Commonwealth Games Scotland’s (CGS) Chief Executive Jon Doig and General Team Manager Elinor Middlemiss have today taken timeout from the Glasgow 2014 Debrief to visit Coolangatta State School for the first time since the Commonwealth Games Federation Flag was passed from Glasgow to the Gold Coast.
Jon Doig said the purpose of the visit was to reconnect with the school that adopted Scotland as part of the Adopt a Commonwealth Country Programme during the Gold Coast’s bid to host the XXI Commonwealth Games.
“CGS doesn’t get an opportunity to visit the Gold Coast very often and we wanted to make the most of this particular visit to reconnect with Coolangatta State School–the school that adopted us in 2011.”
A relationship between Coolangatta State School and Commonwealth Games Scotland was formed through the Adopt the Commonwealth Country Programme – an initiative implemented by Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Bid Ltd – during the Gold Coast’s bid to host the Games.
“We have thoroughly enjoyed meeting the students and building on our relationship with Coolangatta State School today and we are looking forward to further engagement with the school in the lead up to the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018).”
The visit also provided an opportunity for CGS to personally thank Coolangatta State School for the canvas artwork that they received at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation (GOLDOC) Chief Executive Officer Mark Peters said the canvas artwork ‘gift’ was a GOLDOC initiative aimed at reigniting the great relationships that were developed with the 74 schools involved in the Adopt a Commonwealth Country Programme and their adopted country.
“The Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games was an excellent reason to re-engage with the schools involved in the programme and provide the students with an opportunity, through the artwork, to invite the Commonwealth Games Associations (CGAs) of their adopted country to visit them again on the Gold Coast in 2018.”
GOLDOC provided each school with a canvas scroll comprising a caricature outline of the Gold Coast to decorate and return to GOLDOC to hand deliver to the CGAs at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.
The artworks were presented to the CGAs during the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. The Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018) will be staged from 4-15 April 2018.
Jillie Cooper, one of Scotland’s most popular badminton players, today announced her retirement.
The 26-year-old from Edinburgh, who won the women’s doubles title at the 2008 Scottish International Championships, made her Scotland debut in 2007 and won the last of her 39 caps at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
She said: “The time is right, especially after the Commonwealth Games. The Olympics in Rio is only two years away and with partnership changes it doesn’t leave a lot of time (to start afresh).
“I have played in almost every major international event and I have had an amazing career, especially after coming back from two major operations. I suppose Glasgow 2014 was the perfect ending with all my friends and family there to watch.”
Jillie, who gained a BSc in science from the Open University during her playing career, added: “I would like to thank the Scottish Institute of Sport and BADMINTONscotland for all their support.
“I can look back on a career which included playing in two Commonwealth Games and winning the Scottish Open title at the Kelvin Hall, which was amazing.
“I also came through the junior ranks into senior badminton with good friends like Emma Mason, Linda Sloan and Imogen Bankier.
“I can leave without any regrets. My French club in Aix-en-Provence wanted me to carry on but I plan to go travelling at the start of November before deciding what to do next.”
After her 2008 Scottish International title triumph at the Kelvin Hall she went on to win the women’s doubles and mixed doubles titles at the Welsh International a few weeks later.
Her last title success was earlier this year when she won the Romanian International mixed doubles with Martin Campbell.
BADMINTONscotland Chief Executive Anne Smillie led the plaudits when she said: “Jillie was always a player who gave 100 per cent and I am sorry she has decided to retire, especially at such a young age.
“But she can look back on her badminton career with great satisfaction, having left her mark on both the junior and senior level of the sport.
“Jillie has played a significant part in Scotland’s recent successes, particularly the 2013 Sudirman Cup campaign when Scotland were unbeaten in topping Group Two.
Team Scotland Chef de Mission Jon Doig added: “Jillie represented Team Scotland at the last two Commonwealth Games and has made a significant contribution to both her sport and the team as a whole. We wish her all the very best for the future.”
BADMINTONscotland Performance Manager Gareth McKenna said: “Jillie has risen to many challenges and continued to show determination to get the best out of herself. Jillie is a great team player, who always had great pride in representing her country, sharing in great moments in the Sudirman Cup in 2013 and Commonwealth Games in Glasgow 2014.
“She has been a great servant to Scottish badminton and will be missed.”
