Best Olympics since 1988 – our stars handled it with grit, grace and gravitas

Tuesday 13th August 2024

Giffnock show #SALtogether bond as Laura, Nicole say ‘Thank you’

So, the results are in and the collective performance by Scottish athletes at the Olympics is . . . the best since 1988.

Three medals were gathered for Team GB by relay specialist Nicole Yeargin, who was in two bronze-medal winning teams, and Josh Kerr who took silver in the Men’s 1500m.

That matches the tally of three from 1988 and from 1980 – and you have to go back more than a century to 1920 to find four Scottish medals at Olympics.

These are stats which demonstrate emphatically the degree of difficulty in achieving Olympic success.

In addition to the medals:

*Nicole was involved in a British Record in the Mixed 4x400m Relay (in the heats; with this time then bettered in the final)

*Josh outstripped Mo Farah’s mark to set a new British Record and Scottish Record in the Men’s 1500m final with 3:27.79.

*Laura Muir’s PB run in the Women’s 1500m final was a new Scottish Record at3:53.37.

*Nicole was involved in a British Record in the Women’s 4x400m Relay final at 3:19.72, with the America-based Pitreavie AAC athlete’s split given as 49.9 seconds.

These are very fine performances indeed and Laura of course competed in her third Olympic final over 1500m with her places as follows: seventh, second, fifth.

To return to the medals:

The Paris 2024 Olympics made it Eight-in-a-Row in terms of a Scot (or Scots) appearing on the podium.

Jake Wightman (gold), Laura Muir (bronze) and Nicole (relay bronze) started this run at the 2022 World Champs in Oregon and that was quickly followed at the Commonwealths and the Europeans tDURING hat hectic summer.

A further five major events have now elapsed since with a Scot (or Scots) on the podium.

The record over the last 20 major championships is 18 feature at least one Scot on the podium. Wow!

That really is a remarkable sequence and a huge credit must go to our top athletes, their coaches, their families and indeed the clubs who helped forge their development over many years.

Montage created by Morven Bruce (with one athlete representative of each of the Champs)

David Ovens, chair of scottishathletics, was hugely impressed with our strong Team GB cohort at Paris 2024 (which numbered nine until the late injury withdrawal of Jake Wightman).

‘Nine Scottish athletes were selected to compete as part of a 64-strong Team GB athletics squad, returning three medals out of a total of ten, along with a raft of fine performances,’ said David.

‘We have become accustomed to this level of success by our Scottish athletes in recent years and it is undoubtedly inspiring the next generation of young athletes to believe that they too can compete at that level with the best in the world.

However, one thing which particularly struck me was the extent to which each of our athletes handled the circumstances which befell them with grit, grace and gravitas.

‘It is this culture of success and support, built up over many years, which makes athletics in Scotland such a wonderful eco-system to be part of.

‘It creates firm foundations for future generations to believe that they too will be capable of fulfilling their dreams.

‘Our top athletes are magnificent role models who are at the top of their game, yet they too have come through our grassroots club and competition structures and have been supported by our brilliant coaches, Officials and volunteers.’