Team Scotland athletes born decades apart

The Commonwealth Games in Birmingham begins on Thursday, with Team Scotland hoping to secure a haul of medals.

Scotland will showcase 261 athletes on the world stage - and the oldest and youngest on the team were born almost 60 years apart.

The oldest team member George Miller, 75, is the director to visually impaired bowler Melanie Inness.

He is debuting with the youngest team member Sam Downie, 16, and the oldest female member Rosemary Lenton, 73.

Para-athletes Rosemary and Sam faced mobility challenges before being enlisted to represent their sport internationally.

They are among the 126 men and 135 women on Team Scotland going for gold.

Proud competitors

Sam, from Portobello, did not expect to make the swimming team and only got the call a matter of weeks ago.

He said: "It's something I take with pride.

"There's not too many 16-year-olds out there competing at a Commonwealth Games.

"It's something I'm very appreciative of and I'm really proud of. It's something I've always wanted to do since I was young."

Sam was born with caudal regression syndrome which limits the development of his spine.

When he was born, his parents were told he would never walk. He has undergone 16 surgeries in 16 years to help the condition.

After impressing his family and medics with his progress, Sam started swimming as it was the only permitted sport with limited impact on his back.

He swims using only his upper body strength and has won multiple competitions.

This year he qualified for his senior international debut and was the youngest member of the British team for the Madeira 2022 World Para Swimming Championships.

'Age is just a number'

Team Scotland's oldest female athlete is 73-year-old Rosemary Lenton who is representing Scotland as a para-athlete on the bowls team.

She started bowling and curling in her 50s after an operation left her with limited movement in her legs and now uses a wheelchair for the majority of her movement but stands up to play bowls.

Rosemary, who lives in Dumfries with her husband, said: "Yes I am disabled and I can't walk.

"My life is totally different - but it's a life I would never have had and friendships I would never have made.

"So something good has come out of something bad."

Rosemary has represented Scotland at three World Bowls Championships, winning silver in the Mixed Pairs in New Zealand in 2015.

In curling she has competed in nine world championships.

She regularly plays bowls at her club Crichton Royal bowling club.

She found out she would head to the Commonwealth Games to represent Scotland earlier this year and says it shows her "age is just a number".

The games will kick off with the opening ceremony at 20:00 on Thursday 28 July.