Up next in our Trinbago 2023 Sport Focus series, we are very excited to be hearing from our two Triathletes who have been selected to represent Team Scotland in the men’s, women’s, and mixed events at Trinbago 2023.

Triathlon makes its Commonwealth Youth Games debut at Trinbago 2023, and Alex and Jessica will be sure to step up to the challenge and aim to make their mark on the international stage.

Ahead of them heading out to Trinidad and Tobago we asked Alex and Jessica to tell us more about their sport and being selected for the Games:

Congratulations on becoming part of Team Scotland, how does it feel to be representing Scotland at your first Commonwealth Youth Games?

Alex: Obviously it’s a huge privilege to represent Scotland. It’s something I’ve worked extremely hard for, and I can’t wait to race and experience a big Games.

Jessica: I’m so excited to have been given the chance to represent Team Scotland in triathlon. For the opportunity to arise at such a big event makes me both nervous and excited and I just hope I can perform to the best of my ability and make the most of this chance.

How did you first get involved in Triathlon?

Alex: I started triathlon when I was 7 with Fusion Triathlon Club, the youngest age you were allowed to join. I remember seeing them training a few times and wanting to join in so badly, so naturally I was extremely excited when I was finally allowed to join. Meeting the minimum standard of being able to swim 2 lengths before being allowed to join provided me with that extra motivation in swimming lessons. From then I have progressed gradually through the performance pathway in place.

Jessica: I was a competitive swimmer from before I was 10. My mum started entering me for aquathons (swim then run) which I enjoyed participating in. Last year I took part in the Scottish National Youth Triathlon Championships and finished 4th. This year I decided to prioritise triathlon over swimming which I have enjoyed doing lots more than swimming on its own! 

What’s been a highlight from your sporting journey so far?

Alex: My highlight so far has to be Super League Jersey in 2021. I raced the youth race, while in my first year of the 2-year age group and managed to win which was amazing. It was so cool to race on the same course as the pros did a few hours before and trying the new enduro format (three back-to-back mini triathlons) was also really fun and a great experience.

Jessica: Obviously getting selected for the Games is my number one highlight. Apart from that I’ve been taking part in the British Triathlon Super Series events and enjoyed the racing and moving up the rankings from the initial performance assessments and I have also enjoyed meeting new people.

How have you been training and preparing for the Games over the past weeks and months?

Alex: My training has been very disrupted having had a stress response in my ankle (which is ok now), and then a broken elbow which required surgery. I have been able to get in some heat training on the turbo while it was broken but I am only just getting back to swimming and running. However, I am confident I will be relatively fit in time for the race as I was in a similar situation last year and still managed to win the final British Triathlon Super Series race.

Jessica: This year I made a decision to prioritise triathlon over swimming and Tom my swimming coach, although probably disappointed, has been so supportive of that. I’m a member of a running club and have been to a few endurance cycles with a cycling club to familiarise myself with a bike, however because of my swimming times I don’t have much time to attend the training sessions of other clubs so my bike and run training is mainly self-directed. I’ll run before I go swimming and after I will cycle home with my mum driving behind me. Occasionally I give a swimming session up to attend the running club.

Commonwealth Games Scotland expresses our deep sorrow at the death of HM Queen Elizabeth. As the Royal Patron of the Commonwealth Games Federation and Head of the Commonwealth, The Queen was a true ambassador of sport and its inclusive values and her passing will be felt greatly across our community, our nation and across the world. Our thoughts and condolences are with the Royal family at this sad time.

One month ago today, the curtain came down on a hugely successful Birmingham 2022, Team Scotland’s best Commonwealth Games ever outside Scotland and just two medals short of the record tally at Glasgow 2014.

We look back at a historic Games and celebrate the achievements of Team Scotland’s 260 athletes across 11 packed days of sport.

