Following an intensive year-long selection period, Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS) in conjunction with Scottish Disability Sport today confirmed the names of the 7 Para-Sport Bowlers and Directors who will represent Team Scotland in the XX Commonwealth Games this summer.
Glasgow 2014 will see Scotland’s Para-Sport Lawn Bowlers compete in the Games for the first time since the 2002 Games in Manchester, where they won Gold.
The B6/B7/B8 Triples team of Billy Allan, Michael Simpson and Kevin Wallace have already tasted success on the greens at the Kelvingrove Lawn Bowls Centre, where they won the 2013 Eight Nations Commonwealth Invitational Championships. Kevin and Michael have also had success at the last Bowls for Disabled World Championships in 2011 where Kevin won Gold in the Singles and a Bronze in the Pairs with Michael.
B2/B3 Mixed Pair Robert Conway and Irene Edgar were also successful at the Eight Nations, beating England in the Bronze medal match. They too have great international pedigree, with Robert winning Gold at the 2013 International Blind Bowls Association World Championships and together they won Bronze in the Pairs event. Robert and Irene, who have a visual impairment, will be supported by two Directors Ron McArthur and David Thomas, who for the first time are classed as athletes and will be eligible to receive any medals won.
Bob Dick, Head Coach said: “All of our bowlers have worked very hard to be selected and are extremely worthy of the honour. We certainly have the capability of winning medals in both events, however we cannot be complacent, because there will be serious opposition from the world number one disabled bowling nation, South Africa, as well as Australia, who will be serious medal contenders. They are hungry for success, and with intensive training between now and the Games I am optimistic about the team’s chances.”
SELECTED PARA-SPORT LAWN BOWLERS
NAME EVENTS BORN/LIVES
Billy Allan B6/B7/B8 Open Triples Dunfermline/Cowdenbeath
Kevin Wallace B6/B7/B8 Open Triples Stirling/Clackmannan
Michael Simpson B6/B7/B8 Open Triples Kirkcaldy/Auchtermuchty
Robert Conway B2/B3 Mixed Pairs Glasgow/Glasgow
Irene Edgar B2/B3 Mixed Pairs Glasgow/Saltcoats
Ron McArthur B2/B3 Mixed Pairs Director Motherwell/Falkirk
David Thomas B2/B3 Mixed Pairs Director Old Windsor/Ardrossan
Photo credit: Jeff Holmes
A further 30 athletes across three sports – Boxing (9), Para-Sport Lawn Bowls (7) and Wrestling (14) – have been selected to represent Team Scotland at Glasgow 2014.
Following an intensive year-long selection period, Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS) in conjunction with Boxing Scotland, Scottish Disability Sport and the Scottish Wrestling Association today confirmed the names of the athletes who will compete in the XX Commonwealth Games this summer.
Both Boxing and Lawn Bowls have had major qualification events in Glasgow, with the recent Boxing Scotland Senior Championships confirming final spots on the team for the Games. The five Para-Sport bowlers and two Directors bring the total number of Lawn Bowls athletes to 17, which represents the largest Scottish team ever. A mix of youth and experience makes up the Wrestling team, who will be looking for their first medal since 1994.
Making the announcement Team Scotland Chef de Mission, Jon Doig said: “Huge congratulations to all of the athletes who have been selected for Team Scotland. There has been a competitive selection process across the three sports, which has demonstrated the wealth of talent we have in Scotland. Every athlete with a place on the team has clearly demonstrated their ability to meet the selection standards set and has earned the right to compete for Team Scotland.
“Today’s announcement brings us well past the 100 mark in terms of selected athletes for the Games, and we are on track to achieve our goal of having our largest ever team in Glasgow. Alongside that, it is clear that we have the quality within the team to help us achieve our main goal of having our most successful ever Games.”
Of the 30, only ten athletes have represented Scotland at a previous Commonwealth Games, with a further four athletes making the step up from the Commonwealth Youth Games. Boxer Josh Taylor and the Robertson twins are the only Commonwealth Games medallists in the group, but with many capable of emulating their achievement.
