Scotland’s Rosemary Lenton remarkably became a Commonwealth Games champion aged 72 as the para-athlete secured the win in the women’s pairs B6-B8 final alongside Pauline Wilson.
Lenton was making her Games debut in the para bowls two decades after complications from a routine surgery led to her needing a wheelchair. She was formerly a competitive sailor and cyclist.
Lenton and Wilson took on Australian duo Cheryl Lindfield and Serena Bonnell in the final and it was tight in the early stages, with the score 5-5 at one stage. However, the Scottish pair took control and ended up crushing their opponents 17-5.
“Absolutely fantastic,” Lenton said when asked how winning the gold medal felt. “I’m dreaming. We both played excellently.
“We always knew we could do it. In the round-robin we didn't always produce it, but when it really mattered we did, and that's the important thing.
“It's the first time that women's para bowls has been included. I thought I would never get to a Commonwealth Games and if I did it would be as a spectator. This is effectively our Olympics because we cannot get any higher.”
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Lenton reinvented her life following the unfortunate events surrounding her surgery, which led to an infection and a series of other operations. The Dumfries woman used to go on charity rides to China and Russia prior to her accident, but she took up bowls in 2005.
Since entering the sport, Lenton has competed in three World Championships and won a silver medal in one. She has even pursued wheelchair curling and has competed in nine World Championships.
In the bronze medal match, South Africa duo Victoria van der Merwe and Desiree Levin topped England pair Michelle White and Gillian Platt. South Africa took a 3-0 lead after the first end and dominated to move to an 11-2 lead by the seventh end en route to a 16-7 win.
