Fifth at the 2017 Commonwealth Championships, setting a new Scottish record in the process, weightlifter Lisa Tobias looked every inch the seasoned professional. But, incredibly, this former gymnast is a newcomer to the sport, inspired by watching the Glasgow 2014 Games.

Scottish Acro-Gymnastics champion multiple time in her youth, World champion and World record holder in Powerlifting and now one of four weightlifters ready to represent Team Scotland in at Gold Coast 2018, we caught up with this remarkably versatile athlete as part of our Sport Focus series:

So, how does a gymnast become a weightlifter?

“I think Gymnastics is what stood me in such good stead, it gave me the strength and the flexibility, all the core attributes that you need to be a weightlifter. I’d never lifted a weight I my life until four years ago. I wanted to get back into Gymnastics so I went to a personal trainer who got me lifting weights and I discovered that for my size I was really strong. So instead of Gymnastics I went down the route of Powerlifting and decided to focus on that.

Six months later I won the Scottish Championships, then I went on to the British Championships and won that and then the Europeans and the Worlds. But my ultimate goal was to compete at a Commonwealth Games. Back in my Gymnastics days that was always my ultimate goal, so it was at that point that we thought I could switch to Weightlifting. It was a big goal considering I’d never done any Weightlifting in my life, but it’s become a reality!”

What has been the hardest thing about changing sports?

“Learning the technique from scratch, that’s probably been the most difficult. Weightlifting is so much about technique and being explosive and dynamic, where Powerlifting you can get away with using brute strength. But my coach has been amazing, teaching me the whole thing from scratch.”

What is your ambition when you get to Gold Coast?

“To do the best I possibly can. To go out there and perform to the best of my ability, try to get personal bests and try to set a Scottish record out there. It would just be an amazing place to do it, so that’s what I’ll be training for.”

You had a great result at the Commonwealth Championships in 2017, does that give you confidence going into the Games?

I had a brilliant Commonwealth Championships and, with it being in Gold Coast, the whole venue and everything about it was so inspiring. To know I kept my composure under that sort of pressure gives me a lot of confidence. To think that I’ll be back in that same place to compete again for the Games is so exciting, I can’t wait!”

How do you deal with the pressure that Weightlifting brings – one chance to make the lift?

“Because it’s over in a matter of seconds, you just have to go out there with complete belief in yourself and trust in your own technique and all the training that you’ve done.  If you’ve got any seed of doubt in your mind then you’re not going to get that weight above your head, so you just have to have complete confidence.”

What do you do away from Weightlifitng?

“I’ve got two children, age five and seven, and I own several pizza franchises so I’m kept pretty busy!”

Now you’ve achieved that aim of being selected for a Commonwealth Games, what does it mean to be part of Team Scotland?

“I’m just so proud to be representing my country, because it’s always been a goal of mine.  It’s such an honour, I just want to enjoy every moment of it because this is what I’ve been working towards. I’m really looking forward to going out there and putting all the training into practise and showing what I can do.”

Lisa will compete in the 48kg category at Gold Coast 2018 – meet all four of Team Scotland’s weightlifters in their Athlete Profiles.

As a three time Commonwealth Games medallist, shooter Neil Stirton heads to his fourth Games in Gold Coast as one of the most experienced athletes on Team Scotland. As part of our Sport Focus on Shooting, we caught up with him on what it means to be part of the team, his experience of competing in Australia and what advice he would give to athletes joining Team Scotland for the first time:

What do you think is special about a Commonwealth Games?

I’m fortunate enough to represent GB at many international events, but I always find that the Commonwealth Games is that little bit different and extra special. It’s called the friendly Games, and it certainly lives up to its name when you’re there. I really enjoy the build-up and the approach I take to it is like most other competitions, in that I’m training hard but I’m also looking forward to being part of Team Scotland again.

Being part of the wider Team Scotland is an honour that only a handful of athletes get to experience, and the sense of being part of your country’s ‘sporting family’ at such a Games is truly unique and certainly helps motivate me when submersed in the heart of competition. When you see the Team’s first medals coming in, you can’t help but get psyched up for your own competition.

