BBC Scotland at the Olympics

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter in Paris

Image source, Getty Images

Scottish track cyclist Neah Evans has vowed to compete at the next Olympics at the age of 38 after finishing her Paris Games with "the worst ever omnium I have ever had".

Evans, who had already won a silver medal in the madison in the velodrome, was strongly fancied to challenge for the podium in the four -ace event on Sunday.

But a heavy crash on the final bend of the opening points race meant she was always playing catch up.

The Aberdeenshire ended up in 15th place on a frustrating afternoon.

"Today can’t take away from what I achieved in the madison and I really did have a great race with that," Evans told BBC Scotland.

"But my personality type is I am going to be disappointed with this and I wanted to be able to come out and do better because you have so much support behind the scenes.

"It is just so frustrating, this is the worst ever omnium I have ever had in my life, and you are like: ‘Why is it at the Olympic Games?', but I will be back and hopefully I will be able to do better next time."

Evans, who also won a silver medal in team pursuit in Tokyo three years ago, added the crash was difficult to come back from.

'‘It is such a disadvantage just in terms of the points," she added.

"I'm starting in last place, I'm 40 points down on the leader, and then you have got the consequences of actually being injured from the crash.

"So mentally it was really difficult to pick yourself up, physically and metaphorically."

Thomas Duncan
BBC Sport Scotland in Paris

Image source, Getty Images

Scottish takewondo fighter Rebecca McGowan says the "heartbreak" of missing out on a bronze medal at the Olympics will take time to get over.

The 24-year-old from Dumbarton was in tears after her quarter-final defeat by Uzbekistan's Svetlana Osipova, before returning later on Saturday to battle through the repechage round to set up a fight for bronze.

However, despite taking the first round and then landing what looked like a winning kick to the head in the third, McGowan lost to Nafia Kus Aydin of Turkey after her strike was deemed outside of the main arena.

"It was a tough day. I think there were things I could've done better. There were mistakes I made," McGowan told BBC Scotland.

"But equally my opponents fought fantastically throughout the day. It's the nature of the sport I'm in. Some days it's yours, some days it isn't. And it's the finest of margins.

"I was still picking myself up as I was walking through the tunnel to go out [for the bronze fight] to be honest.

"I've never felt heartbreak like that, and to feel it twice in one day is unexplainable right now. It's tough, and I've got to learn to deal with it unfortunately."

McGowan was competing at her first Olympics in the magnificent and raucous Grand Palais, having been a reserve in Tokyo.

That had spurred her on to qualify for these Games, which she did at the expense of two-time Olympic medallist Bianca Cook.

McGowan says despite the defeat she will, in time, take pride in her journey to reach Paris.

"I'll learn to be more proud of today," the Scot said.

"But now it's a bit raw. There's a lot of heartbreak and devastation there. It'll come and I'll learn and be stronger for it as a person and a fighter.

"There's been a physical, emotional and mental battle. A battle I don't think anyone would quite understand.

"It's taken a lot to get here and unfortunately it's not gone the way I wanted it to go.

"But that's life. Life happens and you move on."

Scotland's Mark Stewart was called into action in the men's madison at the Olympic velodrome, but ended up in 10th place alongside Oliver Wood.

Stewart, the 28-year-old from Dundee, was a travelling reserve for Britain's endurance team and ended up racing when Ethan Hayter pulled out with a thigh injury on Saturday.

But despite the pair being world silver medallists, the British pair were never in serious contention in a frantic race, and their hopes of a medal were ended when Wood crashed after a collision with a rider from the Netherlands.

Portugal took the gold, Italy the silver, and Denmark claimed bronze.

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Scottish track cycling sprinter Jack Carlin is through to the quarter-finals of the keirin at the veldrome.

The 27-year-old from Paisley is bidding for a third medal of these Olympics having already secured team sprint silver and individual sprint bronze.

He finished behind Dutchman Harrie Lavreysen in his keirin heat, taking the second of two spots in the next round on Sunday.

The quarter-finals begin at 10:29 BST on Sunday with the semi-finals to follow an hour later, and the final scheduled for 12:32.

The keirin involves riders following a motorcycle, called a derny, for three laps as the speed increases.

After those three laps, the bike drops off and the riders race over the final three laps for victory.

Thomas Duncan
BBC Sport Scotland in Paris

Scottish taekwondo fighter Rebecca McGowan was left devastated by her defeat in the Olympic quarter-finals, but still has a chance to go for bronze on Saturday night.

The 24-year-old from Dumbarton was well beaten by Uzbekistan's Svetlana Osipova, who comfortably took the first two rounds in the best-of-three contest.

But due to Osipova's progression to the gold medal match at Le Grand Palais, McGowan will now enter the repechage.

If she defeats Astan Bathily of the Ivory Coast at 19:06 BST, she will then take on Turkey's Nafia Kus Aydin for bronze.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Britons Caden Cunningham reached the taekwondo semi-finals on his Olympic debut but compatriot Rebecca McGowan lost in the quarter-finals.

Cunningham, hailed as the future of the sport by two-time GB bronze medallist Bianca Walkden, came through a cagey fight against Cuba's Rafael Alba to win 2-1.

It had been 0-0 in the last round of the best-of-three fight, but Cunningham picked up four points in the final 10 seconds to secure victory.

He will face Cheick Cisse of the Ivory Coast from 15:36 BST for a shot at the gold-medal match.

McGowan, also making her Olympic debut, was outclassed 2-0 by Svetlana Osipova of Uzbekistan in the women's +67kg.

Great Britain have won a taekwondo medal at every Olympics since Athens in 2004, but have struggled in Paris.

Favourite Bradly Sinden had to withdraw injured before his men's -68kg bronze medal match, while two-time gold medallist Jade Jones suffered another early defeat in the women's -57kg.