• With 51 medals – 13 gold, 11 silver and 27 bronze – Birmingham 2022 was a record medal tally for Team Scotland at a Games outside Scotland, bettered only by Glasgow 2014.
• Medals were won in nine different sports: aquatics, boxing, athletics, gymnastics, cycling, lawn bowls, triathlon, judo and para-powerlifting.
• Aquatics was the most successful sport with three gold, one silver and nine bronze medals, while boxing and lawn bowls won three gold and two bronze medals each.
• Team Scotland won their 500^th medal since the Games began back in 1930, courtesy of Eilish McColgan’s silver in the 5,000m.
• Birmingham 2022 was an incredibly strong team performance with 16 fourth place, 29 fifth place and 21 sixth place finishes in addition to the record medal tally.
• Team Scotland came from across the whole country with athletes from 31 of the 32 local authority areas selected. Kara Hanlon became the first swimmer from the Western Isles ever to represent Team Scotland.

A record breaking team included several individual athletes making history of their own.

• Duncan Scott became the most decorated Team Scotland athlete of all-time, his two gold and four bronze taking his overall tally to 13 medals across three Games, surpassing shooter Alister Allan’s record of 10.
• Lawn bowler Alex Marshall and para-cyclist Neil Fachie vied for the title of Team Scotland’s most successful athlete of all-time, Neil drawing level on five gold and one silver before bronze in the Pairs gave Alex the nod.

• Sarah Adlington became the first Scottish judoka to win two Commonwealth Games gold medals, retaining her title from Glasgow 2014.
• Team Scotland has had a clean sweep in para bowls for the first time, winning gold in the Men’s and Women’s B6-B8 Pairs and the Mixed B2/B3 Pairs.
• George Miller, part of the victorious Mixed B2/B3 Pairs team, became the oldest gold medallist in Commonwealth Games history at the age of 75. He took the record from team mate Rosemary Lenton (72) who held it for two days following her win in the Women’s B6-B8 Pairs.
• Grace Reid and James Heatly became the first ever Mixed 3m Synchronised diving champions at a Commonwealth Games.

The Games opened with a spectacular Opening Ceremony and Team Scotland were led out by two flagbearers for the first time. Kirsty Gilmour became Team Scotland’s first openly gay flagbearer and only the second female athlete to lead out the team, while Micky Yule became the first para-sport athlete to carry the flag.

Birmingham 2022 was a Games of firsts, not least being the first major multi-sport event to include more medal events for women than men. There were many milestones for women’s sport within Team Scotland itself.

• Team Scotland was led by a woman for the first time in Games history with Elinor Middlemiss becoming our first female Chef de Mission.
• Birmingham 2022 was also the first time that Team Scotland was represented by more female athletes than male.
• There was first time Scottish representation in women’s Rugby 7s, women’s basketball and women’s wheelchair basketball.
• Shannon Archer won Scotland’s first ever medal in women’s artistic gymnastics with bronze in the Vault final.
• Neah Evans became the first female cyclist to win three medals at a single Games with two silver and a bronze across both Track and Road events.

Squash

Men’s Doubles – Bronze Medal Match Lobban Greag and Stewart Rory (SCO) 2 – 0 NG Eain Yow / YUEN Chee Wern (MAS) Bronze for Scotland

Table Tennis and Para Table Tennis

Men’s Singles Round of 32
Scotland v Nigeria
Gavin Rumgay 4-0 Brian Chan Yook Fo
Colin Dalgleish 2-4 Bode Abiodun

Netball

Medal Match
Scotland v Northern Ireland 43-33

Squash

Men’s Doubles Round of 16
Scotland won against Pakistan 2-1

Women’s Quarter-Finals

Scotland 0 – 2 England

Badminton

Men’s Doubles Round of 16
Scotland 0-2 Malaysia

Men’s Singles Round of 16
Scotland V England
Callum Smith 0-2 Toby Penty

Mixed doubles Round of 16
Scotland v Singapore 0-2

Athletics and Para Athletics

Women’s 1500m Round 1
Laura Muir Qualified
Jemma Reekie did not qualify

Wrestling

Men’s Freestyle 65 kg 1/8 Finals
Scotland v New Zealand
Ross Connelly 10-0 Brahm Richards

Men’s Freestyle 65 kg Quarter-Finals
Scotland V Canada
Ross Connelly 0-10 Lachlan McNeil

Men’s Freestyle 86 kg 1/8 Finals
Scotland V Pakistan
Kieran Malone 0-11 Muhammad Inam