What is it about being part of the team in the village that is so special?

In other Games, shooting hadn’t always been in the main village, so I was delighted that when it came to my first Games in Melbourne we were. Just being in beside your fellow Scottish athletes and speaking to everyone around the village; and learning about their experiences is so valuable and I’d encourage everyone to integrate as much as possible.

You start to see the different strategies and approach that athletes from other sports take, which is really interesting. I learned a lot from that; not just from my shooting colleagues but also from other sports. Hopefully I can relay some of that to the newer members of the team.

How do you feel about going back to Australia again for what will be your fourth Games?

Having been out at the test event last year and getting a sneak preview of the Australian set-up and how they’re preparing the facilities, it puts you in a great frame of mind for the Games.

There’s a challenge with the Games being in Australia as it’s landed at the start of the season, so we don’t really have any competitions outdoors before then. I’m sure that’s true for many other sports, but it does mean you need to prepare a little differently than for the Games in say Glasgow or Delhi which were later in the year.

Where does Melbourne sit in your career highlights?

Melbourne was my first Games, and the feeling of the hairs on the back of my neck standing up as I walked into the MCG to the roar of over 80,000 people is something I’ll never forget. Even as the years go on and having been to subsequent Games that still stands out as one of the highlights of my sporting career.

The Aussies truly know how to run an event. They are 100% behind sport so going back there some 12 years later I have high expectations of the Games they’re going to deliver.

What do you remember about coming into the Commonwealth Games for the first time?

Both within our sport and within Team Scotland; because we’re such a close-knit unit, I felt really supported coming into that environment. You absolutely learn from the experienced team members, and you’re nervous and excited all at the same time coming into your first Games.

What is your training schedule like at the moment?

We’ve just been out a training camp in South Africa and everything is really ramping up. We went there to get some warm-weather training with minimal time zone changes and I came back home having done some solid technical training, and brought a lot of positives back with me.

Coming back to Scotland this past couple of weeks I have started seeing some of the benefits of the South Africa trip shine through. There are still a few things that are a work in progress, as always, but everything is heading in the right direction.

What advice will you be giving to athletes making their Games debut?

I think the key thing is to treat it like any other competition; you need to focus on what to do on the day. It is vital that you enjoy it though and soak up the atmosphere which will hopefully help you smash your goals on the day. The athletes village can be an overwhelming place with a huge variety of activities to pass the time. Just remember to do things little and varied, especially if you’re trying something new, as now is not the time to be venturing too far into uncharted territories. Those are the things I really picked up on when I first started and would say to anyone coming into the team.

I’d really hit home the fact that they’re there, they’ve done the hard work to qualify and while performing in competition will always come first, you need to make sure you’re enjoying that atmosphere, being part of Team Scotland and the experience that the Games provides.

With selection for Gold Coast 2018 just around the corner, Scotland’s cyclists were on top form at the British Track Cycling Championships in Manchester landing a host of podium places including seven gold medals.

World and Olympic champion Katie Archibald led the way with a hat-trick of titles in a unique treble, defending all three of the titles she won last year. On the first day of competition she took the Individual Pursuit ahead of GB team mate Emily Nelson, before making a rare outing in the Sprint, honing her speed for her endurance events and picking up a bronze medal.

She went on to produce stunning finishes to take gold medals two and three. The first came in the Scratch Race, closing down a breakaway group and piling on the pressure over the final laps to take victory. She won the Points race on the final day of competition in similar style, gaining a lap in the closing stages and taking 2^nd in the final sprint to complete an outstanding weekend.

Katie was not the only Archibald to top the podium over the weekend, with older brother John claiming a first British title in the Points Race. Making the switch from road to track just a few months ago in an attempt to qualify for the Gold Coast Games, he looked right at home in his new discipline. He took Individual Pursuit bronze on the opening day before his Points Race triumph on day two, adding a further bronze in the Team Pursuit. With several Gold Coast qualifying times already in the bag, he could well realise his Commonwealth Games dream.