Scottish boxers have been consistently successful at the Commonwealth Games, taking home a medal from every competition since its inception as the British Empire Games in 1930. Delhi silver medallist Josh Taylor is looking to build on his experience at the London 2012 Olympics, and is joined in the team by fellow Delhi fighters Joe Ham and Ross Henderson.
Charlie Flynn and Kieran Smith are making the step up from the 2011 Commonwealth Youth Games in the Isle of Man, while Aqeel Ahmed, Reece McFadden, Scott Forrest and Stephen Lavelle make their Team Scotland debuts. The tenth and final place in the boxing team in the 69kg weight category is still to be decided and will be announced in due course.
Boxing Scotland Chairman Richard Thomas said: “For Glasgow 2014, the nomination of our boxers in a number of weights has come down to the wire. We have witnessed determination and courage from all the boxers in the world’s toughest tournaments throughout the selection period. Now the nominations have been confirmed, our focus now turns to ensuring that our boxers deliver to very best of their ability in 92 days-time when the Games begin.”
Glasgow 2014 will see Scotland’s Para-Sport Lawn Bowlers compete in the Games for the first time since the 2002 Games in Manchester, where they won Gold.
The B6/B7/B8 Triples team of Billy Allan, Michael Simpson and Kevin Wallace have already tasted success on the greens at the Kelvingrove Lawn Bowls Centre, where they won the 2013 Eight Nations Commonwealth Invitational Championships. Kevin and Michael have also had success at the last Bowls for Disabled World Championships in 2011 where Kevin won Gold in the Singles and a Bronze in the Pairs with Michael.
B2/B3 Mixed Pair Robert Conway and Irene Edgar were also successful at the Eight Nations, beating England in the Bronze medal match. They too have great international pedigree, with Robert winning Gold at the 2013 International Blind Bowls Association World Championships and together they won Bronze in the Pairs event. Robert and Irene, who have a visual impairment, will be supported by two Directors Ron McArthur and David Thomas, who for the first time are classed as athletes and will be eligible to receive any medals won.
Bob Dick, Head Coach said: “All of our bowlers have worked very hard to be selected and are extremely worthy of the honour. We certainly have the capability of winning medals in both events, however we cannot be complacent, because there will be serious opposition from the world number one disabled bowling nation, South Africa, as well as Australia, who will be serious medal contenders. They are hungry for success, and with intensive training between now and the Games I am optimistic about the team’s chances.”
Half of the wrestlers selected will be making their debut at the Commonwealth Games, with Gareth Jones making the step up from the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games, where he represented Team Scotland in Pune. Brian Harper, Ross McFarlane, Alex Gladkov, Lewis Waddell, Shannon Hawke and Chelsea Murphy complete the list of debutants.
Twins Fiona and Donna Robertson are amongst the seven athletes who have featured at previous Games and they will be hoping that the roar of the home crowd will enable them to improve on the string of fourth places from Delhi. This will be the second Games in a row that the 48kg sisters have wrestled for Team Scotland having made the switch from Judo before the 2010 Games in Delhi. Both have tasted Commonwealth Games medal success with Donna taking Bronze at the 1990 Auckland Games and Fiona replicating her achievement in 2002 in Manchester.
Jayne Clason, Kathryn Marsh, Sarah Jones, Viorel Etko and Joseph Luigi Bianco complete the group who have competed for Team Scotland before.
Victor Keelan, President of the Scottish Wrestling Association, said: “The Scottish Wrestling Association is extremely proud of our athletes selected to compete for Team Scotland in the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Through their hard work and the leadership of our national coach Volodymyr Gladkov, we feel we have a strong team to lead us to success in Glasgow and create a legacy for our future wrestlers.”
Minister for Commonwealth Games and Sport, Shona Robison, said: “First of all I’d like to congratulate each and every one of our athletes on being selected to join Team Scotland. It is a brilliant achievement to represent your country and all those who have made the Boxing, Wrestling and Para-Sport Lawn Bowls teams should feel very proud of themselves. Their selection to Team Scotland is a reflection of the hard work and commitment they have put in over the past year.
