18-year-old Maria Lyle won Team Scotland’s second Athletics medal of the Games and first on the track, with a splendid silver in the Women’s T35 100m on Wednesday night.
On a day where Team Scotland set a new record of number of medals won at an overseas Commonwealth Games with the tally for Gold Coast 2018 reaching 30 medals, Lyle flew down the track in front of a full house at the Carrara Stadium to win the team’s 32nd and final medal of the day.
Lyle was drawn on the inside in lane two, allowing her to run her own race to secure silver well clear of all of her rivals, bar home favourite and world record holder, Isis Holt, who bagged gold for the hosts.
Already double Paralympic and World bronze medallist over 100m and 200m, the teenager from Dunbar went one better in front of a partisan crowd, crossing the line in 15.14 in her first outing over 100m this year.
Of her performance Lyle said: “I’m really pleased to win the silver albeit a little bit disappointed with the time, but it’s my first Commonwealth Games and to experience a crowd like that was incredible. I don’t get many opportunities to wear the Scotland vest so I’m really pleased to win a medal for Scotland.
“My mum was out there and I saw so many Scotland flags – the support was amazing. It’s a beautiful medal and it’s a really nice reward for all the hard work and sacrifices you put in to get to this point. It’s not often you get to stand on the podium and see the saltire flying so just to have that opportunity to race for your country and win a medal is very special.”
Allan Smith performed when it mattered in the men’s high jump final but ultimately had to settle for a fifth place finish in a quality field.
Competing alongside namesake David Smith, Allan put himself under pressure with two failures at 2.21m, but went clear at the third time of asking to keep himself in contention. Next came a 2.24m season’s best, followed by a second time clearance at another season’s best 2.27m, but in the end 2.30m was one height too far.
That performance was Smith’s best ever at a major championships and he was proud of his performance, saying: “Coming fifth and being just one bar short of a medal – and I came close at 2.30m – is a positive result. I enjoyed myself out there and just did the best I could. There was huge home support today and loads of Scots out there. If you know the crowd is behind you, you can use it, which I did towards the end of the competition.”
Allan’s teammate David ultimately finished down in 10th place with a best of 2.18m.
In the women’s 3000m steeplechase Lennie Waite couldn’t live with the fast pace set by Celliphine Chespol of Kenya, finishing tenth in 10.21.72.
Tomorrow will see Team Scotland flagbearer Eilidh Doyle go for her third consecutive medal in the Women’s 400mH Final at 19.30hrs (10:30hrs UK time), whilst Jake Wightman will contest the Men’s 800m Final at 22.13hrs (13:13hrs UK time).