Following an outstanding Commonwealth Games in Glasgow last month, some of Team Scotland’s celebrated medallists will take part today in the Opening Ceremony of the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles to spur Team Europe on to victory.
15 medallists including swimmer Ross Murdoch, 400m hurdler Eilidh Child, judoka Euan Burton, lawn bowler Alex Marshall and boxer Charlie Flynn will go on stage at the start of the ceremony to talk about their Commonwealth Games experiences, how they coped with the pressure of expectation and the importance of a vocal home crowd.
The athletes were invited by Ryder Cup organisers, the European Tour to highlight Scotland’s amazing summer of world class events and to recognise the outstanding success of Team Scotland.
Perthshire girl, Eilidh Child a silver medallist in Glasgow, who went on to take the European 400m Hurdles crown two weeks later in Zurich said: “It is a huge honour to be asked to take part in the Ryder Cup opening ceremony. The Commonwealth Games in Glasgow were absolutely amazing and to hear the ’Hampden roar’ for Team Scotland was incredible and undoubtedly spurred us on to some great individual and collective team performances. I am sure the knowledgeable Scottish golfing crowds here at Gleneagles will cheer Team Europe all the way round the course and give them that extra edge.”
19 time world title holder and quadruple Commonwealth Games gold medallist, Alex Marshall added:
“With the magnificent Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and now the Ryder Cup here at Gleneagles it shows what a great place Scotland is to host international events.
“With the competition ready to get underway tomorrow the atmosphere here is full of anticipation for what is to come. This is when as athletes you have to hold your nerve and focus on your own game and keep everything as normal as possible. Go Team Europe!”
Commonwealth Games Scotland would like to wish Team Europe all the very best of luck as they aim to retain the Ryder Cup.
Athletes attending are:
Ross Murdoch – Aquatics
Michael Jamieson – Aquatics
Elidh Child – Athletics
Charlie Flynn – Boxing
Josh Taylor- Boxing
Euan Burton – Judo
Sarah Adlington – Judo
Sarah Clark – Judo
Kimberley Renicks – Judo
Louise Renicks – Judo
Darren Burnett – Lawn Bowls
Paul Foster – Lawn Bowls
Alex Marshall MBE – Lawn Bowls
David Peacock – Lawn Bowls
Neil Speirs – Lawn Bowls
David Gourlay, Bowls Scotland’s Head Coach who guided the country’s lawn bowlers to a highly successful Glasgow Games, announced today (22 September 2014) he is stepping down from the role.
A former World Champion, Gourlay’s team produced a medal winning run during his three years in the role. In Glasgow this summer the integrated team of mainstream and para bowlers won four medals, three of them gold. Two years previously Scotland returned from the Adelaide World Championships with six medals, including three golds.
Like others who have put everything into maximising the home Games opportunity, Gourlay realised that nothing he could subsequently do as a coach would ever match this summer in Glasgow.
Although he has no immediate plans he does intend to focus on his own competition and is not ruling out the opportunity of travelling.
“For me the Head Coach role was only ever going to be to be for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games,” said Gourlay. “And I don’t think that anything will ever beat that experience of being coach at a home Games, so I feel now the time is right to move on.
“It’s an incredibly hard decision to make because the squad and I have grown really close over the past three years. It’s been a long journey and you get to know people really well in a way that you never knew them before. I’ll miss working in the sport but most of all I’ll miss the players.”
Training Scotland’s Glasgow-bound bowls team was all consuming. ‘Best prepared team’ was not just a mantra but a goal that every team member committed to during the years that led up to the Games.
Gourlay and his Team Manager, Ricky Taylor, left nothing to chance. They acknowledge the support of the sportscotland institute of sport as indispensible. Together they worked to ensure the para team was fully integrated into the main squad and were delighted with what they achieved.
“With David as coach we had far more training camps, test series, seminars, team building days, psychology sessions with the full support of the sportscotland institute of sport, and lots of practice sessions at Kelvingrove,” said double gold medallist and Scottish Sportsperson of 2014, Alex Marshall MBE.
“David and Ricky built a programme based on the team’s shots on every rink in every direction at Kelvingrove. So when we competed at the Games, whatever green or rink we found ourselves on, we had a great idea how it was going to perform before we went on it. That made a massive difference.”