“I am also delighted for the coaches and support staff who have played a pivotal role in supporting their athletes up to this point. Many of them benefited from the sportscotland Coach Personal Awards (SCPA’s) scheme announced last year, which covers their expenses while they are supporting their athletes’ training and competition schedules, essentially allowing them to dedicate even more time to their teams.
“This is a very exciting time for Team Scotland. We are on course to deliver a spectacular Games this summer and I hope there will be a lot of celebrating still to come during, and after, the Games.”
Many of the athletes announced today have benefited from the support of sportscotland the national agency for sport and in particular from the high performance support and expertise provided by the sportscotland institute of sport.
Also congratulating the athletes, Louise Martin CBE, Chair of sportscotland, said: “I am delighted that Team Scotland now has over 100 athletes confirmed for Glasgow, well on track for having a record number of Scots competing in a Commonwealth Games.
“With a mixture of experienced and first-time Games competitors, Team Scotland is shaping up to provide Scotland’s best ever Commonwealth Games performance at what promises to be the best ever Games. The high performance support services provided by sportscotland is world class and we are preparing some of the best athletes in the world – we have much to be proud of and much to look forward to.”
Today’s announcement brings the total Team Scotland numbers selected so far to 122 with an anticipated final team size in the region of 270 athletes.
SELECTED ATHLETES
NAME EVENTS
BOXERS (9)
Aqeel Ahmed 49kg
Reece McFadden 52kg
Joe Ham 56kg
Charlie Flynn 60kg
Josh Taylor 64kg
Kieran Smith 75kg
Scott Forrest 81kg
Stephen Lavelle 91kg
Ross Henderson 91+kg
PARA-SPORT LAWN BOWLERS (7)
Billy Allan B6/B7/B8 Open Triples
Kevin Wallace B6/B7/B8 Open Triples
Michael Simpson B6/B7/B8 Open Triples
Robert Conway B2/B3 Mixed Pairs
Irene Edgar B2/B3 Mixed Pairs
Ron McArthur B2/B3 Mixed Pairs Director
David Thomas B2/B3 Mixed Pairs Director
WRESTLERS (14)
Brian Harper 57kg
Ross McFarlane 57kg
Viorel Etko 61kg
Gareth Jones 65kg
Alex Gladkov 65kg
Joseph Luigi Bianco 86kg
Lewis Waddell 86kg
Fiona Robertson 48kg
Donna Robertson 48kg
Shannon Hawke 53kg
Jayne Clason 53kg
Chelsea Murphy 55kg
Kathryn Marsh 55kg
Sarah Jones 69kg
It all started on a kitchen table for Niall Cameron but please avoid references to table tennis’s popular cliché when you talk to the Elgin player.
Lean and sinewy, the 34 year old represents the opposite of the stereotypical image of a game played in school and church halls but which will have no hiding place this summer when it is thrust into the spotlight at the Glasgow Games. We will all see it for what it really is – fast, explosive, exciting.
“Most table tennis players have a bit of a chip on their shoulders about how the sport is represented – there is a view that it’s not athletic, that’s it’s simply a kitchen table sport,” says Cameron, who started the game when his grandmother bought him a table tennis set…for his kitchen table.
Cameron knows everything about being athletic. A former junior national 1500m steeplechase champion and internationalist (he was once in the same Scottish squad as Team Scotland marathon runner Susan Partridge), the north east town allowed him the opportunity to play many sports with little pressure to specialise in one.
But when his interest and abilities grew, his father built a full size table and he found a club and coach at school to support him. He balanced table tennis with a successful track athletics career before deciding the future lay in the former.
“Growing up in Elgin there wasn’t that much opportunity to concentrate on one sport and play it every night, so you did a bit of everything,” he recalls.
“But I always knew I would specialize and when I was 18 or 19 I knew I had more potential in table tennis.”
