Endurance athletes gain games selection

Thursday 13 June 2002

With just over 40 days to go until the start of the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, the Executive of the Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland and scottishathletics today (Thursday 13 June) announced the first three athletes recommended for selection to the Bank of Scotland Scottish Team.

Endurance athletes Simon Pride (Fochabers), Sara-Jane Cattermole (Edinburgh) and Lynn McDougall (Glasgow) have been named today, whilst the remainder of the athletics team will be announced next week, following the English Commonwealth Trials in Manchester, which take place this weekend.

Marathon-runner Pride, 34 has actually moved down in distance. The Aberdeen Metro athlete won the World 100k Championships in 1999. Since stepping down from ultra-distance running he has continued to be successful. He finished 17th at the 2001 London Marathon, clocking 2h16m.27secs, comfortably inside the 2h18m Commonwealth standard. He has also won the Scottish Championship for the past two years and in May he stormed to victory in the Belfast marathon. Simon, who clocks up many of his training miles as a postman, is certainly hoping to deliver this summer.

Cattermole, 25 is set to go in the 20k walk. The Edinburgh-based athlete has twice dipped under the 1h 40m mark and is ranked Scottish no.1 in the 5k, 10k and 20k disciplines. She is a talented all-round athlete who has also competed as a hammer thrower and last year she was ranked Scottish no.2 for the 3000m steeplechase.

For Lynn McDougall, selection could mean a return to the limelight. As a 19-year-old she was a finallist in the 1500m at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. She also reached 1500m finals at both the 1986 and 1990 Commonwealth Games. The City of Glasgow AC athlete still stands third on the Scottish all-time list for the 1500m.

As her career has progressed she has gradually moved through the distances and is now a fully-fledged road-racer. She ran 2h37m20secs at last year’s London Marathon to finish as first Brit and 16th overall. She also won last year’s Scottish 10k road-race Championships. McDougall is currently nursing a back injury and her selection is subject to her proving her fitness by 9 July 2002.

Leslie Roy (Team Manager) said: "I am delighted for these athletes as it is a tremendous achievement to gain the highest accolade in Scottish sport and represent their country as part of the Bank of Scotland Scottish Commonwealth Games Team in Manchester."

George Mitchell, Treasurer & Managing Director of Bank of Scotland, said: "We would like to welcome these athletes to the Bank of Scotland Scottish Team. The focus over the next few weeks will continue to be on training and getting ready for Manchester 2002 - assisted by the Bank’s sponsorship, which goes directly towards team preparation. We wish them every success and look forward to watching them go the distance."

The team members announced today are subject to final ratification by the Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland on June 25, when the full Bank of Scotland team will be announced for the XVII Commonwealth Games.

• The Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland (CGCS) is responsible for selecting and preparing the team representing Scotland at the Games and is financed through sponsorship and fundraising activities, and grant support from sportscotland.
• The total cost of preparing and taking a team to represent Scotland at the Commonwealth Games in 2002 is around £450,000.
• A copy of the overall team and individual sport selection policy is available from the Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland.
• The Scottish Team won 3 gold, 2 silver and 7 bronze medals at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Athletics won 1 silver – Allison Curbishley 400m.
• Scotland has competed in every Games since the first British Empire Games in 1930 winning a total of 270 medals (65 gold, 79 silver, 126 bronze).
• 16 sports are taking part in Manchester: Athletics; Badminton; Bowls; Boxing; Cycling; Gymnastics; Hockey (women’s); Judo; Rugby 7s; Shooting; Squash; Swimming; Table Tennis; Triathlon; Weightlifting; and Wrestling.
• The 2002 Commonwealth Games are being held in Manchester 25 July - 4 August.
• In December 2000 Bank of Scotland announced its second time sponsorship of the Bank of Scotland Scottish Team for the Commonwealth Games. The Bank’s sponsorship specifically funds coaching and preparation for the team to help improve our athletes’ medal chances.
• Bank of Scotland is the largest commercial sponsor of youth sport in Scotland and this year over 20,000 young people will take part in youth development projects supported by Bank of Scotland.