Commonwealth Games 2018: Scotland's best-ever result - argues performance chief Mike Whittingham
- Published
Alex Marshall (third left) won his fifth Commonwealth Games gold medal
Results in the Gold Coast may mark Scotland's finest Commonwealth Games achievement, according to performance director Mike Whittingham.
Fifty-three medals were won in Glasgow four years ago - nine more than in Australia this time round.
But Whittingham points out that, in 2014, 13 medals were won in judo, which was not included in the Gold Coast.
"You could deduct those 13. That's almost, arguably, the best-ever result by a Scottish team," he said.
It was Scotland's second highest medal tally - and highest at an overseas Games - with nine golds compared to 19 in Glasgow.
"In Glasgow, we won six golds on the judo programme," director of high performance at the Scottish Institute of Sport Whittingham said. "The judo programme isn't here.
"I'm delighted. We've reached our headline goal. I was hoping for over 35 medals.
"Athletes win medals, but I'd like to think that systems win them consistently and what we've been doing since 2010 is consistently beating a series of best-evers.
"So I think this is the best-ever away team, best-ever prepared team, best-ever away medals.
"But also little things like best-ever team result by basketball. Look at Duncan Scott - best-ever result by a single athlete.
"And not forgetting Alex Marshall - most decorated athlete. So we can take a lot away from this and I'm delighted 2018 is as we've planned."
Swimmer Scott won six medals, while bowler Marshall took his fifth Commonwealth Games gold and the basketball side finished fourth.
Duncan Scott won six medals at the Games in the Gold Coast
Whittingham conceded that, while the Scots had surpassed the 44 medals won in Melbourne in 2006, they had not matched the 11 golds mined on their last visit to Australia.
"Yeah, well, we weren't far away," he said. "But obviously we were down. We won 19 gold medals in Glasgow 2014. That's why countries bid for home soil games.
"When you have home soil games, you do invariably very well and we did in Glasgow.
"Look at Australia here. They've won more golds than anywhere else. Yes, we'll look at that, we're never content."
Wittingham is looking for more improvement at the next Commonwealth Games, in England in 2022.
"We'll go back and challenge the sports and we'll challenge ourselves and we'll come out wanting to do even better in Birmingham," he added.
"For the moment, we just need to accept the fact that Scotland has consistently delivered medals on the world stage."
- Published11 April 2018