Cameron competed in the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games but not since, though it hasn’t been for a lack of effort.
Sadly the Table Tennis team missed out on qualification for the 2006 Melbourne Games, then, in 2010, he was selected as the fourth player for the three man Delhi bound team, missing out again.
Four years on he’s philosophical about what has gone but galvanised into not being excluded a third time: “It was quite disappointing not to go to Melbourne and Delhi but that’s sport; sometimes things go well and sometimes they go badly.
“As soon as I got passed over in India I knew I wanted to give it a big shot for Glasgow and I’m using that as motivation to train harder for this one and hope it doesn’t happen again.”
Like all athletes determined to win a place in Team Scotland for Glasgow, Cameron is pulling out all the stops. His situation is different from most in that his weekdays are spent on Floor 34 of Tower 42, working for a London city hedge fund as a senior risk analyst. His focus on business and preparing for the Glasgow Games leaves room for little else but if he qualifies for the team it will all have been worth it.
“In a standard day I work eight till six, cranking out the financial maths, train seven till nine, get home at 10, then it’s eat sleep and repeat,” says Cameron who prepares as intensely for the sport as he did when he was a runner and points out the rest of his squad are in equally good shape.
“All my holidays and spare time are taken up with table tennis. Admittedly it’s not always the most fun but it’s my choice; I enjoy the playing side and having completely different things to focus on complements each other.”
Team Scotland’s qualification period for table tennis ends in May when the athletes’ names will be submitted to Commonwealth Games Scotland for consideration. Winning a bronze medal in the Commonwealth Championships in India last May qualified the sport so three male players are guaranteed to be picked.
Cameron has not yet met the qualification target, “I’ve had two very close results so I’ve not been far away”, but will get a last opportunity to do so when he plays at the World Championships in Tokyo later this month.
The pressure is completely on but then it has never been off.
“Glasgow will be massive,” he says. “Of all the places I could have ever have competed having a home Games is the ideal, the one that everyone wants to compete in.
“My friends back home keep telling me they have bought tickets to the table tennis and that I’ve got to qualify, but at this point I tell them to shut up and not add any more pressure.
“I’ve actually got a talking ban but they still ask as quietly as they can “what are the chances of seeing you if they buy more tickets?”
And speaking of bans let’s banish the words kitchen table.
Photo credit: Rob Eyton-Jones
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Caroline Brown today became the first Scottish Woman to win the World Cup in Warilla, Australia.
The 32 year old from Motherwell, recently picked for Team Scotland’s 10 strong bowls team competing at this summer’s Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, beat Guernsey’s Alison Merrien 7-7 12-2 in the final.
“Every time you play for Scotland and win something it’s a great achievement and to win the World Cup on my first year coming here I’m over the moon,” said delighted Brown afterwards.
“This is definitely up there with the other titles I’ve won. I’m over the moon with the way I played all week.”
Brown, part of Scotland’s women’s Fours team which won the 2012 World Championship in Australia, emerged strongly from a tough pool section earlier in the week at Warilla, played indoors on carpet.
She beat World Outdoor Singles Champion Australian Karen Murphy and New Zealand’s Jo Edwards, a four times winner at Warilla, to help her into the semi finals where she overcame another top player, Malaysian Siti Zalina Ahmad.
“It’s a great boost when you are in a tournament as big as this and you beat some of the best players in a tough group section,” continued Brown.
“I felt I caught the carpet really well, just kept my form up right through the week, carried on from there and kept it going right through to the final.”
With both Brown and Merrien in top form for today’s final it was no surprise to see the first set drawn 7-7, but it was Brown’s focus and determination that made the difference in the second. The final score was 7-7 12-2.
“The first set was really close,” added Brown. “We were both playing really well but going into the second set I felt it’s still there for the taking, you win this and you win the match.
“I just knuckled down and got my head down and really focused, concentrated on my game and picked it up from there.”
Brown heads to Spain next Wednesday with the Scottish team as part of the continuing training process for July’s Commonwealth Games.