The outcomes of Gourlay’s near forensic preparations were obvious in the team’s performances. It doubled the original aim of two medals, although Gourlay admits disappointment that the women did not win medals.
“I have mixed emotions about the results,” said Gourlay. “The men excelled themselves but I was disappointed with the women’s results and I thought we had a really good team, but they were so unlucky the first week. They could easily have won two medals and I’m not sure we recovered from those near misses.”
Measured purely on medals Gourlay’s plan was a success. But he also made equally important progress in changing the image of the game and the culture of performance bowling in Scotland. In his programme’s three years the Scottish game moved on by decades.
“One of the highlights for me was the recognition and respect that bowls got at the Games, not only through the media but with other sports,” said Gourlay. We’ve got to be a professional sport if we want to be taken seriously and we’ve taken a couple of steps on the performance ladder.
“The players were fully committed in terms of their attitudes and behaviour leading up to and during the Games. The backing that we’ve had from sportscotland and Bowls Scotland has been incredible and that’s just testament to the programme that the guys were committed to.”
Following a review, Bowls Scotland will begin the process to recruit a new head coach. His successor will have a different plan for the build up to the 2018 Games but in Gourlay’s modern approach the benchmark has already been set.
“David has made fantastic progress with bowls for the past three years and the medal stats from the Commonwealth Games and World Championships speak for themselves,” said Marshall.
“Do we keep up the high performance approach? Without a doubt we do. We’ve got to continue at the same level because other countries will be striving to try and do the same as we have done in the next Worlds and Commonwealth Games.”
Paying tribute to Gourlay, Bowls Scotland’s CEO Alan McMillan said:
“I have witnessed firsthand how David and his team have grown over the last three years. When he took on the post there was a lot to learn and a lot to do, and David’s commitment to his players and support staff was immense.
“Whilst I am disappointed that David is leaving the post he has left performance bowls in a better place and set a benchmark for anyone who has aspirations to become a world class player.”
Bowls Scotland would like to thank David for all that he has done for the game and wish him well for the future. We will now continue to build on his good work as we plan towards the 2018 Commonwealth Games.”
Jon Doig Chief Executive Commonwealth Games Scotland said: “On behalf of Team Scotland I would like to thank David for the huge contribution he made to the success of the Lawn Bowls team at Glasgow 2014.
“From the careful planning and preparation to the feel good factor he created amongst the players and staff, it was fantastic to see them reap the rewards of a well executed campaign. They had their best Games ever and made a major contribution to Team Scotland’s overall success. We wish him all the best for the future.”
An iconic Clyde statue which played a special part in the best Commonwealth Games ever, will have a new life cheering up some of the sickest children in the country, thanks to big-hearted Games volunteers.
Glasgow 2014 has gifted the life-sized Clyde signed by Glasgow 2014 Ambassador and cycling Sir Chris Hoy to an army of Games volunteers, who were raising funds to bid for the mascot via the official Games Auction. The Glasgow 2014 donation of Clyde to the volunteers enables them to gift the results of fund-raising efforts – as well as the Clyde statue itself – to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children at Yorkhill, Glasgow.
The Clyde statue, which is dressed in the famous red and grey Games uniform, was the friendly welcoming face at the entrance to the Glasgow 2014 Uniform and Accreditation Centre (UAC) at the Kelvin Hall. The UAC was visited by more than 50,000 staff and volunteers in the build-up to the Games. The statue also welcomed Her Majesty the Queen as she visited the centre in early July to collect her Games-time accreditation.
Clyde will be unveiled at Yorkhill in coming weeks and is sure to be familiar friendly face for young people and families arriving at the hospital.
Glasgow 2014 Chief Executive David Grevemberg said:
“The Glasgow 2014 volunteers inspired everyone who experienced the Commonwealth Games with their passion and energy. It’s absolutely great that they are passing on their own generous and inspiring Games legacy by helping to put a smile on the faces of children visiting the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow.
“Clyde was the cheeky, cheery face of Glasgow 2014 created by a child for children and adults alike. I’m thrilled that, thanks to our volunteers, he will continue to bring a smile to the faces of Glasgow’s children in need for years to come.”
Team Scotland judoka Kimberley and Louise Renicks and Chris Sherrington also visited Yorkhill during the Games to show off their Gold medals to the children and talk about their Games experiences.
