Boasting Team Scotland’s most decorated male and female athletes in Commonwealth Games history in Alister Allan and Jen McIntosh, Shooting has been one of our most successful sports since its introduction to the Games in 1966.

Look out for everything Shooting related on our website and social media channels in the coming weeks as the sport steps into our ‘Celebrating Our Past, Building Our Future’ Sport Focus spotlight. We’ll be following Scotland’s current stars and delving into the archives for tales of Games past as we continue our Sport Focus series, which features all 25 sports in which Scotland has competed at the Commonwealth Games.

Shooting at the Commonwealth Games

Shooting is an optional sport in the Commonwealth Games programme but, with the exception of Edinburgh in 1970, it has been included in every Games since its introduction at Kingston 1996. Scotland’s first medals in the sport came at Chirstchurch 1974 when Colin McEachran took Fullbore silver and Alister Allan took bronze in the 50m Rifle prone.

With 51 medals: 13 gold, 16 silver and 22 bronze, Shooting is Scotland’s fourth most successful sport at the Commonwealth Games behind Aquatics, Athletics and Boxing, all of which have been included at every Games since 1930. Scotland sit sixth on the all-time Shooting medal table, just a single medal behind New Zealand in 5th, having won medals at every Games since Christchurch 1974.

Alister Allan is not only Shooting’s most successful athlete, but also the most decorated Scottish athlete in Games history across all sports. His 10-medal tally of three gold, three silver and four bronze over five Games puts him ahead of swimmer Duncan Scott on seven medals and bowler Alex Marshall and sprinter Allan Wells, both on six.

Shirley McIntosh and Patricia Littelchild became Scotland’s first female medallists in the sport in 1994. Until this point all Shooting events had been open to both men and women but were segregated by gender for the first time at the Victoria 1994 Games. Shirley won gold and Patricia bronze in the Women’s 50m Prone event before joining forces to win silver in the Pairs. Shirley would go on the become Scotland’s most decorated female athlete at the Games, adding a further two bronze medals to her tally at Kuala Lumpur 1998. She held this title until it was surpassed by her daughter Jen in 2014, Jen’s two medals at those Games bringing her tally to two gold, one silver and two bronze. Younger sister Seonaid carried on the family tradition at Gold Coast 2018 with two bronze medals and has since gone on to become World Champion, a first ever gold for a British women.

Find out more about Shooting in the Commonwealth Games, including the competition format, rules and equipment on our dedicated Shooting page.

Scotland’s Commonwealth Champions

After 50m Rifle Prone bronze at the 1974 Christchurch Games, Alister Allan made it gold in the same event four years later to become Scotland’s first Commonwealth Games champion in Shooting. He went on to add two gold at the 1982 Brisbane Games, this time in the individual 3 Position event and the Air Rifle Pairs alongside William McNeil. With Arthur Clarke’s win in the Fullbore bringing the gold tally to three, Brisbane remained Scotland’s most successful Games for Shooting until Delhi 2010.

There was no Shooting gold for Scotland at the home Games of Edinburgh 1986, but Ian Marsden and James Dunlop were on top of the Skeet Pairs podium four years later in Auckland. Shirley McIntosh’s 50m Rifle Prone win at Victoria 1994 was a first in the women’s events and was followed by two Games without a Scottish Shooting gold before Sheena Sharp struck gold twice at Melbourne 2006, in the individual 50m Rifle Prone and with Susan Jackson in the Prone Pairs.

Delhi 2010 stands out as Shooting’s best Games performance with four gold, three silver and two bronze medals as Scotland swept the board in the 50m Rifle Prone events. Jonathan Hammond, Neil Stirton, Jen McIntosh and Kay Copland won an incredible four gold medals in the Men’s and Women’s Pairs and Individual competitions, also adding a silver and two bronze between them in the 3 Position events. Silver medals for Angus McLeod and Ian Shaw in Fullbore pairs and for Shona Marshall in the Women’s Trap completed a fantastic Games. No gold once again for the Scots at a home Games as Glasgow 2014 saw a tally of two silver and two bronze, but Flower of Scotland rang out once again at Gold Coast 2018 as David McMath took Double Trap gold in a new Games record.

Team Scotland Shooting Gold Medallists

Click here for a full list of Team Scotland’s Shooting medallists

Youth Games Success

At the Commonwealth Youth Games, just as in the main Games, Shooting is an optional sport. It has been included at one Youth Games to date, Pune 2008, where Scottish shooters shone, winning one gold, one silver and two bronze.

Two of Scotland’s most successful future Commonwealth Games competitors hit the podium on their Team Scotland debut with Kay Copland winning gold in the 50m Rifle Prone and Jen McIntosh winning silver in the 50m Rifle 3 Position event. There were also bronze medals for Rory McAlpine in the Men’s 50m Rifle Prone and for Ben Wilson in the Clay Target Skeet.

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 and went on to record their highest overseas medal tally ever at Gold Coast 2018.

Find out more about the Commonwealth Games and Team Scotland’s past success in our Past Games section.