Photo credit: Rob Eyton-Jones
Team Scotland will send its largest Aquatics team ever to a Commonwealth Games, with 38 swimmers and two divers selected for Glasgow 2014.
Aquatics is one of ten core sports at the Commonwealth Games and Swimming and Diving have been in every Games since they began in Hamilton in 1930. It is one of the most competitive sports in the Commonwealth Games and Scotland has won a total of 73 medals in aquatics (including 20 gold), more than any other sport.
Following the intensity of back to back selection meets, Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS) in conjunction with Scottish Swimming today confirmed the names of the athletes who have achieved their goal of competing on home soil this summer.
Scottish swimmers have fought to meet the testing selection standards, firstly up against fellow Scots at the Scottish Championships (3-6 April) and then a week later, with the added home country dimension, at the British Championships (10-15 April). Both events were held at the Glasgow 2014 competition venue – Tollcross International Swimming Centre, which will undoubtedly bear witness to further excitement this summer when the action gets underway 24-29 July.
Making the announcement Team Scotland Chef de Mission, Jon Doig said: “I am delighted to announce the biggest Aquatics team we have ever selected for a Commonwealth Games and at this stage it is the biggest single sport in Team Scotland for 2014. Whilst there is a strong core of experience and success at the highest level, I am also excited to see so many new faces on the team who have been inspired to achieve their best in a quest to be part of Team Scotland at a home Games.
“With only 98 days left until the start of Glasgow 2014, I wish all of them the very best with their final preparations and look forward to some another successful Games in the pool for Scotland this summer.”
Only 12 athletes have competed in the Commonwealth Games before, with five of them medallists, contributing a total of eight medals to swimming’s impressive medal tally.
Caitlin McClatchey, double gold medallist from Melbourne 2006 battled back at the British Championships this week to secure her place in the 200m freestyle, despite contending with a back injury over recent weeks. She will make her third Games appearance for Team Scotland in Glasgow.
Glasgow based Robbie Renwick will also compete in his third Games and will be determined to find his very best form in his home pool in a bid to retain his 200m Freestyle title which was Scotland’s first gold medal of the Games in Delhi in 2010 – the first occasion Flower of Scotland was played as the team’s anthem.
Hannah Miley from Inverurie is also selected for her third consecutive Games and will defend her 400m Individual Medley title on the opening night of the swimming. She plans to keep busy for the duration of the competition, having met selection standards for a further three individual events.
But it has been in the men’s breaststroke events that we have witnessed some of the stiffest competition for places, with Scotland statistically the strongest nation in the world in the 100m Breaststroke just now.
Whilst Olympic and Commonwealth Games silver medallist Michael Jamieson demonstrated his pedigree in the 200m, University of Stirling’s Ross Murdoch has proved he is a force to be reckoned with, winning both the 100m and 50m titles at the Scottish Championships in new Scottish and British records and taking silver in the 200m. He cemented his credentials a week later at the British Championships, where he stormed to victory in the 100m to go top of the world long-course rankings and then took silver in the 50m event.
Triple Commonwealth Youth Games gold medallist Craig Benson also secured his place in the 100m breaststroke at the second time of asking, having missed out at the Scottish Championships by the narrowest of margins, just 0.01 seconds.
Two divers have also been announced today. Edinburgh’s Grace Reid who was Scotland’s youngest ever team member when she competed in Delhi 2010 at just 14 years of age will make her second Games appearance in the 1m Springboard event, She will turn 18 in three weeks-time and has grown more than 10cm since her Commonwealth debut, creating all sorts of technical challenges to overcome.
Reid’s training partner James Heatly (16) has also been named today, which will give great cause for celebration in the Heatly family. James is the grandson of the legendary diver and Commonwealth administrator Sir Peter Heatly, who will turn 90 shortly before the Glasgow Games. Sir Peter still sits in third place on the list of all-time top Scots at the Commonwealth Games winning three gold, one silver and one bronze and nothing would give him greater pleasure than to watch James follow in his footsteps.