Men’s Freestyle 86 kg Repechage Round 2

Scotland- Australia

Kieran Malone 0 – 10Jayden Lawrence

Women’s Freestyle 62 kg Quarter-Finals
Scotland V Canada
Abbie Fountain 0-12 Ana Gonzalez

Aquatics- Diving

Women’s 1m Springboard Preliminary
Grace Reid and Clara Kerr qualified

Men’s Synchronised 3m Springboard Final
Scotland- 4

Lawn Bowls and Para Lawn Bowls

Men’s Singles Quarter-Finals

Scotland v Canada

Ian McLean 21-4 Ryan Bester

Para Mixed Pairs B2/B3 Finals
Scotland v Wales 16-9

Men’s Fours Quarter-Finals

Scotland 15- 18 Norther Ireland

Beach Volleyball

Women’s Quarter-Finals

Scotland 0- 2 Austrailia

Follow Team Scotland’s results at Birmingham 2022. This page will be updated regularly throughout each day as results come in from around the venues.

Para Powerlifting

Men’s Heavyweight
Micky Yule – 3rd – BRONZE

Athletics

Women’s T53/54 1500m
Samantha Kinghorn – 3rd – BRONZE
Melanie Woods – 4th

Men’s Discus Throw – Final
Nicholas Percy – 5th place

Aquatics – Diving

Men’s 1m Springboard Final
James Philip Heatly – 4th place
Danny Mabbott – 9th place
Ross Beattie – 10th place

Women’s 10m Platform Final
Gemma McArthur – 9th place

Netball

Scotland 46 – 65 South Africa

Squash

Mixed Doubles Round of 16
Georgia Adderley and Rory Stewart (SCO) 2 – 0 Hollie Naughton and Nick Sachvie (CAN)
Lisa Aitken and Greg Lobban (SCO) 2 – 0 Marlene West and Cameron Stafford (CAY)

Women’s Double Round of 16
Lisa Aitken and Georgia Adderley (SCO) 2 – 0 Kaitlyn Watts and Abbie Palmer (NZL)

Beach Volleyball

Scotland 2 – 0 Solomon Islands

Boxing

Over 48-51kg (Flyweight) Quarter- Final 2
Lennon Mulligan (SCO) 0- 4 Amit (IND)

Over 51kg-54kg (Bantamweight) QFs
Scotland won against Malaysia – RSC (Refree stops Contest)

Over 63.5kg-67kg (Welterweight) QFs
Tyler Jolly (SCO) 5 – 0 Neville Warupi (PNG)

Lawn Bowls

Men’s Singles
Iain Mclean (SCO) 21- 13 Ross Davis (JEY)
Iain Mclean (SCO) 21- 4 Shannon Mcilroy (NZL)

Men’s Fours Sectional
Scotland 15 – 10 South Africa
Scotland 18 – 10 New Zealand

Para Mixed Pairs B2/B3 Semi-Final
Scotland 21 – 6 England

Table Tennis

Mixed Doubles Round of 32
Colin Dalgleish and Rebecca Plaistow (SCO) 3 – 2 Derron Douglas and Rheann Chung (TTO)
Colin Dalgleish and Rebecca Plaistow (SCO) 0 – 3 Finn Luu and Yangzi Lui (AUS)

Men’s Doubles Round of 32
Colin Dalgleish and Gavin Rumgay (SCO) 1 – 3 Paul Drinkhall and Liam Pitchfork (ENG)

Badminton

Men’s Singles
Callum Smith(SCO) 2-0 Kelvin Evans Alphous(GHA)

Mixed Doubles
Eleanor Odonnell and Christopher Grimpley (SCO) 2- 0 Deidre Jordaan and Jarred Elliott (RSA)
Adam Hall and Julie MacPherson (SCO) 2 – 0 Julie Georges Paul and Kobita Dookhee (MRI)

Men’s Doubles Round of 32
Christopher Grimley and Matthew Grimley (SCO) 2 – 0 Zaki Shaheed and Rishwan Shiyam (MDV)

Women’s Singles Round of 32
Kristy Gilmour (SCO) 2 – 0 Tiffany Ho (AUS)

Cycling – Road

Men’s Individual Time Trial Final
John Archibald – 6th place
Mark Stewart – 14th place
Finn Crockett – 22nd place

Women’s Individual Time Trial Final
Anna Shackley – 10th place
Neah Evans – 17th place

Follow Team Scotland’s results at Birmingham 2022. This page will be updated regularly throughout each day as results come in from around the venues.

