the podium in both the Kilo and 200m.
With the qualifying window for Gold Coast 2018 now closed, the cyclists face a nervous wait to find out who has booked themselves a place on Team Scotland for April’s Games, with the team due to be announced in February.
Shooting and Weightlifting step into the Gold Coast 2018 Sport Focus spotlight this week, two sports which have been regular contributors to the Team Scotland medal tally at the Commonwealth Games. Both sports have named athletes who will compete at Gold Coast 2018 as Team Scotland target their best overseas Games in history.
Look out for all things Weightlifting and Shooting 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.
Shooting at the Commonwealth Games
Shooting is an optional sport in the Commonwealth Games and was first contested in Kingston in 1966. After a gap in 1970, the sport has appeared at every Games since.
Shooting can boast both Scotland’s most decorated athlete of all-time, Allister Allan winning 10 medals over five Games, and Scotland’s most decorated female athlete of all-time, Jen McIntosh, currently on five medals and about to compete at her third Games in Gold Coast.
All Shooting events were open until 1994, when pistol and most rifle events were segregated by gender. Trap and Skeet events followed suit in 2002, with the Full-Bore Rifle the last remaining open event.
Find out more about Shooting in the Commonwealth Games, including the competition format, rules and equipment on our dedicated Shooting page.
Weightlifting at the Commonwealth Games
Weightlifting is a core sport and had been included at every Games since Auckland 1950, with events for women first introduced in 2002.
Philip Caira is Scotland’s most successful weightlifter with two gold medals, won in 1958 and 1962, and he remains Scotland’s only gold medallist to date in the sport. Scotland’s most recent medallist was Peter Kirkbride with silver at the Delhi 2010 Games.
Para-Sport Powerlifting was integrated into the Commonwealth Games in Manchester 2002 and has featured ever since, with Micky Yule just missing the podium at Glasgow 2014 in 4th place.
Find out more about Weightlifting in the Commonwealth Games, including the competition format, rules and equipment on our dedicated Weightlifting page.
Team Scotland 2018
Team Scotland have named 11 shooters to date for Gold Coast 2018, including multiple medallists Jen McIntosh, Neil Stirton and Ian Shaw. Seonaid McIntosh, Caroline Brownlie and Linda Pearson all return for their second Games while five athletes will make their debut in Gold Coast.
Click here to meet the Shooting team for Gold Coast 2018.
Four weightlifters have been selected for Gold Coast 2018, all making their Games debut, while para-sport powerlifter Micky Yule returns for his second Games after 4th place in Glasgow.
Click here to meet the Weightlifting team for Gold Coast 2018.
A total of 117 athletes have been named to Team Scotland for Gold Coast 2018 to date, with athletes announced in Athletics, Basketball, Boxing, Beach Volleyball, Lawn Bowls, Shooting, Squash, Swimming, Table Tennis, Triathlon and Weightlifting.
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.
Scottish bowlers won three gold and a silver at Glasgow 2014, making it their most successful Games to date, but Scottish bowlers have featured prominently for Team Scotland right from the very first Games in 1930. From Scotland’s first Commonwealth Games medallists to the bowler whose Games career spanned an incredible 44 years, we end our Sport Focus with these 12 facts you might not know about Lawn Bowls:
- Lawn Bowls was one of six sports contested at the first Commonwealth Games in 1930. It is a core sport and has been included at every Games with the exception of Kingston 1966.
- Para-Sport Lawn Bowls was contested at the 1994, 2002 and 2014 Games and is included once again for Gold Coast 2018.
- Scotland sit 3rd on the all-time Games medal table for Lawn Bowls, behind England and South Africa, with 32 medals; 16 gold, eight silver and eight bronze.
- Alex Marshall is Scotland’s top bowler at the Commonwealth Games with four gold medals between 2006 and 2014. His medal tally places him second, behind sprinter Allan Wells, on the list of Scotland’s top medal winners across all sports. Alex will compete at his sixth Games at Gold Coast 2018.