At 18 years old, Jenny Holl was Scotland’s youngest champion of the weekend, taking a maiden British title as she teamed up with Abbie Dentus, Becky Raybould and Jess Roberts in the Team Pursuit.

Jack Carlin was a double champion, the 20 year-old taking gold in both the Individual and Team Sprint. He was in esteemed company in the Team event, riding with 2016 Olympic champions Philip Hines and Jason Kenny to take the title.

The man who won that Olympic gold alongside Hines and Kenny, Callum Skinner, was in action in the Kilo, taking silver in a highly competitive event won by Joe Truman. There were silver medals too for Jonny Wale in the Team Pursuit, after a mechanical failure in the final cost his team a chance of gold, and for the duo of Lucy Grant and Luisa Steele in the Team Sprint.

Scotland’s para-cyclists were also in fine form as they raced in a series of mixed gender events. Double gold medallist for Team Scotland at Glasgow 2014, Neil Fachie, along with pilot Matt Rotherham, took silver in the BVI Flying 200m as Scottish duo Laura Cluxton and Emma Baird took bronze. Cluxton and Baird were back on the podium with silver in the Pursuit, while Fachie and Rotherham took bronze in the Kilo. There were two 4^th places for Glasgow 2014 silver medallists Aileen McGlynn and Louise Haston, finishing just off the podium in both the Kilo and 200m.

With the qualifying window for Gold Coast 2018 now closed, the cyclists face a nervous wait to find out who has booked themselves a place on Team Scotland for April’s Games, with the team due to be announced in February.

Shooting and Weightlifting step into the Gold Coast 2018 Sport Focus spotlight this week, two sports which have been regular contributors to the Team Scotland medal tally at the Commonwealth Games. Both sports have named athletes who will compete at Gold Coast 2018 as Team Scotland target their best overseas Games in history.

Look out for all things Weightlifting and Shooting on Team Scotland’s website and social channels this week as both sports share the spotlight in our Sport Focus Series, which features each of the 18 sports on the Gold Coast 2018 programme through athlete interviews, facts & figures, competition news and more.

Shooting at the Commonwealth Games

Shooting is an optional sport in the Commonwealth Games and was first contested in Kingston in 1966. After a gap in 1970, the sport has appeared at every Games since.

Shooting can boast both Scotland’s most decorated athlete of all-time, Allister Allan winning 10 medals over five Games, and Scotland’s most decorated female athlete of all-time, Jen McIntosh, currently on five medals and about to compete at her third Games in Gold Coast.

All Shooting events were open until 1994, when pistol and most rifle events were segregated by gender. Trap and Skeet events followed suit in 2002, with the Full-Bore Rifle the last remaining open event.

Find out more about Shooting in the Commonwealth Games, including the competition format, rules and equipment on our dedicated Shooting page.

Weightlifting at the Commonwealth Games

Weightlifting is a core sport and had been included at every Games since Auckland 1950, with events for women first introduced in 2002.

Philip Caira is Scotland’s most successful weightlifter with two gold medals, won in 1958 and 1962, and he remains Scotland’s only gold medallist to date in the sport. Scotland’s most recent medallist was Peter Kirkbride with silver at the Delhi 2010 Games.

Para-Sport Powerlifting was integrated into the Commonwealth Games in Manchester 2002 and has featured ever since, with Micky Yule just missing the podium at Glasgow 2014 in 4th place.

Find out more about Weightlifting in the Commonwealth Games, including the competition format, rules and equipment on our dedicated Weightlifting page.

Team Scotland 2018

Team Scotland have named 11 shooters to date for Gold Coast 2018, including multiple medallists Jen McIntosh, Neil Stirton and Ian Shaw. Seonaid McIntosh, Caroline Brownlie and Linda Pearson all return for their second Games while five athletes will make their debut in Gold Coast.