Performance Director of Scottish Swimming, Ally Whike said: “I have been very pleased with the approach of the swimmers to the challenge of qualification. This will hold them in good stead to perform at the top of their game come July.”
Minister for Sport and Commonwealth Games, Shona Robison said: “It is always a fantastic achievement to represent your country and all those who have made the swimming and diving team can feel rightly proud. It is just reward for all the hard work and commitment these athletes have put in day in and day out in the pool. I am also delighted for the coaches and support staff who have played such an important role in supporting their athletes. We have been helping many of these athletes though sportscotland Athlete Personal Awards and we have high hopes for success in the aquatic events at the Games.”
The athletes announced today have benefited from the support of sportscotland the national agency for sport and in particular from the high performance support and expertise provided by the sportscotland institute of sport.
Congratulating the athletes, Louise Martin CBE, Chair of sportscotland, said: “It is tremendous that the Team Scotland aquatic team is the largest ever to be sent to a Commonwealth Games. It is Scotland’s most successful sport at this level, and, with the talent in the team and their incredible strength of depth, I’m confident they will have another rewarding Games in Glasgow.
“Many congratulations to all the athletes selected today, it will be a truly wonderful experience to perform in front of a home crowd. The dedication of the athletes,coupled withthe support they receive from Scottish Swimming and the sportscotland institute ofsport experts and practitioners, has produced the best prepared Team Scotland swimmers and divers ever to take part in the Commonwealth Games.”
The aquatics team is expected to grow further, when the Para-Sport swimmers and any other swimmers securing selection times (only in events with available spaces, based on three per event) are announced at the final team announcement on 12 June.
This brings the total Team Scotland numbers selected so far to 92 with an anticipated final team size in the region of 270 athletes.
NAME EVENTS QUALIFIED IN
MEN
SWIMMERS (23)
Ryan Bennett 4x100m Medley
Craig Benson 100m Breaststroke
Cameron Brodie 200m Butterfly
Martin Cremin 1500m Freestyle
Craig Hamilton 1500m Freestyle
Michael Jamieson 100m & 200m Breaststroke
Rory Lamont 50m Backstroke
Gareth Mills 4x200m Freestyle
Andrew McGovern 50m Backstroke
Kieran McGuckin 4x100m Freestyle
Craig McNally 200m Backstroke, 4x100m Medley
Stephen Milne 400m &1500m Freestyle
Ross Muir 400m Individual Medley (IM)
Ross Murdoch 50m, 100m & 200m Breaststroke, 4x100m Medley
Robbie Renwick 200m & 400m Freestyle, 4x100m Freestyle
4x200m Freestyle, 4x100m Medley
Richard Schafers 50m Freestyle, 4x100m Freestyle
Jak Scott 4x200m Freestyle
Lewis Smith 200m Butterfly, 400m IM
Calum Tait 200m Breaststroke
Jack Thorpe 4x100m Freestyle
Mark Tully 50m Breaststroke
Daniel Wallace 400m Freestyle, 200m & 400m IM, 4x200m Freestyle
Joseph Welstead 50m Breaststroke
DIVERS (1)
James Heatly Diving – 3m Springboard
WOMEN
SWIMMERS (15)
Katie Armitage 100m Breaststroke
Kathleen Dawson 50m Backstroke, 4x100m Medley
Fiona Donnelly 4x100m Medley
Megan Gilchrist 4x200m Freestyle
Sian Harkin 50m Freestyle, 50m Butterfly, 4x100m Freestyle, 4x100m Medley
Camilla Hattersley 800m Freestyle
Lucy Hope 4x200m Freestyle
Kathryn Johnstone 50m & 100m Breaststroke, 4x100m Medley
Rachel-Louise Masson 4x100m Freestyle
Caitlin McClatchey 200m Freestyle, 4x100m Freestyle, 4x200m Freestyle
Hannah Miley 800m Freestyle, 200m Breaststroke, 200m & 400m IM
Rachel O’Donnell 4x100m Freestyle, 4x200m Freestyle
Corrie Scott 50m &100m Breaststroke
Andrea Strachan 50m Breaststroke
Aisha Thornton 800m Freestyle
DIVERS (1)
Grace Reid Diving – 1m Springboard
Not even a recent back injury could prevent Melbourne marvel Caitlin McClatchey from edging closer to a third consecutive Commonwealth Games appearance.
