Glasgow Games ‘best-ever’

The closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games was intended to be a celebration of a typical night out in Glasgow, although it was unrecognisable to many locals with the exception of the presence of the emergency services who were well represented!

Scotland’s athletes have delivered, not least the mailman boxer, Charlie Flynn, who claimed the first gold for Scottish boxing, in the process epitomising the amateur benefits of this competition.

Another icon is gymnast Dan Keatings who claimed gold in a thrilling encounter on the pommel horse, while Scottish 800m runner, Lynsey Sharp, overcame a stomach bug to claim a thrilling silver in front of her father who won two sprint medals in 1982.

Jen McIntosh won a landmark silver medal for Scotland in the women’s rifle three-position. In securing her second medal of the Games she took Scotland’s tally to 34, their best haul in the history of participation in the Commonwealth Games. It also made her Scotland’s most successful athlete, adding to her three medals won in Delhi in 2010. Who does she overtake? Her mother, Shirley, who won four shooting medals in 1994 and 1998.

There will be greater competition for places in the Scottish team in the future. Kerry MacPhee became the first female competitor from the Outer Hebrides to represent Scotland at a Commonwealth Games when she finished 13th in the mountain bike event at a challenging course at Cathkin Braes. However, having converted from triathlon and suffering from illness in the lead-up she can be pleased with the result. The event was won in comprehensive fashion by Canadian Catherine Pendrel, who herself converted to the mountain bike event from competing in dressage.

As far as transitions go none can match that of Sarah Davies who was competing in weightlifting (63kg). Having been a national-level gymnast she was crowned Miss Leeds in a beauty contest while at University. She eventually finished seventh thanks to a recovery in the clean and jerk after a messy performance in the snatch.

The youngest medal winner and probably the person who stole the most hearts, was 13-year-old Erraid Davies who finished third in the SB9 para sport womens’ 100m breaststroke. The Scot could not stop beaming as she did a lap of honour with her bronze medal draped around her neck, additionally earning an audience with Princes William and Harry in the process.

One of the oldest competitors was Steve Way who, although he failed to win a medal, did secure a national record for the Over 40’s marathon that has stood since 1979. With no age restrictions in the official event he came 10th although he said that the 26-mile event was too short for him to be at his best, generally preferring events of at least twice the distance!

From the youngest and oldest to the shortest and tallest. England found its own new superstar with the 4’5” Bristol-based gymnast, Claudia Fragapane. Her four gold medals elevated the ‘Pocket Rocket’ to a status as the most successful English athlete at a single Commonwealth Games ever!

The tallest was 6’5” boxer, Joe Joyce, who benefitted from a forfeit at the semi-final stage when his Ugandan opponent failed a medical. He also claimed gold in the last bout of the Games, celebrating with a backflip that would have made many of the gymnasts proud.

One of the longest standing records has been that of New Zealand in the rugby sevens. Not only have they won the last four titles but they did so while maintaining a 100 per cent record in the process. However, they lost this in devastating fashion to a masterful South African side who demolished all-comers with some astonishing attacks.
 Ibrox was also a scene for valiant losers to embrace the friendly atmosphere of the Games with first Uganda and then Malaysia and Barbados conducting laps of honour as they mingled with the appreciative crowd. Given the inclusion of the sport in the Olympics it will experience a massive surge in visibility and popularity with the IRB hoping that clubs will recognise this by releasing their best players.

Australia’s men’s hockey team maintained their 100 per cent record at the Games since the introduction of the sport in 1998. The Hockeyroos comfortably overcame India who looked exhausted after valiantly overcoming the Kiwis in the semi-final after initially conceding two goals. The Aussie ladies equalised against England in their final with only 17 seconds of the match remaining and required the innovative ‘penalty shuttles’ to claim gold.

Not all of the Games has gone smoothly. Aside from Usain Bolt’s unsavoury comments which were brushed aside by officials one of the greatest concerns came at the Barry Buddon shooting centre where the results were actually washed away! Scores in the Queen’s Prize pairs were being recorded on a blackboard with the chalk-marks unfortunately washed away in a heavy downpour! The English pairing of Parag Patel and David Luckman were eventually announced as gold medallists.

There have been other mishaps. After the Sri Lankan cyclists were prevented from training on the motorway, Malaysian shooter, Nur Ayuni Farhana Abdul Halim, was prevented from competing after her specialist jacket was lost in transit.

England’s flag-bearer Nick Matthew won the men’s squash gold medal defeating compatriot but not close friend, James Willstrop, by three sets to two in a two-hour thriller that ebbed and flowed. Having exhausted various battle-plans in this epic encounter Matthew credited his success on being stubborn which he attributed to being ‘a Yorkshireman, Leo and only-child’! The women’s event was more one-sided with Malaysian icon, Nicol David, looking to extend her stay as No 1 into her 100th week at the summit.

As well as wanting to see squash (particularly the manic doubles) included in all future Olympics, the mixed triathlon relay would also be a welcome addition, despite the one-sided nature of this result. With the sport witnessing one of the fastest growth-curves this mixed event would keep the sport – and Olympics – in touch with its roots.

One of the greatest come-from-behind performances came from para-cyclists Craig Maclean and the visually-impaired Neil Lachie who lost the first pursuit race but won the next two in thrilling fashion.

If anything, their performance demonstrated the benefit of including para-sport alongside the contemporary competitions with crowds from the velodrome to the pool vocally indicating their support for all athletes.

With the word ‘legacy’ becoming more frequently used in the Glasgow Games, now officially the best Commonwealth Games ever, one fine addition to tradition will be the use of sporting events to raise money for charities, on this occasion Unicef benefitting.

England finished the Games at the top of the medal table, breaking their own record in the process.

Australia has a difficult task to follow in 2018, although I am sure Bolt will find the Gold Coast weather marginally more pleasurable, the heatwave from the first week being a distant memory by the time the curtain came down with Kylie.