Click here to meet the Shooting team for Gold Coast 2018.

Four weightlifters have been selected for Gold Coast 2018, all making their Games debut, while para-sport powerlifter Micky Yule returns for his second Games after 4th place in Glasgow.

Click here to meet the Weightlifting team for Gold Coast 2018.

A total of 117 athletes have been named to Team Scotland for Gold Coast 2018 to date, with athletes announced in Athletics, Basketball, Boxing, Beach Volleyball, Lawn Bowls, Shooting, Squash, Swimming, Table Tennis, Triathlon and Weightlifting.

Show Your Support!

You can show your support by uploading photos and messages on our supporters page and give Team Scotland’s athletes a boost as they prepare to do the country proud on one of sport’s biggest stages!

Look out for other ways to get behind the team in the countdown to Gold Coast on Team Scotland’s social media channels.

Scotland at the Commonwealth Games

The Commonwealth Games is the only occasion where Scotland gets to compete in a multi-sport event as a nation in its own right and is one of only six countries to have competed in every Commonwealth Games since their inception in Hamilton in 1930. Represented by 15 athletes participating in six sports at those first Games, winning a very creditable 10 medals, Scotland have gone on to win medals at every Games since.

Edinburgh became the first city to hold the Games twice in 1970 and 1986 and also became the first city to host the Commonwealth Youth Games.

Scotland hosted the Games for a third time when Glasgow welcomed athletes and officials to the XXth Commonwealth Games which was held from 23rd July – 3rd August 2014. Team Scotland celebrated their most successful Games in history, winning a total of 53 medals.

Find out more about the Commonwealth Games and Team Scotland’s past success in our Past Games section.

Scottish bowlers won three gold and a silver at Glasgow 2014, making it their most successful Games to date, but Scottish bowlers have featured prominently for Team Scotland right from the very first Games in 1930. From Scotland’s first Commonwealth Games medallists to the bowler whose Games career spanned an incredible 44 years, we end our Sport Focus with these 12 facts you might not know about Lawn Bowls:

1. Lawn Bowls was one of six sports contested at the first Commonwealth Games in 1930. It is a core sport and has been included at every Games with the exception of Kingston 1966.

2. Para-Sport Lawn Bowls was contested at the 1994, 2002 and 2014 Games and is included once again for Gold Coast 2018.

3. Scotland sit 3^rd on the all-time Games medal table for Lawn Bowls, behind England and South Africa, with 32 medals; 16 gold, eight silver and eight bronze.

4. Alex Marshall is Scotland’s top bowler at the Commonwealth Games with four gold medals between 2006 and 2014. His medal tally places him second, behind sprinter Allan Wells, on the list of Scotland’s top medal winners across all sports. Alex will compete at his sixth Games at Gold Coast 2018.

5. Willie Wood holds the record for most Commonwealth Games appearances in any sport, representing Scotland at an incredible eight Games from 1966 to 2010 and winning two gold, one silver and one bronze medal. At the Delhi Games in 2010 he was the oldest competitor at the age of 72.

6. Scotland’s first Commonwealth Games medal in Lawn Bowls was a bronze won by David Fraser, John Orr, Tom Chambers and William Campbell in the Men’s Fours at the inaugural Games in 1930.

7. Scotland’s first gold medal in Lawn Bowls was won in 1934 by Robert Sprot in the Men’s Singles.

8. Women’s Singles, Pairs and Fours were first included at the Edinburgh 1986 Games and have been contested ever since. The first women’s event to be played at any Commonwealth Games was Triples, included at the Brisbane 1982 Games. This event was then dropped from the programme until making a return in 2006, at the same time as Men’s Triples was included for the first time.

9. Bowls were originally made from lignum vitae, a dense wood, leading to the term “woods” being used for bowls, but are now more typically made of a hard plastic composite material.

10. Bowls are designed to travel a curved path because of a weight bias, produced by the shape of the bowl. A bowler determines the bias direction of the bowl by a dimple or symbol on one side.