McClatchey – the Commonwealth 200m freestyle record holder – posted a nomination time in her favoured event at the British Gas Swimming Championships at Glasgow’s Tollcross International Swimming Centre.
The 28-year-old Edinburgh University student missed out on the time in the same pool last week at the Scottish National Swimming Championships.
But the double freestyle gold medallist from Melbourne, in the 200m and over 400m, showed her metal as she finished fourth, 0.07 inside the 200m time for Team Scotland consideration.
In Melbourne, McClatchey was part of a sensational Scottish swimming haul of 12 medals, including six golds. That followed her first ever Olympic Games in Athens 2004 and McClatchey has since raced at the Beijing and London Olympics, with the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games sandwiched inbetween, not forgetting a brace of bronze medals at the 2005 and 2009 World Championships.
McClatchey said: “I’m so fortunate in my competitive swimming career to have a home Olympics and home Commonwealth Games within a few years of each other. I’m in the latter stages of my career and to have felt the crowd support in London, I am so determined to experience that again in Scotland.
“Competing at a Commonwealth Games is very different from the Olympics. You are racing against people you are normally on teams with. It’s very different, but I really enjoy it; I love being part of that team environment and really want to get there again.
“I didn’t swim well in Delhi so I don’t count that in my mind, but Melbourne was such an incredible experience with the swimmers doing so well and lots of other sports doing well too. It was an amazing Games to be part of and to represent Scotland.
“When I’m having a bad day I think about what I have achieved before and how I’d love to be able to do it again, especially at a home Games. It is still one of my proudest achievements.”
McClatchey was one of several Scots gunning for glory at the British Championships in Tollcross over the last five days, with the competition completing tonight (Tuesday 15 April).
Scottish swimmers dominated breaststroke events, with Michael Jamieson crowned 200m breaststroke British champion and University of Stirling student Ross Murdoch winning the 100m breaststroke title. Jamieson took bronze in that event, whilst Murdoch also took silver over 50m breaststroke.
And there were silver medals for fellow Stirling students Lewis Smith (400m IM) and Sian Harkin (50m freestyle) as well as Edinburgh student Corrie Scott (100m breaststroke). Scott also added a British bronze to her Scottish 50m breaststroke title and there was a personal best and a bronze for Stirling student Cameron Brodie in the 200m butterfly.
A number of other Scottish swimmers finished outside the medals, but posted times for consideration, including Craig Benson (100m breaststroke); Rory Lamont (50m backstroke); Andrew McGovern (50m backstroke) and Hannah Miley (200m breaststroke).
They join those who posted times at the Scottish Championships with the full team to be announced tomorrow (Wednesday 16 April).
You can follow Caitlin on Twitter @CaitMcClatchey
Photo credit: Steve Lindridge
They are the Gold, Silver and Bronze prizes that are the focus of training and commitment for 4,500 athletes across the Commonwealth and to mark 100 Days to Go to the Opening Ceremony, the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games Medals were revealed to the public for the first time.
The medals were unveiled tonight (Monday 14 April) in spectacular style at Glasgow’s iconic Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum which provided a stunning backdrop to the reveal.
The unique awards are silver gilt (for the gold) silver and bronze – the traditional make-up of medals at Commonwealth and Olympic events, and weigh in at 100g each.
They have been designed by internationally renowned jeweller and maker Jonathan Boyd who worked with a team of eleven specialist jeweller-makers at the prestigious Glasgow School of Art (GSA) to hand make the Gold, Silver and Bronze medals through a series of complex and skilled processes meaning each one is truly unique.