- Willie Wood holds the record for most Commonwealth Games appearances in any sport, representing Scotland at an incredible eight Games from 1966 to 2010 and winning two gold, one silver and one bronze medal. At the Delhi Games in 2010 he was the oldest competitor at the age of 72.
- Scotland’s first Commonwealth Games medal in Lawn Bowls was a bronze won by David Fraser, John Orr, Tom Chambers and William Campbell in the Men’s Fours at the inaugural Games in 1930.
- Scotland’s first gold medal in Lawn Bowls was won in 1934 by Robert Sprot in the Men’s Singles.
- Women’s Singles, Pairs and Fours were first included at the Edinburgh 1986 Games and have been contested ever since. The first women’s event to be played at any Commonwealth Games was Triples, included at the Brisbane 1982 Games. This event was then dropped from the programme until making a return in 2006, at the same time as Men’s Triples was included for the first time.
- Bowls were originally made from lignum vitae, a dense wood, leading to the term “woods” being used for bowls, but are now more typically made of a hard plastic composite material.
- Bowls are designed to travel a curved path because of a weight bias, produced by the shape of the bowl. A bowler determines the bias direction of the bowl by a dimple or symbol on one side.
- The Lawn Bowls competition at the Gold Coast 2018 Games will be held at Broadbeach Bowls Club, venue for the Australian National Championship Finals since 2015 and for the World Junior Championships in 2016. The venue has been upgraded to provide four international standard greens and seating capacity for 2,500.
- Team Scotland will send 17 bowlers to Gold Coast 2018 in Men’s, Women’s and Para-Sport events. Meet the full team here.
Team Scotland have been regular visitors to the medal podium in Cycling in recent years, winning medals at each of the last four Games. Since Sir Chris Hoy took Scotland’s first Cycling gold at the Manchester 2002 Games in the 1km Time Trial, Scottish cyclists have also stood on the top step of the podium at Melbourne 2006, Delhi 2010 and Glasgow 2014. With the Cycling team still to be announced for Gold Coast 2018, here are 12 things you might not know about the sport’s history at the Commonwealth Games:
- Cycling has been included at all but the first Games. It made its debut in 1934 and has appeared at every Games since.
- Scotland has won 18 Cycling medals at the Commonwealth Games; five gold, five silver and eight bronze, and were 4th on the Cycling medal table at Glasgow 2014, winning two gold, two silver and a bronze.
- Scotland’s first cycling medal came at the Edinburgh 1970 Games when Brian Temple took silver in the 10 mile Scratch Race.
- Craig MacLean is Scotland’s most decorated Commonwealth Games cyclist with three gold and one bronze medal. He won gold in 2006 and bronze in 2002 in the Team Sprint with Chris Hoy and Ross Edgar, before piloting Neil Fachie to two gold medals in the Para-Sport B Tandem events at Glasgow 2014.
- Para-Cycling events were included on the Commonwealth Games programme for the first time at Glasgow 2014 and Scotland won a medal in each of the four events on the programme.
- Women’s Cycling events were first included at the Auckland 1990 Games, with the events contested a Sprint and Individual Pursuit on the track, plus a Road Race.
- The only Cycling event to have been on the programme at every Commonwealth Games is the Men’s 1km Time Trial. The Men’s Road Race wasn’t held in 1934 but has been held at every Games since.
- Mountain Bike events were first introduced to the programme at Manchester 2002 and have been included at every Games since, with the exception of Delhi 2010.
- Australia has been the top nation in Cycling on 14 of the 19 occasions the sport has been included in the Commonwealth Games.
- All three cycling disciplines; Track, Road and Mountain Bike are included on the Gold Coast 2018 programme.
- Track Cycling events at the Gold Coast 2018 Games will be held at the newly built Anna Meares Velodrome in Brisbane. Named after Australia’s Olympic, World and Commonwealth Games Cycling gold medallist, the velodrome is Queensland’s first and will provide for 4,000 spectators.