11. The Lawn Bowls competition at the Gold Coast 2018 Games will be held at Broadbeach Bowls Club, venue for the Australian National Championship Finals since 2015 and for the World Junior Championships in 2016. The venue has been upgraded to provide four international standard greens and seating capacity for 2,500.

12. Team Scotland will send 17 bowlers to Gold Coast 2018 in Men’s, Women’s and Para-Sport events. Meet the full team here.

Team Scotland have been regular visitors to the medal podium in Cycling in recent years, winning medals at each of the last four Games. Since Sir Chris Hoy took Scotland’s first Cycling gold at the Manchester 2002 Games in the 1km Time Trial, Scottish cyclists have also stood on the top step of the podium at Melbourne 2006, Delhi 2010 and Glasgow 2014. With the Cycling team still to be announced for Gold Coast 2018, here are 12 things you might not know about the sport’s history at the Commonwealth Games:

1. Cycling has been included at all but the first Games. It made its debut in 1934 and has appeared at every Games since.

2. Scotland has won 18 Cycling medals at the Commonwealth Games; five gold, five silver and eight bronze, and were 4^th on the Cycling medal table at Glasgow 2014, winning two gold, two silver and a bronze.

3. Scotland’s first cycling medal came at the Edinburgh 1970 Games when Brian Temple took silver in the 10 mile Scratch Race.

4. Craig MacLean is Scotland’s most decorated Commonwealth Games cyclist with three gold and one bronze medal. He won gold in 2006 and bronze in 2002 in the Team Sprint with Chris Hoy and Ross Edgar, before piloting Neil Fachie to two gold medals in the Para-Sport B Tandem events at Glasgow 2014.

5. Para-Cycling events were included on the Commonwealth Games programme for the first time at Glasgow 2014 and Scotland won a medal in each of the four events on the programme.

6. Women’s Cycling events were first included at the Auckland 1990 Games, with the events contested a Sprint and Individual Pursuit on the track, plus a Road Race.

7. The only Cycling event to have been on the programme at every Commonwealth Games is the Men’s 1km Time Trial. The Men’s Road Race wasn’t held in 1934 but has been held at every Games since.

8. Mountain Bike events were first introduced to the programme at Manchester 2002 and have been included at every Games since, with the exception of Delhi 2010.

9. Australia has been the top nation in Cycling on 14 of the 19 occasions the sport has been included in the Commonwealth Games.

10. All three cycling disciplines; Track, Road and Mountain Bike are included on the Gold Coast 2018 programme.

11. Track Cycling events at the Gold Coast 2018 Games will be held at the newly built Anna Meares Velodrome in Brisbane. Named after Australia’s Olympic, World and Commonwealth Games Cycling gold medallist, the velodrome is Queensland’s first and will provide for 4,000 spectators.

12. The Elanora / Currumbin Valley will provide a picturesque backdrop to the Gold Coast 2018 Road Cycling events while Nerang Mountain Bike Trails will be the venue for the Mountain Bike competition.

Our Gold Coast 2018 Sport Focus is a double-header this week as Lawn Bowls and Cycling share the spotlight. Both Lawn Bowls and Cycling have done the nation proud over recent Commonwealth Games, delivering five gold medals between them at Glasgow 2014 and it is a big week in both sports with finals action imminent at the World Indoor Bowls Championships and Scotland’s cyclists gearing up for this weekend’s British Track Championships.

Look out for all things Bowls and Cycling on Team Scotland’s website and social channels this week as both sports share the spotlight in our Sport Focus Series, which features each of the 18 sports on the Gold Coast 2018 programme through athlete interviews, facts & figures, competition news and more.

Lawn Bowls at the Commonwealth Games

One of the six sports included in the first Commonwealth Games in 1930, Lawn Bowls is a core sport and has been featured at every Games, with the exception of Kingston, Jamaica in 1966 where the sport was dropped from the programme due to no sufficient bowling greens being available.

