Courier Country’s sporting heroes are returning from Australia triumphant, having helped Scotland to its most successful overseas Commonwealth Games ever.
Eight sportsmen and women from across Tayside and Fife are celebrating medal wins, including three golds, in what was the most successful overseas games ever for Scottish athletes.
Team Scotland finished in eight place with a total of 44 medals won on Australia’s Gold Coast.
Among the haul were nine gold medals, 13 silver and 22 bronze.
From Dundee’s Mark Stewart to Arbroath’s Darren Burnett, Kinross’ Eilidh Doyle and Perthshire’s Duncan Scott; locals played a key part in Team Scotland’s success. Many also contributed to “Super Sunday” on April 8.
Here are all of Tayside and Fife’s Gold Coast medal winners:
Mark Stewart (Gold)
The Dundonian came out on top for his heroics in the men’s 40km points race, which Sir Chris Hoy described as one of the highlights of the games.
Darren Burnett (Gold)
Arbroath bobbie Darren Burnett, along with teammates Ronnie Duncan and Derek Oliver, earned a gold at the lawn bowls men’s triples.
Duncan Scott (gold/silver/bronze)
The swimmer made history with a haul of six medals – a record for a Scot at a single Games. He grabbed a gold for his efforts in the 100m freestyle, a silver for his part in the 200m individual medley and four bronze medals.
Mark Szanarek (silver/bronze)
The Glenrothes swimmer won a silver for his efforts in the men’s 400m Individual Medley and bronze for his part in the men’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay.
Eilidh Doyle (silver)
The Kinross athlete, selected as Team Scotland’s flag bearer for the opening ceremony, put in a great effort in the women’s 400m hurdles Down Under. She was also a member of the 4×400 metre relay team which finished in sixth place while recording a Scottish record time.
Stephen Milne (bronze)
The Perth swimmer earned two bronze medals for his efforts in the men’s 4x200m and the 4x100m freestyle relays.
John Docherty (bronze)
The Montrose fighter finished with a bronze medal in the Men’s 75kg category.
Lesley Doig (bronze)
Along with partner Claire Johnston, the Strathmiglo bowler earned a medal in the women’s pairs event.
Basketball heroes
Despite missing out on a medal finish, Scotland’s basketball team had a phenomenal Games finishing fourth overall. Arbroath-born Gareth Murray was part of the Scotland squad on the Gold Coast.
Scottish rugby stars shine despite sixth place finish
Team Scotland’s rugby sevens side, which features several local players, finished sixth overall at the Games, beating home nation rivals Wales 19-12 in the process. Local lads James Fleming, Matt Fagerson and George Horne all featured in the squad.
Courier Country’s hockey women
Though the team left disappointed, the women’s hockey squad finished the competition in seventh place following a 4-2 win in their classification game against Malaysia. The team featured locals Katie Robertson, Becky Ward and Charlotte Watson.
“Scotland’s most successful overseas Commonwealth Games ever”
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon offered her “massive congratulations” to all of Scotland’s winners on Twitter.
She said: “Forty-four medals represents Scotland’s most successful overseas Commonwealth Games ever – thanks to all the athletes and support staff for making us so proud.”
Chair of sportscotland Mel Young said: “It has been a remarkable Commonwealth Games for Team Scotland with the nation’s athletes shining on the global stage, securing a record number of medals at an away games and creating memories that will last a lifetime.
“Their success in the Gold Coast is the culmination of years of hard work and is testament to the commitment of the team behind the team, including 34 sportscotland support staff , and the leadership of Commonwealth Games Scotland.
“We are fully committed to building a world-class sporting system for everyone in Scotland, from grassroots through to performance sport, and it is clear from the success of Scottish athletes in recent years that this pathway is delivering.”
Meanwhile, athlete Callum Hawkins said he was feeling much better after his collapse towards the end of the men’s marathon on Sunday.
He will be kept in hospital overnight as a precaution before follow-up checks by a medical team on Monday.