- The Elanora / Currumbin Valley will provide a picturesque backdrop to the Gold Coast 2018 Road Cycling events while Nerang Mountain Bike Trails will be the venue for the Mountain Bike competition.
Team Scotland, Bowls Scotland and Scottish Disability Sport have confirmed that Para-Sport Lawn Bowls athlete Martin Hunter has been forced to withdraw from the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games due to personal circumstances.
Hunter will be replaced in the Open B6/B7/B8 Triples by Garry Brown, twice a World Championship competitor and reigning Scottish Indoor champion. He joins fellow Games debutant Mike Nicoll, and Michael Simpson, who returns after taking 4th place at Glasgow 2014.
Jon Doig, Team Scotland Chef de Mission, said: “It is hugely disappointing to lose Martin Hunter with just over two months to the Games, and the thoughts of the Team are with him as we know how hard he has worked and how significant the Commonwealth Games are in an athlete’s career.
“We welcome Garry to Team Scotland, who was unlucky to miss out in the initial selection and whose experience will be an asset to the team. I wish the squad all the best in their preparation for Gold Coast 2018.”
Garry Brown joins his para-bowls team-mates in their Gold Coast preparation with immediate effect. Meet Garry in his athlete profile here.
In further news for Lawn Bowls, Eric McMillan joins Team Scotland as Para-Bowls Assistant Team Manager and Coach for Gold Coast 2018.
With Gold Coast 2018 set to host the first ever Beach Volleyball competition at a Commonwealth Games, Team Scotland’s preparations have taken a step forward with the draw for both the men’s and women’s events confirmed, following a draw ceremony held at the Coolangatta Beachfront competition venue.
Overseen and sanctioned by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB), the draw ceremony saw the 12 competing nations for both the men’s and women’s competitions drawn into three pools.
Scotland join Canada, Sri Lanka and Sierra Leone in Pool B of the men’s competition and, having won the European qualifier to take their place in Gold Coast, Robin Miedzybrodzki and Seain Cook are looking forward to the experience.
“It was fantastic watching the draw live last night on Facebook,” said Robin.
“It really hit us that the Games are fast approaching and gave us a glimpse of the quality of the event that the Australians are bringing together in the Gold Coast. We are very happy with the draw and are looking forward to continuing our preparations and bringing together our strategy for the pool games now that we know our schedule.”
Scotland’s women will face hosts Australia in Pool A, alongside Grenada and Cyprus, the team that beat them to an automatic qualifying place at the European qualifier. Lynne Beattie and Mel Coutts had an anxious wait in December to learn if they would receive an invitation to compete, but it’s now full steam ahead with their preparation.
“We are ecstatic at the opportunity to play the hosts on their home sand, this is a dream come true,” said Mel.
“We are also looking forward to another battle against our Small Countries counterparts Cyprus. Grenada will bring something different to us so we look forward to that challenge too. We are happy we now know who we have to play against and all the challenges they bring.”
Both men’s and women’s events will feature 12 teams of two players. The top four ranked teams were placed into the three pools in a snaking pattern according to their current FIVB Word Rankings, with the remaining eight teams then randomly drawn to complete the pools.
The allocated pools will determine the match schedule for the preliminary round-robin stage of the competition, with each team to play every other team within their pool once. Two points will be awarded for a win, one point for a loss and zero for a forfeited match. The top two teams in each pool will progress, along with the two third ranked teams with the highest number of points.
The preliminaries run from 6-9 April before culminating with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and medal matches from 10-12 April, with all matches to be held at the 4000-seat capacity Coolangatta Beachfront venue.
The three pools determined today for the women’s and men’s competitions are listed below:
GC2018 WOMEN’S BEACH VOLLEYBALL COMPETITION POOLS
| POOL A | POOL B | POOL C |
| Australia | Canada | New Zealand |
| Scotland | England | Vanuatu |
| Grenada | Trinidad & Tobago | Singapore |
| Cyprus | Fiji | Rwanda |
GC2018 MEN’S BEACH VOLLEYBALL COMPETITION POOLS
| POOL A | POOL B | POOL C |
| Australia | Canada | England |
| Trinidad & Tobaga | Scotland | New Zealand |
| St Kitts & Nevis | Sri Lanka | Cyprus |
| Fiji | Sierra Leone | Mozambique |
Today’s unveiling of the pools will enable the full match schedule to be completed in mid-February.