With three gold and a silver, Glasgow 2014 is Team Scotland’s most successful Lawn Bowls performance to date, but Scottish bowlers have been a regular fixture on the podium since the first Games, winning a total of 32 medals, half of them gold.

Bowler Willie Wood holds the record for Commonwealth Games appearances, competing at eight Games between 1966 and 2010. At the Delhi 2010 Games he was the oldest competitor, aged 72. Scotland’s most successful Commonwealth Games bowler, Alex Marshall, will make his sixth Games appearance in Gold Coast, looking to add to his tally of four gold medals.

Find out more about Lawn Bowls in the Commonwealth Games, including the competition format, rules and equipment on our dedicated Lawn Bowls page.

Cycling at the Commonwealth Games

Cycling made its Games debut in 1934 and has been included in every Games since, despite being an optional sport on the programme. It was a long wait for Scotland’s first medal in the sport, coming courtesy of Brian Temple’s silver medal winning ride in the 10 mile Scratch Race at the home Games of Edinburgh 1970. A bronze followed in 1986 for Eddie Alexander in the 1000m Sprint, but since 2002, Scottish cyclists have come into their own, winning 16 medals across four Games and at least one gold in 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014.

Para-Sport events were first included at Glasgow 2014 and Team Scotland were dominant, taking two gold and two silver across the four events. All four events are back on the programme for Gold Coast 2018.

Craig McLean is Scotland’s most successful cyclist, winning gold in 2006 and bronze in 2002 in the Team Sprint with Chris Hoy and Ross Edgar, before piloting Neil Fachie to double gold at the Glasgow 2014 games in the Para-Sport B Tandem events.

Find out more about Cycling in the Commonwealth Games, including the competition format, rules and equipment on our dedicated Cycling page.

Team Scotland 2018

Team Scotland have named a strong squad of 10 able-bodied and seven para-sport bowlers for Gold Coast 2018 including double Glasgow 2014 medallist Alex Marshall, plus fellow Glasgow 2014 champions Paul Foster and Darren Burnett. Irene Edgar and David Thomas, who were part of the silver medal winning Visually Impaired quartet in Glasgow also return as does Melbourne 2006 silver medallist Kay Moran.

The Cycling team have still to be named, with the announcement due in February, but it promises to be a strong squad with the likes of Olympic gold medallists Katie Archibald and Callum Skinner in the frame, as well as a host of past Games medallists and up-and-coming talents.

Click here to meet the full Lawn Bowls team for Gold Coast 2018.

A total of 117 athletes have been named to Team Scotland for Gold Coast 2018 to date, with athletes announced in Athletics, Basketball, Boxing, Beach Volleyball, Lawn Bowls, Shooting, Squash, Swimming, Table Tennis, Triathlon and Weightlifting.

Show Your Support!

You can show your support by uploading photos and messages on our supporters page and give Team Scotland’s athletes a boost as they prepare to do the country proud on one of sport’s biggest stages!

Look out for other ways to get behind the team in the countdown to Gold Coast on Team Scotland’s social media channels.

Scotland at the Commonwealth Games

The Commonwealth Games is the only occasion where Scotland gets to compete in a multi-sport event as a nation in its own right and is one of only six countries to have competed in every Commonwealth Games since their inception in Hamilton in 1930. Represented by 15 athletes participating in six sports at those first Games, winning a very creditable 10 medals, Scotland have gone on to win medals at every Games since.

Edinburgh became the first city to hold the Games twice in 1970 and 1986 and also became the first city to host the Commonwealth Youth Games.

Scotland hosted the Games for a third time when Glasgow welcomed athletes and officials to the XXth Commonwealth Games which was held from 23rd July – 3rd August 2014. Team Scotland celebrated their most successful Games in history, winning a total of 53 medals.

Find out more about the Commonwealth Games and Team Scotland’s past success in our Past Games section.

Team Scotland has a proud history in Boxing at the Commonwealth Games with our boxers winning medals at every Games to date. To round off our Sport Focus, here are 12 things you might not know about Boxing at the Commonwealth Games:

1. Boxing was one of six sports included at the first Commonwealth Games (then known as the British Empire Games) in 1930 and, as a core sport, must be included at every Games.