Swimming

Men’s 200m Individual Medley Final
Duncan Scott – 1st – GOLD
Mark Szaranek – 8th

Men’s 4x100m Medley Relay Final
Scotland – 3rd
BRONZE for Scotland

Women’s 4x100m Medley Relay Final
Scotland – 5th

Athletics

Women’s 10,000m Final
Eilish McColgan – 1st – GOLD
Sarah Inglis – 9th

Men’s High Jump – Final
William Grimsey – 7th
David Smith – 9th

Men’s T37/38 100M Final
Ross Paterson – 5th
Alexander Thomson – 7th

Badminton

Mixed Doubles
Christopher Grimley (SCO) 2 – 0 Eleanor Odonnell (MDV)

Men’s Singles Round of 64
Callum Smith (SCO) 2 – 0 Duane March (FLK)

Women’s Doubles Round of 32
Julie MacPherson and Ciara Torrance (SCO) 2 – 0 Laura Harada and Louise Williams (FLK)

Judo

Women’s 78kg
Rachel Tytler – 3rd – BRONZE

Women’s 78kg
Sarah Adlington – 1st – GOLD

Men +100kg
Andrew McWatt – 4th

Cycling – Mountain Bike

Men’s Cross-Country: Charlie Aldridge – 16th
Women’s Cross-Country: Isla Short – 4th

Netball

Women’s Team: Scotland 72 – 28 Barbados

Hockey

Men’s Team: Scotland 2 – 3 Pakistan
Women’s Team: Scotland 0 – 2 Australia

Squash

Mixed Doubles
Scotland 2 – 0 Barbados

Table Tennis

Men’s Singles Group 3
Gavin Rumgay (SCO) 4 – 0 Muhammad Baboolall (MRI)
Gavin Rumgay (SCO) 4 – 0 Jordan Wykes (JEY)

Women’s Singles Group 4
Rebecca Plaistow (SCO) 1 – 4 Karen Lyne (MAS)
Rebecca Plaistow (SCO) 4 – 0 Cynthia Kwasi (GHA)

Women’s Singles Group 14
Lucy Elliot (SCO) 4 – 0 Ying Ho (MAS)
Lucy Elliot (SCO) 4 – 1 Grace Rosi Yen (FIJ)

Men’s Singles Group 14
Colin Dalgleish (SCO) 4 – 0 Emmanuel Commey (GHA)
Colin Dalgleish (SCO) 4 – 0 Vicky Wu (FIJ)

Lawn Bowls

Para Women’s Pairs B6-B8 Finals
Scotland 17 – 5 Australia
GOLD for Scotland

Women’s Triples Sectional
Scotland 14 – 16 Wales

Men’s Fours Sectional
Scotland 8 – 13 Jersey

Para Mixed Pairs B2/B3 Sectional
Scotland 15 – 8 Wales

Women’s Pairs Sectional
Scotland 12 – 18 Northern Ireland
Scotland 7 – 19 England

Men’s Singles Sectional
Iain McLean (SCO) 19 – 21 Mridul Borgohain (IND)

Swimming

Men’s 50m Backstroke Final
Scott Gibson 6

Men’s 4x 200m Freestyle Race Final
Scotland 3

Weightlifting

Women’s 71Kg Final
Alice Aitchison DNF

Boxing

Over 57kg-60kg Lightweight Round of 16
Megan Reid lost against Gemma Paige Richardson 5-0

Squash

Men’s Singles quarter final
Scotland Rory Stewart lost against England James Willstrop 3-2

Basketball

Men’s Semi-final
Scotland lost against Australia 20-15

Swimming

Men’s 100m Freestyle Final
Duncan Scott 3

Women’s 200m Backstroke Final
Katie Shanahan 3
Holly McGill 5

Lawn Bowls

Semi-Final
Para Mixed Pairs B2/B3 Sectional – Section A
Scotland won against New Zealand 18-11

