On Mother’s Day we celebrate all our Team Scotland mums – a true team behind the team! A few can pass on advice that comes from having been there themselves. Here’s just a few of our Gold Coast athletes who are following in their sporting mums’ footsteps.

Eilish McColgan has represented Team Scotland at the last two Commonwealth Games as well as at the 2008 Youth Games. She is a two-time Olympian, making the final of the 5000m at Rio 2016 and has won medals at the European Championships both indoors and out. Earlier this year she came within two seconds of breaking her mum, Liz McColgan’s, Scottish 10,000m record, which was set in 1991, the year Liz won World Championship gold in Tokyo. Liz’s other accolades include an Olympic silver medal and three Commonwealth Games medals including two gold in the 10,000m at Edinburgh 1986 and Auckland 1990.

Success in Shooting runs in the McIntosh family with sisters Jen & Seonaid frequent visitors to major championship podiums in recent years. Seonaid is twice a Commonwealth Games medallist with two bronze at Gold Coast 2018, 2018 World Champion and in 2019 became the first British woman to rank World number one for the 50m Rifle Three Position event. She has been selected to make her Olympic debut in Tokyo this summer.

World Championship medallist and twice Olympian, Gold Coast 2018 saw Jen make her third appearance at a Commonwealth Games, having won two golds and a bronze at the 2010 Commonwealth Games aged just 19. She went on to become the most decorated female athlete in Scottish Commonwealth Games history at Glasgow 2014 with silver and bronze – a record previously held by her mother, Shirley, who won one gold, one silver and two bronze across two Commonwealth Games – Victoria 1994 and Kuala Lumpur 1998.

Jake Wightman took a brilliant bronze for Team Scotland over 1500m in Gold Coast, having also finished 4^th in the 800m. Scottish record holder over 1000m and 1500m he also has a European bronze to his name and finished 5^th over 1500m at the 2019 World Championships. His mum Susan Tooby finished 6^th for Wales in the 10,000m at the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, finished 12^th in the Marathon at the 1988 Olympic Games and was the first British woman to break 70 minutes for the Half-Marathon. Mother and son also share another similarity – both are twins.

Lynsey Sharp has represented Team Scotland over 800m at Glasgow 2014, where she took a memorable silver medal, and Gold Coast 2018, as well as at the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games, winning bronze. Twice an Olympian, she finished 6^th in the final at Rio 2016 with the third fastest time ever run by a British woman and has also won European Championships gold and silver.  Her mum Carol Lightfoot ran the 800m for Scotland at the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane and coached Lynsey during her early athletics career.

Kirsten McAslan, part of Team Scotland’s 4 x 400m Relay team at both Glasgow 2014 and Gold Coast 2018 and relay medallist with GB at European Indoor and World Championships is another athlete following not just in the same sport, but in the same event. Her mum Fiona Hargreaves ran the individual 400m at the Edinburgh 1986 Commonwealth Games and was part of the Scotland 4 x 400m Relay team which finished 4^th.

The wealth of sporting talent doesn’t stop there. Hockey skills seem to be passed down the generations with Chris Grassick and David Forsyth’s mums both representing Scotland, while the mum of siblings William Marshall and Kareena Cuthbert played for England.

There are also some cross-sport family duos. Olympic, World, Commonwealth and European medallist and Team Scotland’s first female Opening Ceremony flag bearer at Gold Coast 2018, Eilidh Doyle is a star over the 400m Hurdles but her mum was more at home in the pool, representing Scotland in Swimming. Gymnast Cara Kennedy’s mum represented Scotland at Volleyball, while Glasgow 2014 and Gold Coast 2018 Gymnastics team-mate Shannon Archer’s mum Wendy Purdie has over 30 caps for Scotland in Indoor Bowls, claiming the national Singles title in 2008.

Mums play a huge role in our athletes’ success, through thick and thin, from a future champion’s first training session to competing on the international stage. Wishing a happy Mother’s Day to all Team Scotland mums – athletes past and present, coaches, officials and supporters. Thank you for all you do.