2. Boxing is the only sport in which Scotland have won medals at every Commonwealth Games. Scottish boxers have also won medals at every Youth Games where the sport has been included.

3. Scotland have won 63 Boxing medals at the Commonwealth Games; 17 gold, 16 silver and 30 bronze.

4. There is a three way tie for the title of Scotland’s most successful Commonwealth Games boxer; Josh Taylor, Tom Imrie and Dick McTaggart each won one gold and one silver medal.

5. Glasgow 2014 gold medallists Josh Taylor and Charlie Flynn both won medals at the Commonwealth Youth Games before stepping up to senior competition.

6. John Docherty and Sean Lazzerini became the first Scottish boxers in history to win gold at the Commonwealth Youth Games at Samoa 2015 and both have been selected for Gold Coast 2018.

7. Women’s Boxing events were included for the first time at the Glasgow 2014 Games.

8. 18 year old Vicky Glover will become the first female boxer to compete for Team Scotland at a senior Commonwealth Games when she steps into the ring in Gold Coast.

9. Megan Gordon was Scotland’s first female boxer in any Commonwealth Games event, winning bronze at the 2017 Youth Games in the Bahamas.

10. The Gold Coast 2018 Boxing competition will take place at Oxenford Studios – filming venue for Hollywood blockbusters such as San Andreas, Scooby Doo and Unbroken – the first time the venue will have been used for a sports event.

11. A Boxing bout consists of three rounds of three minutes for both women and men. A bout can be won on points, if a contest is abandoned, the Referee stops the contest, a boxer is disqualified, by walkover and by knockout.

12. Male boxers no longer wear head guards, however women must wear head guards at all times. Boxers must also wear a gum shield and men must wear a cup protector over the groin.

Meet the Boxing team for Gold Coast 2018 in our Athlete Profiles.

Find out more about the sport in the Commonwealth Games on our dedicated Boxing page and look out for our next sport focus as we profile each of the sports on the Gold Coast 2018 programme.

Team Scotland’s boxers will be looking to keep up their impressive Commonwealth Games medal record on Australia’s Gold Coast in April. The only sport where Scottish athletes have won at least one medal at every Games since they began in 1930, the class of 2018, with 10 boxers selected to date, will all have their eyes on a podium place.

Look out for all things Boxing on Team Scotland’s website and social channels this week as the sport takes the spotlight in our Sport Focus Series, which features each of the 18 sports on the Gold Coast 2018 programme through athlete interviews, facts & figures, competition news and more.

Boxing at the Commonwealth Games

One of the six sports included in the first Commonwealth Games in 1930, Boxing is a core sport and must be featured in every edition of the Games. Scottish boxers claimed a full set of medals at the 1930 Games in Hamilton, Canada with one gold, one silver and one bronze, with Jim Rolland taking the honour as Scotland’s first ever Commonwealth Games Boxing champion.

Scotland has continued to produce champions with 17 gold medallists to date, including household names such as Dick McTaggart, Alex Arthur and, most recently, Josh Taylor and Charlie Flynn.

Women’s Boxing was first included at the Glasgow 2014 Games, however Scotland did not field a competitor, meaning that Gold Coast 2018 will see Scotland’s first female competitor take to the ring.

Find out more about Boxing in the Commonwealth Games, including the competition format, rules and equipment on our dedicated Boxing page.

Team Scotland 2018

Team Scotland have named a strong squad of 10 boxers for Gold Coast 2018 including Glasgow 2014 medallist Reece McFadden, Glasgow 2014 team mates Aqeel Ahmed and Scott Forrest and 2015 Commonwealth Youth games gold medallists John Docherty and Sean Lazzerini. Hamilton based Vicky Glover becomes the first female boxer ever to be selected for Team Scotland at a Commonwealth Games with Mitchell Barton, Nathaniel Collins, Robbie McKechnie and Stephen Newns all making their Games debut.