Basketball

Women’s Quarter Final
Scotland lost against Canada 17-11

Squash

Men’s Singles Quarter-Finals
Greg Lobban lost against India Saurav Ghosal 3-1

Cycling

Womem’s 10km Scratch Race Final
Neah Evans- 4

Women’s Keirin Finals
Lauren Bell 10

Men’s 40Km Points Race Final
John Archibald 4
Mark Stewart 5

Gymnastics

Men’s Floor Exercise Final
Frank Baines 6

Men’s Pommel Horse Final
Cameron Lynn 9

Women’s Vault Final
Cara Kennedy 6

Men’s Ring Final
Pavel Karnejenko 6

Women’s Uneven Bars Final
Shannon Archer 8

Hockey

Men’s Team loses against South Africa 5-4

Boxing
Over 48kg-51kg Flyweight – Lennon Mulligan beat Temakau’s Kiribati Eriu 5-0
Over 75kg-80kg Light Heavyweight – Sean Lazzerini beat Mauritius’s Jean Luc Rosalbal

Hockey
Women’s Team beat Kenya 11-0

Judo
Men’s 60kg – Dylan Munro lost to India’s Vijay Kumar Yadav.
Women’s 57kg – Malin Wilson won against New Zealand’s Qona Christie
Women’s 52kg – Kirsty Marsh lost to Mozambique’s Jacira Ferreira
Men’s 66kg – Alexander Short lost to Georgios Balarjishvili (Cyprus)
Men’s 66kg – Finlay Allan beat India’s Jasleen Singh Saini
Men’s 60kg Quarter Final – Dylan Munro lost to England’s Ashley McKenzie
Women’s 57kg Quarter Final – Malin Wilson lost to England’s Acelya Toprak
Women’s 52kg Quarter Final – Kirsty Marsh lost to Canada’s Kelly Deguchi.
Men’s 66kg Quarter Final – Alexander Short beat Wales’s Gregg Varey.
Men’s 60kg Elimination Round – Dylan Munro beat Sri Lanka’s Priyankara Wimukthi
Men’s 60kg Elimination Round – David Ferguson lost to Wales Daniel Rabbitt.
Men’s 66kg Quarter Final – Finaly Allen beat Zambia’s Steven Mungandu
Women’s 57kg Elimination Round – Malin Wilson beat Malaysia’s Kamini Sri Segaran
Women’s 52kg Elimination Round – Kimberley Renicks lost to Cyprus’s Sofia Avesta
Women’s 52kg Elimination Round – Kirsty Marsh beats Vanuatu’s Mariel Kalomor
Men’s 66kg Elimination Round 2 – Alexander Short beats Malawi’s Austin Chikwapula
Men’s 66kg Elimination Round – Finaly Allan beats Mozambique’s Mauro Nassone

Weightlifting
Men’s 81kg Final – Jason Epton came 10th

Lawn Bowls
B6-B8 Para-Pairs Semi Finals – Garry Brown and Kevin Wallace beat England 16-10
B6-B8 Para-Pairs Semi Finals – Rosemary Lenton and Melanie Inness beat New Zealand 18-10
Para Mixed Pairs, Melanie Inness, George Miller, Robert Barr and Sarah Jane Ewing beat New Zealand 18-11
Men’s Pairs Paul Foster and Alex Marshall lost to England 13-19

Another big day ahead for Team Scotland as Judo gets underway – our most successful sport the last time it was on the programme at Glasgow 2014.

08:30 – Day four kicks off with Lawn Bowls B6-B8 Pairs semi-finals for both men and women. Garry Brown and Kevin Wallace take on Graham Skellern and Mark Noble of New Zealand and should be full of confidence, having defeated the same pairing 25-5 in the group stages. Rosemary Lenton and Pauline Wilson face Michelle White and Gillian Platt of England.

09:30 – Jason Epton makes his senior debut at Commonwealth Games level, having represented Team Scotland at the 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games. He goes in the Men’s 81kg Weightlifting final.

10:00 – Judo has its first day of competition with Glasgow 2014 gold medallist Kimberley Rennicks looking to become the first judoka ever to win two Commonwealth Games gold medals. She is joined by seven judoka making their debut for Team Scotland.

