Scottish Lionesses Laura Muir and Eilish McColgan put the seal on a magical Commonwealth Games with gold and silver medals on the final night of competition in Birmingham.
Eilish, who won 10,000m gold last week added a silver in the 5000m while Laura Muir added gold in the 1500m to the bronze she won in the 800m. Eilish will cap a wonderful fortnight by leading out the Scotland team as flagbearer for the closing ceremony.
It truly has been a memorable Games, Scotland’s most successful outside of Glasgow 2014, with a haul of 49 medals including 12 gold, 11 silver, and 26 bronze.
A beaming Laura, 29, said: “I just thought my strength is in my kick. I’ve got a good bit of speed so I just tried to test it and hoped nobody caught me. I was tired and I just ran as hard as I could on the line.”
Her team-mate Eilish was just as pleased for her compatriot as herself. Eilish said: “It’s a dream – a gold and a silver. Knowing Laura got a gold and a bronze really spurred me on.” First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the sporting class of 2022 could inspire a new generation of athletes.
She tweeted : “Team Scotland absolutely smashing these Commonwealth Games.
“Massive congratulations to all the medal winners – you’ve done us all proud.”
She added: “I’m confident the performance of the athletes this year will inspire our athletes of the future.”
Eilish, who emulated the achievements of mum Liz in 1986 and 1990, and set a new Commonwealth Games record, spoke of her pride at leading out Team Scotland tonight at the Alexander Stadium. The 31-year-old said: “I couldn’t believe it when I got the call from our Chef de Mission to ask me to carry the flag.
“I have seen some of Scotland’s biggest names have that honour, so for me to be asked and have the opportunity to lead the team into Alexander Stadium, tops off an already amazing week. What makes Team Scotland special is that we only get the chance to pull on a Scotland vest once every four years.”
Eilish’s 10,000m victory has been credited as being the catalyst for other Scots competitors to follow her up to the podium.
She said: “There’s been so many athletes and staff from all nations saying they watched me and were cheering me on. Every time I go to the dining room I’m just crying all the time because it’s just amazing.
“I can’t thank everyone enough for their support. It’s been wild.”
The choice of Eilish as flag-bearer is an obvious one and like her famous mother she continues to inspire her team-mates.
She added: “We are a close-knit team. I have been running and competing with so many of the team since I was 12. But not just the athletes – the medics, coaches and staff.
“That’s what makes it special, so to lead them out at the Closing Ceremony will be a moment I will never forget.”
Chef de Mission Elinor Middlemiss said: “We are delighted that Eilish will be our flag-bearer. Her 10,000m race was one of the highlights of the Games, an inspirational performance which has inspired our team and nation.”
Scotland’s 49 medals beat the 44 from the Gold Coast four years ago and is our highest return apart from Glasgow 2014, where we took 53, including 19 golds. While Laura and Eilish lit up the track we were just as clinical in the boxing ring. Light-welterweight Reese Lynch, middleweight Sam Hickey and light-heavyweight Sean Lazzerini all took gold medals.
Hickey, from Dundee, believes the success in this year’s Games bodes well for the future.
The 22-year-old said: “It’s brilliant to represent my country. I had the whole nation behind me and the city of Dundee.” Lazzerini had battled back from two and a half years out of the ring before returning in February.
The 25-year-old Barrhead boxer said: “I proved a lot of people wrong. I’ve done it for Scotland, I did it for myself, Team Lazzerini and Team Scotland. I’m going to bask in it a bit and tomorrow I’ll be back in the gym.”
Neah Evans took home silver in the women’s road race.
The 32-year-old, from Langbank, Renfrewshire, won a third medal of the Games to make her the first Scottish cyclist to win a trio of medals in the same Commonwealth Games. And Finn Crockett, 23, from Strathpeffer, Cromartyshire, won a bronze in the men’s cycling road race.
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