Click here to meet the full Boxing team for Gold Coast 2018.

A total of 98 athletes have been named to Team Scotland for Gold Coast 2018 to date, with athletes announced in Athletics, Boxing, Beach Volleyball, Lawn Bowls, Shooting, Squash, Swimming, Triathlon and Weightlifting.

Further selections, including any final selections for the Boxing team, will take place in February 2018.

Show Your Support!

You can show your support by uploading photos and messages on our supporters page and give Team Scotland’s athletes a boost as they prepare to do the country proud on one of sport’s biggest stages!

Look out for other ways to get behind the team in the countdown to Gold Coast on Team Scotland’s social media channels.

Scotland at the Commonwealth Games

The Commonwealth Games is the only occasion where Scotland gets to compete in a multi-sport event as a nation in its own right and is one of only six countries to have competed in every Commonwealth Games since their inception in Hamilton in 1930. Represented by 15 athletes participating in six sports at those first Games, winning a very creditable 10 medals, Scotland have gone on to win medals at every Games since.

Edinburgh became the first city to hold the Games twice in 1970 and 1986 and also became the first city to host the Commonwealth Youth Games.

Scotland hosted the Games for a third time when Glasgow welcomed athletes and officials to the XXth Commonwealth Games which was held from 23rd July – 3rd August 2014. Team Scotland celebrated their most successful Games in history, winning a total of 53 medals.

Find out more about the Commonwealth Games and Team Scotland’s past success in our Past Games section.

Eighteen year old Ross Connelly from Cumbernauld was the top Scottish performer at the Commonwealth Wrestling Championships as he struck bronze in the 57kg weight category, capping a fantastic year which has also seen him take bronze at the Junior Ontario Cup in July.

Three Scottish wrestlers, including Glasgow 2014 bronze medallist Vio Etko, travelled to the event in Johannesburg, South Africa, event but it was Connelly who shone at the milestone event on the road to next April’s Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast.

Team Scotland caught up with a delighted Connelly as he travelled back to Scotland, hoping his performance might land him a place on the plane to Australia next year.

What were your aims heading to South Africa?

My aims heading out to South Africa were just to perform to the best of my ability and to take one match at a time. I also wanted to test myself for the first time against Commonwealth competition.

Talk us through how the competition unfolded…

With regards to the competition I was placed in a pool alongside two South Africans and New Zealand. My team mate Vio, India, Canada and Pakistan were in the other pool. I won my first match against New Zealand. I then lost to a physically strong South African in the semi-final. However due to him making the final I was able to wrestle for 3rd/5th later in the day. I wrestled the other South African for 3rd and managed to win 12-2.

How pleased were you to come away with a medal?

I was delighted with my medal, although I wish I could have been in the final. I am still very happy as I felt I had worked hard throughout the year to prepare for this tournament.

As a young member of the team how important was this competition as a learning opportunity?

This tournament was a great learning opportunity for me. This was my first time I have competed against guys that may be at the Commonwealth Games in April so for me it was good to be exposed to this. Also it highlighted some of my strengths and weaknesses which will allow me to improve and work on these in the future.

It must set you up well for the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games?

I would like to think it has set me up well for the Games in April, however the team has not been selected yet so I just need to continue training hard and hope I make the team!

If selected, what will your goals be?

It would be a dream come true to be selected. I would aim to prepare the best I can in order to perform my best come competition day. I would also just try and learn from those around me at the Games in order to continue to develop.

What are your ultimate ambitions in the sport?

My ultimate ambitions in the sport are to be the best I can be, to stay healthy and continue to have fun!

Part of the Achieve programme for Glasgow 2014, which gave young athletes and coaches the chance to experience the Games environment, Connelly will be hoping to book his spot on Team Scotland when the Wrestling team is selected in February.

All this week Wrestling is in the spotlight as we countdown to the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games – look out for #TeamScotSportFocus on Team Scotland’s website and social media channels