10:30 – Swimming heats with plenty of Scottish interest in the Women’s 200m Backstroke and Men’s 50m Breaststroke, Women’s 100m Freestyle, Men’s 100m Butterfly, Women’s 200m IM and Women’s 100m Breaststroke.

11:00 – After a convincing first game win against South Africa and a narrow loss to New Zealand, Scotland face Kenya in the penultimate Women’s Hockey group stage game.

12:00 In Lawn Bowls Alex Marshall and Paul Foster face England’s Jamie Walker and Sam Tolchard in the Men’s Pairs semi-finals. Para Mixed Pairs B, Melanie Inness and Robert Barr, directed by George Miller and Sarah Jane Ewing, face New Zealand in their second game fo Birmingham 2022.

12:30 – Meanwhile, Lennon Mulligan takes to the Boxing ring, facing Eriu Temakau of Kiribati in the Flyweight round of 16.

13:00 – It’s individual apparatus finals time at Artistic Gymnastics with Frank Baines in the Men’s Floor (13:00), Shannon Archer and Cara Kennedy in the Women’s Vault, Cameron Lynn in the Pommel Horse (both 14:10), Shannon Archer in the Uneven Bars and Frank Baines and Pavel Karnejenko in the Rings (both 15.45).

14:00 – Sean Lazzerini takes on Jean Luc Rosalba of Mauritius in the Light Heavyweight Boxing round of 16.

14:00 – After a thrilling 5-5 draw against New Zealand in the first game and a narrow loss against Australia in the second game, Scotland take on South Africa in their penultimate Men’s Hockey group stage game.

14:00 – Already with medals under their belts, Neah Evans and John Archiblad are among the Scots in Track Cycling action, going in the Scratch Race and Points Race respectively.

14:15 – Greg Lobban faces TBC in the Men’s Squash Singles quarter-finals.

15:30 – Scotland’s Women’s 3 x 3 Basketball team take on Canada in the quarter finals.

16:00 – Scotland are in action against Canada in the Women’s Wheelchair 3×3 Basketball semi-finals.

16:30 – Back over at Lawn Bowls, Melanie Inness and Robert Barr, directed by George Miller and Sarah Jane Ewing, are back for their second match of the day. This time they play Australia as the Para Mixed Pairs B2/B3 group stages continue.

18:30 – Alice Aitchison makes her Commonwealth Games debut in the Women’s 71kg Weightlifting final.

18:45 – After a sensational win over England’s Patrick Rooney in the round of 16, Rory Stewart is back on the show court to face Rooney’s countryman James Willstrop in the Men’s Singles Squash quarter-finals.

19:00 – Swimming finals at the Sandwell Aquatics Centre where Duncan Scott will attempt to defend his 100m Freestyle title, Scott Gibson goes in the 50m Backstroke final, plus the Men’s 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay.

19:30 – Scotland Men’s 3 x 3 Basketball side are in semi-final action against either Australia or Kenya.

20:15 – Megan Reid becomes just the third Scottish woman to take to the Boxing ring at a Commonwealth Games. She begins her campaign against Gemma Paige Richardson (England) in the Lightweight category.

Christelle Lemofack Letchidjio starred in an multi award-winning movie about two young women falling into wrestling and ending up Commonwealth Games champions. 

Her part in ‘Dangal’, the highest-grossing Indian film ever, was certainly a novel way to feel close to top class sport while personally unable to compete in international competition.  

Playing a Nigerian who finishes third to two Indian sisters, Letchidjio’s role in the 2016 smash-hit is one of many chapters in her fascinating story. 

Now it is time for her own script, a tale of major success. Scottish Wrestling coaches are confident her long wait to compete for her adopted nation can result in a women’s freestyle medal in Birmingham. 

The 31-year-old’s wrestling life began, initially with some reluctance, on the sand surfaces of Cameroon’s biggest city, Douala. 

From a family of eight, Letchidjio followed twin brother Omarion into football as a first sporting love from the age of 12. 

“When I reached college, my PE teacher Sylvie Mouna said she would like me to try a different sport and suggested wrestling,” she revealed. 

“I was like: ‘Nah, I don’t want to fight, I’m okay with football.’ But she insisted. 

