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EVE MUIRHEAD: Eilish McColgan has given Scotland our Commonwealth Games magic moment

Eilish McColgan celebrates with her mum.
Eilish McColgan celebrates at Birmingham 2022 with her mum Liz.

There’s still a few days to go but for Scotland, we’ve probably already seen the defining moment of the Commonwealth Games.

Eilish McColgan’s brilliant gold medal-winning run will take some beating.

I’d have loved to have been in the track and field stadium on Wednesday night but watching it on the TV, you could feel the tension build as the 10,000 metres reached its climax.

Athletics isn’t as high profile as it used to be for a few different reasons but there aren’t many better sporting sights than a distance run coming down to two runners putting in a sprint finish from the final bend.

I really don’t know how they manage to do it!

I’ve got to know Steve Cram from when he covers the curling at the Winter Olympics and his golf day, which I was able to go to this year.

And the excitement in his voice said it all.

There won’t be much he hasn’t seen on a track but you could tell he knew this was a special race and a special moment.

I know all about being part of a sporting family but having someone as famous and successful as Liz McColgan as your mum – and choosing to follow in her footsteps – can’t be easy.

Yes, you get the benefit of the good genes!

And there’s also the tactical and training advice that Liz will have been able to pass on.

But the other side of it is the pressure that is on your shoulders from the day you do the same sport competitively – and all the ‘she’ll never be as good as her mum’ whispers behind her back.

To have got a gold in the same event Liz made her name in will make all the tough stuff she’s gone through worthwhile.

I think Eilish will feel like everything she does from now on is a free hit.

And, after beating top class African distance runners in Birmingham and plenty of other races before it, she must have a chance of getting medals at world level too.

For now, she’s provided Scotland with an iconic sporting moment and that’s more than enough in itself.


I’ve loved getting the chance to see a few different sports at the Games.

It’s heart in the mouth stuff when you’re watching the gymnastics and really exciting when it comes down to the battle for the medals.

The biggest nerves have been at the hockey, though.

My friend Katie Robertson and her team did brilliantly.

They beat the team they were supposed to beat 11-0 (Kenya) and the one who was closest to them in the rankings, South Africa.

To only lose narrowly to Australia was an achievement in itself and had it not been for a controversial refereeing decision in the 1-0 loss to New Zealand they could well be looking at a medal game rather a fifth v sixth contest at the weekend.

Eight of the local hockey players who are at the Commonwealth Games. Left to right - Sarah Jamieson, Katie Robertson, Becky Ward, Jess Ross, Nicki Cochrane, Louise Campbell, Eve Pearson and Charlotte Watson.
Eight of the local hockey players who are at the Commonwealth Games. Left to right – Sarah Jamieson, Katie Robertson, Becky Ward, Jess Ross, Nicki Cochrane, Louise Campbell, Eve Pearson and Charlotte Watson.

My golf swing never made me a natural fit for hockey!

But even I could see that punishing Scotland for a short corner that was deemed to have not left the D was harsh.

There can be no regrets, though.

You can only control what you can control and if a decision goes against you, there’s nothing you can do about it.

They’re a young team who have raised their level on the big stage and this should be the start of something rather than the end.

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