Our Gold Coast 2018 Sport Focus is a double-header this week as Lawn Bowls and Cycling share the spotlight. Both Lawn Bowls and Cycling have done the nation proud over recent Commonwealth Games, delivering five gold medals between them at Glasgow 2014 and it is a big week in both sports with finals action imminent at the World Indoor Bowls Championships and Scotland’s cyclists gearing up for this weekend’s British Track Championships.
Look out for all things Bowls and Cycling 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.
Lawn Bowls at the Commonwealth Games
One of the six sports included in the first Commonwealth Games in 1930, Lawn Bowls is a core sport and has been featured at every Games, with the exception of Kingston, Jamaica in 1966 where the sport was dropped from the programme due to no sufficient bowling greens being available.
With three gold and a silver, Glasgow 2014 is Team Scotland’s most successful Lawn Bowls performance to date, but Scottish bowlers have been a regular fixture on the podium since the first Games, winning a total of 32 medals, half of them gold.
Bowler Willie Wood holds the record for Commonwealth Games appearances, competing at eight Games between 1966 and 2010. At the Delhi 2010 Games he was the oldest competitor, aged 72. Scotland’s most successful Commonwealth Games bowler, Alex Marshall, will make his sixth Games appearance in Gold Coast, looking to add to his tally of four gold medals.
Find out more about Lawn Bowls in the Commonwealth Games, including the competition format, rules and equipment on our dedicated Lawn Bowls page.
Cycling at the Commonwealth Games
Cycling made its Games debut in 1934 and has been included in every Games since, despite being an optional sport on the programme. It was a long wait for Scotland’s first medal in the sport, coming courtesy of Brian Temple’s silver medal winning ride in the 10 mile Scratch Race at the home Games of Edinburgh 1970. A bronze followed in 1986 for Eddie Alexander in the 1000m Sprint, but since 2002, Scottish cyclists have come into their own, winning 16 medals across four Games and at least one gold in 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014.
Para-Sport events were first included at Glasgow 2014 and Team Scotland were dominant, taking two gold and two silver across the four events. All four events are back on the programme for Gold Coast 2018.
Craig McLean is Scotland’s most successful cyclist, winning gold in 2006 and bronze in 2002 in the Team Sprint with Chris Hoy and Ross Edgar, before piloting Neil Fachie to double gold at the Glasgow 2014 games in the Para-Sport B Tandem events.
Find out more about Cycling in the Commonwealth Games, including the competition format, rules and equipment on our dedicated Cycling page.
Team Scotland 2018
Team Scotland have named a strong squad of 10 able-bodied and seven para-sport bowlers for Gold Coast 2018 including double Glasgow 2014 medallist Alex Marshall, plus fellow Glasgow 2014 champions Paul Foster and Darren Burnett. Irene Edgar and David Thomas, who were part of the silver medal winning Visually Impaired quartet in Glasgow also return as does Melbourne 2006 silver medallist Kay Moran.
The Cycling team have still to be named, with the announcement due in February, but it promises to be a strong squad with the likes of Olympic gold medallists Katie Archibald and Callum Skinner in the frame, as well as a host of past Games medallists and up-and-coming talents.
Click here to meet the full Lawn Bowls team for Gold Coast 2018.
A total of 117 athletes have been named to Team Scotland for Gold Coast 2018 to date, with athletes announced in Athletics, Basketball, Boxing, Beach Volleyball, Lawn Bowls, Shooting, Squash, Swimming, Table Tennis, Triathlon and Weightlifting.
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.