With the Commonwealth Games Scotland offices based on the picturesque campus of the University of Stirling, CEO Jon Doig joined Principle McCormac in welcoming back the university’s Team Scotland Commonwealth Games competitors. The proud athletes were piped into the Gannochy Sports Centre for the ‘Welcome Back’ ceremony that took place during the Sports Union’s annual Bazaar.
Twenty-two Stirling university students and graduates competed at the home Games, which were Scotland’s most successful Commonwealth Games ever. Athletes from Swimming, Triathlon, Cycling, Hockey and Squash took to the Commonwealth medal podium which has been gifted by Glasgow 2014 to the Commonwealth Games Scotland Archive, following its use at the SSE Hydro.
Sports Studies student Cameron Brodie, who helped Team Scotland to a Swimming Silver medal in the 4x200m Freestyle Relay, spoke to the packed Sports Hall about his memories of competing in Glasgow.
“It really was brilliant! It seems sad to say it now, but it felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I knew walking out in the final at Tollcross that this is probably as good as it’s going to get.
“The University of Stirling is fantastic for swimmers. It’s a combination of world class training facilities, world-class coaching and world-class gym facilities as well. There is no excuse for not performing with the set-up here.”
Hockey international Alison Bell, who graduated in 2012 with a PhD in Sports Coaching, said: “There is always that nagging feeling that we could have beaten England and made the semi-finals, but on the whole I can still reflect on Glasgow as an amazing experience that I will never forget.
“There is so much to get involved in sport at Stirling. I was able to improve my hockey and improve my career prospects whilst studying here.”
Jon Doig, Chief Executive of Commonwealth Games Scotland, said: “Glasgow 2014 was an event 12 years in the planning and throughout that period we have been based here at the University of Stirling, which has been the ideal environment with world-class sports facilities.
“We are extremely proud of the contribution that University of Stirling students and staff made to Team Scotland, which delivered so much this summer and with the help of the University will continue to do so.”
Professor Gerry McCormac, Principal and Vice-Chancellor, said: “The sense of pride in the University during the Commonwealth Games as athlete after athlete performed at the highest level was palpable and I am delighted to be able to thank them today.
“To compete at the highest level in sport takes tremendous dedication and many sacrifices. I commend each and every one of our athletes and the many coaches and support staff who helped them along the way.”
Organisers of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and sportscotland aim to empower a new generation of sporting stars by distributing over £600,000 of sports equipment used at the event to facilities around the country.
As part of the Glasgow 2014 legacy plan, all 32 local authorities in Scotland will receive an allocation of over 5,000 items through sportscotland’s Active Schools Network. This will include the likes of rugby balls, netballs, hockey balls, water bottles, whistles, stop watches, and more.
In addition the national agency for sport, sportscotland which is managing the process in partnership with Glasgow 2014, has also arranged for larger sports items to go to clubs and sports facilities. This is being allocated across 13 Sports Governing Bodies, 30 clubs and 13 facilities / trusts.
The Sport Governing Bodies will receive over £200,000 of equipment, with another £200,000 going to the clubs and facilities. Separately £200,000 of weightlifting and powerlifting equipment will go to the sportscotland Institute of Sport to upgrade and replace existing items. The Active Schools Network allocation is valued at over £15,000.
A key role of the Glasgow 2014 Sport Operations team was to identify more than 300,000 individual sport specific equipment items required to stage each of the 17 Games sports. This was a significant project in terms of coordinating the purchase, hire or shared use of items from around the world and then working with key stakeholders including sportscotland to ensure distribution across Scotland after the Games.
Chairman of Commonwealth Games Scotland, Michael Cavanagh said:
“Team Scotland had such a successful Games that I am sure the performances will have inspired many more young people around the country to take up sport. The fact that they could be using equipment which helped spurred Team Scotland to its most successful medal haul ever makes it just that little bit more special.”
The sports equipment from the Commonwealth Games will be distributed to clubs, schools, councils and governing bodies. An application process to allocate the limited number of larger items was completed prior to the end of the Games and the equipment is now in the process of being distributed.
David Grevemberg, Chief Executive of Glasgow 2014, said:
“In addition to delivering an athlete centred, sport focused Games of world class competition celebrated throughout the Commonwealth we aimed to leave a lasting legacy for Glasgow and Scotland. We are delighted to be in the position with our Games partners and sportscotland to deliver on our promise by contributing thousands of items of quality sports equipment to schools and communities across Scotland.”