They were revealed at a special event which also recreated the medal procession ceremony showing the ceremonial outfits to be worn by the male and female medal bearers, the trays the medals will be placed in and specially created gifts which will be given to the winning athletes.
The creative team behind the medal ceremonies also includes Paul Hodgkiss, designer of the wooden podiums, trays and gifts and fashion designer Kerry Nixon, who designed the dresses worn by the female medal bearers and styled the male medal bearers with the support of Harris Tweed who made the specially-commissioned fabric.
The design team has drawn inspiration from many elements of Scotland including the Isle of Harris itself to the parks of Glasgow. Incorporating the unique and iconic Harris Tweed fabric into the Medal Ceremony demonstrated the age-old tradition and artisan skills of the weavers in a modern and contemporary setting.
The event gave a glimpse of the moments of a lifetime for winning athletes which will be broadcast around the globe and highlighted the talents of three designers who have come together to create a beautiful and unique Glasgow 2014 Medal Ceremony which will be seen by a global audience of 1.5 billion.
GSA has been involved with developing both the medals and the dress fabrics with the school’s Centre for Advanced Textiles printing the distinctive Glasgow 2014 Official Tartan material onto the silk fabric.
Former Commonwealth Gold Medallist and TV presenter Iwan Thomas hosted the event which also featured Scotland’s most decorated athlete, Allan Wells, MBE and aspiring future athletics star Joseph Amouzou, 18, who attends The Glasgow School of Sport. Joseph is the reigning Under 20 Indoor Triple Jump champion and hopes to compete in future Commonwealth Games.
The event was also attended by Glasgow 2014 Games Partners and representatives of business and civic Scotland.
Chairman of Glasgow 2014, Lord Smith of Kelvin, KT, who spoke at the ceremony said:
“These medals are the coveted prize that all the athletes coming to compete at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games have in their sights – the ultimate reward for all those years of toil, training and dedication. Our medals are unlike any I have seen before and are a unique representation of the stunning, contemporary vision of Scotland that will be beamed around the world. With just 100 days to go until the Opening Ceremony, the stage is now well and truly set for an outstanding XX Commonwealth Games.”
Michael Cavanagh, Chairman of Commonwealth Games Scotland, said:
“To win a Commonwealth Games medal is one of the highlights of any athlete’s career, but to win a medal on home soil would be something else and mean so much more. Since Scotland was awarded the Games in 2007, athletes across the country have aspired to be a part of Team Scotland at Glasgow 2014 and I am sure we will see some truly awe inspiring performances, as they aim to realise their dreams in just over 100 days and make Scotland very proud.”
Glasgow 2014 has today (Monday 14 April) marked 100 days to go until the start of the Commonwealth Games with a stunning aerial shot of Hampden Park, Scotland’s national football stadium temporarily transformed into an Athletics venue for the Games.
The Venue for Track and Field had a giant ‘100’ painted onto the grass infield for an iconic image which shows the still in-construction running track for the first time.
Hampden will be the centrepiece of the Games with more than a thousand athletes going all out for Gold and glory in over 48 events in seven days of competition.
A revolutionary solution has raised the stadium surface by almost two metres, gaining the width and length required for a world-class Athletics arena.
The aerial pictures also offer a view of Lesser Hampden, which has seen the construction of a new pavilion and will provide athletes with warm-up facilities.
With the clock counting down to the start of the Games, Glasgow 2014 will later today reveal the the creative elements that will form the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games Medal Ceremony, including the unveiling of the athletes’ ultimate prize – the Medals themselves.
Lord Smith of Kelvin, KT, Glasgow 2014 Chairman, said:
“It is now just 100 Days to Go until the start of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, the biggest sporting and cultural festival Scotland has ever hosted and the UK’s next big sporting occasion.
“We are entering the home straight now and these last 100 days are our opportunity to do the final work necessary to ensure that we deliver an outstanding Games for Glasgow, Scotland and the Commonwealth.”
https://www.youtube.com/embed/alDUHUKf9KQ?rel=0&autoplay=1&vq=hd1080