Twelve of Scotland’s top Basketball players are celebrating the perfect start to 2018 after being selected to represent Team Scotland at the Commonwealth Games on Australia’s Gold Coast in April, when Basketball will make its return to the Commonwealth Games for the first time since 2006.
Glasgow Rocks and GB Basketball star, Gareth Murray, is the only returning Scot from the 2006 Games and will become Scotland’s only Basketball player to have played at two Commonwealth Games.
Fellow Rocks team-mate and GB Basketball captain, Kieron Achara will make his Games debut, after missing out through injury last time round.
Having represented GB at the London 2012 Olympics, Achara brings a wealth of experience to Team Scotland and is excited to experience another multi-sports event.
Commenting on his selection to the team for Gold Coast 2018, Achara added:
“I am really excited to be part of Team Scotland for the first time, having missed out in 2006 due to injury, I am really looking forward to being part of the squad for Gold Coast. It is a unique opportunity for us to represent Scotland and the whole team have been working hard to ensure that we are the best prepared team on the Gold Coast this April. Having been part of Team GB at London 2012, I know how special multi-sport events are and being part of the wider Team Scotland will be a really enjoyable experience for the whole team.”
Among an exciting line up of players making their Games debut, 17 year-old Callan Low becomes the youngest player ever to represent Team Scotland in Basketball, stepping up from being Vice-Captain of the Scotland U18 team last season.
The team will get their Commonwealth campaign underway in Townsville on April 5th with a crucial game against England before facing Cameroon and India in their other Pool B games.
Speaking on the team selection, basketballscotland Chief Executive Kevin Pringle said:
“Everyone at basketballscotland would like to congratulate the 12 athletes selected to represent Team Scotland at Gold Coast 2018. Today’s announcement is a testament to the hard work and dedication shown by each individual selected. With just a few months until the Games get underway, we are confident that training is going well and that the team will be ready to make a significant impact on the Gold Coast in April. The whole team at basketballscotland is delighted to celebrate such an exciting day for all of the athletes and coaching staff involved and we wish the whole of Team Scotland the best of luck for April’s Games.”
Also announced today are athletes from the sports of Para-Powerlifting, Table Tennis, Triathlon and Para-Swimming.
Selected for his second Games, powerlifter Micky Yule will be looking to make the step onto the podium after a fourth place finish at Glasgow 2014. Previously a competitor for the Army Weightlifting team, he was injured by an improvised explosive device while serving with the Scots Royal Engineers in 2010. After a year out to recover from his injuries, he returned to training, becoming the first Scot to compete at a Commonwealth Games in Para-Sport Powerlifting. He was also the first British athlete to win gold at the 2016 Invictus Games, taking titles in both 2014 and 2016. After several injury setbacks in 2017, he is on the comeback trail and, if he can recapture the form that places him second on the Commonwealth rankings, he is a true medal contender in the Heavyweight division.
Micky Yule said: “I am proud to be selected for my second Commonwealth Games. I finished fourth in Glasgow last time out and felt how close it was to miss out on those medals. I go to the Gold Coast with one mission and that’s to come home with a medal. Nothing else will do!”
Two young Para-Swimmers are also named to today and will be aiming to emulate the success of swimming sensation Erraid Davies at Glasgow 2014. Holder of an incredible 14 Scottish records in the S9 and S10 categories, 14 year old Toni Shaw is the youngest athlete named for Team Scotland for Gold Coast 2018 to date. Selection comes on the back of an outstanding 2017, where she won multiple medals at the World Para-Swimming Series and earned selection to the senior team for the World Para-Swimming Championships in Mexico.
Toni will swim the SB9 100m Breaststroke, the event in which Davies won her memorable bronze in Glasgow, as well as the S9 100m Freestyle, S9 100m Backstroke and the SM10 200m Individual Medley. She is joined by 16 year old Beth Johnston in the 200m Individual Medley. Beth took two gold and a silver at the penultimate World Para-Swimming Series event in Indianapolis and set Scottish records over 50m and 100m Backstroke in 2017.