Stewart Harris, Chief Executive of sportscotland, said:
“Glasgow 2014 provided sportscotland a fantastic opportunity to accelerate our plans towards developing a world-class sporting system at all levels, which we have seized. By working with Glasgow 2014 to distribute sports equipment throughout Scotland, and investing £600,000 into this project we are providing a real sporting legacy from the Games.
“From balls and whistles, to the larger and more technical items of equipment which are available, all will have a positive impact on the communities which receive them. sportscotland is committed to providing more opportunities for people of all ages and abilities in communities across the country, and the Games equipment will play a part in this process.”
Team Scotland smashed the medal target of 34+ medals by stepping onto the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games podium a grand total of 53 times (19 Gold, 15 Silver, 19 Bronze). From the Triathlon on Day one to the Squash on Day 11, the support for the team was remarkable and this was not only heard across the 13 Games venues but also online.
The Team Scotland journey was made accessible through the supports website, mobile app and nine social media platforms with #GoScotland becoming a forum to show support for the team and share opinion. @Team_Scotland was mentioned 90,000+ times on Twitter alone, more than any other country.
Amongst the home nations, each countries Glasgow 2014 hashtag was monitored with each tweet resulting in one point. #GoScotland notched up 18,113 tweets which is double the total of #GoWales, the second place nation. As a result, 25 up and coming Scottish athletes will benefit from funding and join the SSE Next Generation Programme which helps develop athletes for the next Games.
57% of the #GoScotland tweets were categorised as displaying ‘happiness’, with 40% of these tweets showing signs of ‘surprise’, highlighting the overwhelming positive messages of support sent to Team Scotland athletes. The most mentioned Team Scotland athlete on Twitter during the Games time period was Erraid Davies, the 13 year old from the Shetland Islands who took Bronze in the Para-Sport 100m Breaststroke SB9. Erraid coincidently does not actually have a Twitter account!
James Saker, Digital Media Manager said: “The response across social media during the Games time period was incredible and it really spurred on our athletes. From the team’s perspective, we attempted to connect > engage > convert, aiming to both educate the audience and build a community of unofficial ambassadors who back the team. With the nine platforms ranging from Twitter to Snapchat, we engaged with almost every demographic and took them on the Glasgow 2014 journey with us.”
On Twitter alone, @Team_Scotland achieved 11.5 million impressions during the Games time period with 101,040 interactions. To date, Team Scotland is the most followed Commonwealth Games Association across all nine social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Vine, Youtube, Spotify, Google+ and LinkedIn.
Supporters and can continue to follow the efforts of team members over the next few months as they return to single sport competitions and in 2015 our focus will turn to those athletes vying for selection for the Commonwealth Youth Games in Samoa in September 2015.
Following an outstanding Commonwealth Games in Glasgow earlier this month, where Team Scotland delivered its best ever performance, winning 53 medals including 19 Gold to finish fourth on the medal table, double Gold medallist Alex Marshall MBE was named Scottish Sportsperson of the Year 2014 and awarded the Emirates Lonsdale Trophy, at the Commonwealth Games Scotland Awards dinner in Glasgow tonight 15 August). He beat off stiff competition from two other finalists: Swimming’s Ross Murdoch and Para-Sport Cycling tandem duo Neil Fachie and Craig MacLean.
The dinner, organised by Commonwealth Games Scotland, is one of the highlights of the Scottish sporting calendar and recognises the achievements of Scotland’s athletes in Commonwealth Games Federation member sports over the past 12 months. This year was a celebration of the achievements of Team Scotland and the culmination of a hugely successful 12 year journey to Glasgow 2014 for Commonwealth Games Scotland.
Alex, a five-times Commonwealth Games representative, won Gold in both the Men’s Pairs event at Glasgow 2014 with Paul Foster and in the Fours with Neil Speirs, David Peacock and Paul Foster and is now Scotland’s most successful Commonwealth Games Bowler. He now ties with Allan Wells as the holder of the most Gold medals won by an individual Scottish athlete, after previous success in Manchester 2002 and Melbourne 2006. A legend of Scottish sport as a 19 times World Champion in both the Indoor and Outdoor codes, Alex led from the front as captain of the five-strong men’s bowls team that all won Gold medals – an unprecedented achievement. He was voted a deputy Flag bearer for Team Scotland for the Opening Ceremony for the Glasgow Games and was Flag Bearer at the Closing Ceremony.