“I was the only female doing it at that time. We trained on the sand, like a beach, with no mats to teach me basics. 

“I didn’t really like it but I could see she thought I had some promise. 

“Then we tried the mats, I thought it was more interesting. I trained with her husband, Blaise, and I was learning pretty fast. 

“I trained with the men four or five times a week, after my studies, and I got to like it. 

“When I lost in a final, that’s when I started giving my all. I realised you have to learn something in defeat, take the positive, take it as a revenge. 

“Football is the target sport everyone wants to play in Cameroon, it’s very busy, very competitive. So I gave more energy to wrestling.” 

That commitment took Letchidjio as far as fifth place at the 2014 Games in Glasgow, after which she and three other athletes opted to remain in Scotland and apply for asylum. 

She wasted little time immersing herself in her discipline, having been diverted towards Tryst Lions Wrestling Club in Cumbernauld. 

“In Cameroon wrestling is bigger but, after that, there is not so much,” she said, “I wanted a better life overall. 

“The coach, Steven McKeown, opened doors to us from day one, gave us facilities to train, lifts back home to Glasgow, raised funds to support us. 

“They were so welcoming. We were invited to spend Christmas with his family. Scottish people are so welcoming. 

“I realised in the Commonwealth Games in 2014 that my level was okay but the gap was way too much.  

“I wanted to get to the highest level, I needed to improve. There’s no magic to it, it’s hard work.” 

That graft has helped her win every national competition in Britain, with an impressive five British gold and four English gold medals.  

Letchidjio was unable to compete internationally for Scotland and Great Britain due to only receiving her citizenship this year. 

Her natural talent has Scotland’s Team Manager, Vasile Jornea, believing a little more experience against different nations is all that stands between her and a big show in Birmingham. 

One ambitious, long-term prediction has been missed along the journey but many more remain within her determined sights. 

She revealed: “When I started wrestling and my coach Blaise could see the potential, he said he was sure he’d see me in the 2020 Olympics. 

“I kept those words in my mind. A lot has changed since then, and obviously I didn’t make Japan 2020. 

“I had to watch the (Gold Coast) 2018 Commonwealth Games too, that was difficult. You feel powerless. 

“I wished I was involved. I’ve needed patience, needed work. But I can change targets. My targets keep me going. 

“I will hopefully make it to 2024 in France. And now I would like to compete for Scotland in the Games this year. 

“I have only wrestled in Cameroon and the UK. 2014 was my first and last international competition. I have been waiting for this for so long. 

“Scotland opened its doors for me. I don’t think I will ever be able to give enough back. But I have a lot to give back. 

“In my blood is Cameroon, that will never change. But I have to admit Scotland is my home, I feel I have people around me like family here.” 

Her strong support network in Glasgow includes Cameroon judo player Marie Effa, Stella Kyalikunda, a recent Women’s Scottish Cup rugby winner with Hillhead Jordanhill, and former Malawian netballer Dolly Gabriel. 

Letchidjio is getting back a lot of love from the effort put in to making her new life so rewarding. 

She played football on the right wing for Glasgow City until suffering an ACL injury, then started coaching Under-10s. 

Letchidjio has one year left on her Electrical Power Engineering course at Glasgow Caledonia University. Her daughter, Precious, was born in October 2019. 

Yet still there was time to make her Bollywood breakthrough appearance. 

‘Dangal’ tells the true story of India’s remarkable success at women’s freestyle wrestling when hosting the 2010 Commonwealth Games. 

A former wrestler, Mahavir Singh Phogat, primes his two daughters for glory despite considerable societal disapproval. 

The role for Letchidjio was teed up by Jit Singh Rakhra, Team Leader of England Wresting. 

“We travelled to shoot scenes in the cities of Mumbai, New Delhi and Ludhiana, these were three dream trips,” she said. 

“The difficult part was ‘wrestling’ with the main actresses. I had to teach them the basics. 

“How to stand, to shift, to land. But me, as the wrestler, I had to protect her and cover her and put my hand down when we did the moves but not have it seen on camera. 

“One twisted her ankle once in an accident in one of the scenes so we had to come back to finish that one. It was a great thrill and it’s a great story to be part of.” 

Article by Fraser Mackie