Ally Whike, Performance Director at Scottish Swimming said: “Both Toni and Beth have upped their game throughout the qualification period and I’ve been impressed by their approach to each meet they have competed in. This will hold them in good stead to perform at their best come April.”
In Table Tennis, Perth’s Gavin Rumgay returns to Team Scotland for a fourth Commonwealth Games, having taken a record-equalling 12th Scottish Championship Singles title in 2017. He is joined by Craig Howieson, making his third Games appearance and 23 year old Colin Dalgleish, who represented Great Britain at the 2017 World University Games and will make his Team Scotland debut in Gold Coast. Each will play in the Singles and Team event, with a Doubles pairing still to be finalised.
Richard Yule, Table Tennis Scotland Chief Operating Officer, said: “The table tennis community in Scotland will be delighted to know that Gavin, Craig and Colin have been selected to join Team Scotland for the Games in Australia. Congratulations and best wishes for a successful Games to all three players, who I know will be great ambassadors in the Gold Coast, for their sport and for Scotland.”
Team Scotland’s golden girl of the track at the Bahamas 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games, Erin Wallace makes an immediate step up into the senior team for Gold Coast 2018. However, in a similar vein to Beth Potter, previously named to the team, it will be in Triathlon that she looks to make her mark in Gold Coast. Competing in both sports for several years, Erin first represented Triathlon Scotland in 2011 and has since combined winning European Youth and Commonwealth Youth Games gold over 1500m on the track, with successful participation at international level in Triathlon, taking European Junior Cup silver twice in 2017. Erin’s selection will also allow Scotland to enter a Mixed Relay team in Gold Coast, joining Potter, Marc Austin and Grant Sheldon.
Delighted to be selected for Gold Coast, Erin said: “I was lucky enough to be one of the Queen’s baton bearers leading up to Glasgow 2014 and those Games really inspired me. At the time people asked if I was thinking about Gold Coast, but I’d never even considered it. I’m very grateful to be given this opportunity and it will be a surreal experience in an amazing place.
“I’m lucky to have started my Commonwealth experience at the Youth Games in The Bahamas last year and I am very excited about continuing this into the senior Games in a different sport.”
Welcoming the newly selected athletes, Jon Doig OBE, Team Scotland Chef de Mission, said: “Congratulations to every one of the athletes selected today. It is fantastic to welcome athletes back to Team Scotland for their second, third or even fourth Games, along with an exciting group of young athletes making their debut at this level. Every athlete named to the team has met our tough selection standards and I look forward to watching them all perform with distinction in Gold Coast.”
Today’s announcement brings the total number of athletes named for Team Scotland to 117, with more team selections set to be made in the coming weeks, with the full team due to be finalised in early March.
SELECTED ATHLETES
BASKETBALL (12):
Name Hometown / Lives
Kieron Achara Stirling / Paisley
Jonathan Bunyan Falkirk / Falkirk
Bantu Burroughs Charleston, St Kitts and Nevis / Glasgow
Chris Cleary Paisley / Houston, Renfrewshire
Nick Collins Glasgow / Renfrew
Alasdair Fraser Falkirk / Falkirk
Kyle Jimenez Edinburgh / Edinburgh
Callan Low Kilmacolm / Kilmacolm
Fraser Malcolm Falkirk / Falkirk
Gareth Murray Glasgow / Rutherglen
Sean Nealon-Lino Edinburgh / Edinburgh
Michael Vigor Bristol / Bristol
PARA-SWIMMING (2):
Name Hometown / Lives
Beth Johnston Galashiels / Galashiels
Toni Shaw Aberdeen / Aberdeen
POWERLIFTING (1):
Name Hometown / Lives
Micky Yule Musselburgh / Southampton
TABLE TENNIS (3):
Name Hometown / Lives
Colin Dalgleish Ecclesmachan / Aberdeen
Craig Howieson Edinburgh / Edinburgh
Gavin Rumgay Perth / London
TRIATHLON (1):
Name Hometown / Lives
Erin Wallace Newton Mearns / Glasgow