Marshall will receive two Business Class flights to Dubai courtesy of Award sponsor Emirates – the Official Airline Partner of Glasgow 2014 and a cheque for £1000.
The other finalists, with outstanding performances at Glasgow 2014, were swimmer Ross Murdoch and Para-Sport Cycling tandem duo Neil Fachie and Craig MacLean.
They will receive runner-up cheques.
20-year-old Ross Murdoch has had a stellar season with his win in the 200m Breaststroke setting a Commonwealth, Commonwealth Games, British and Scottish Record and making him the current number one ranked athlete in the world and third fastest of all time. His look and reaction on finishing and realising he had won has become one of the images of the Games. His 200m Gold was swiftly followed by a Bronze in the 100m Breaststroke where he set a Scottish record and he went on to be part of the Scottish record setting 4x100m Medley Relay team. Training at the University of Stirling, under coach, Ben Higson, Ross made his breakthrough at last year’s World Championships making the semi-finals of the 100m Breaststroke and hasn’t looked backed since. He travels out to the European Championships in Berlin this weekend, where he will be aiming to build on his growing international reputation.
Para-Sport athlete Neil Fachie switched from competing at the Paralympics as a track and field athlete to enjoy incredible success on the bike, winning a Gold and Silver in London with pilot Barney Storey, as well as success at World Championships with both Storey and Craig MacLean. Teaming up in Glasgow with fellow Scot MacLean, himself a multiple world champion, Commonwealth Games Gold medallist and former Team Scotland Flag bearer, the duo delivered double Gold on the track setting Commonwealth Games records. This makes Fachie, the reigning World, Paralympic and Commonwealth Champion and the current world record holder in the Para-Sport B Tandem 1000m time trial for visually impaired athletes.
Announcing the award, Commonwealth Games Scotland Chairman Michael Cavanagh said: “The last few weeks has given Scotland so many new sporting heroes and great moments that will live on in the memory for years to come, which together resulted in Team Scotland’s most successful Games ever.
“Selecting just one winner was an incredibly difficult task, and I am sure we all have our own personal Games highlight, but the achievements of our men’s bowlers led by Alex Marshall was quite outstanding and when added to Alex’s long list of achievements at world level, it clearly makes him a very worthy winner. I am delighted that Emirates are supporting the Lonsdale trophy again this year so we can properly recognise their achievements.”
Also presented tonight was the Sir Peter Heatly Trophy for the outstanding Young Sportsperson of the year. Established by the Heatly family in 2013, this year’s nominees were Erraid Davies, Swimming; Katie Archibald. Cycling and Kirsty Gilmour, Badminton.
Scotland’s youngest ever team member 13 year old Erraid became the darling of the pool and an inspiration to the nation with her Bronze medal in the SB9 100m Breaststroke, beating her personal best both in the heats and in the final. Training in her home in Shetland in a 16.75m pool at the most northerly active swimming club in the UK, she became a worldwide Twitter sensation with her achievements at Glasgow 2014.
Katie had a breakthrough year in 2013/14 year wining Gold as part of the British Pursuit team at the World and European cycling championships, as well as winning team and individual medals in rounds of the World Cup series. In Glasgow Katie won a Bronze medal on the track in the Points Race by securing a win in the final sprint of the race and then went on to compete in the road Time Trial and was the lead rider for Scotland in the Road Race.
Going from World number 45 to world number 17 and number 2 in Europe, Kirsty has had phenomenal year, winning world ranking events in Spain, Sweden and Scotland, and reaching the finals of the London Grand Prix Gold event and the Scottish Open Grand Prix. Kirsty capped off her year by achieving the best ever result by a female badminton player at the Commonwealth Games, winning Silver in the Women’s Singles on the last day of competition.
This was another tough decision for the judging panel, but it was cyclist Katie Archibald that was announced as the winner.
More than 700 people from Scottish sport and business joined in the celebrations at Glasgow’s Thistle Hotel including 200 athletes and staff who had taken part in the Team Scotland celebration parade in the City earlier in the day.
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