Double gold for Team South Lanarkshire
Published: Wednesday 21 September 2022
Team South Lanarkshire are celebrating following a hugely successful International Children’s Games.
Athletes from all three sports the team were competing in – girls’ football, athletics and swimming – reached the finals of their events at the Games, which were held in Coventry this year.
The girls’ football team took home the gold medal following an amazing performance – not only did they win all their group games, their semi-final and final, they also didn’t concede a goal throughout the whole tournament.
The team of four athletes also came back with one gold from the boys 1500m (Angus Wilkinson) and one silver from the girls 100m (Tehillah Chiomaah Ikechukwu Okonkwo).
Emma Clark and Owen Murphy recorded personal best times, only narrowly missing out on medals, both coming fourth in their individual races. The team were also unlucky not to medal in the mixed relay, finishing fourth.
Every member of the swimming team also reached the final of the event, with some of them also recording personal bests on the way.
One of the organisers of Team South Lanarkshire, Karen McInally, said: “The Games were a fantastic experience for everyone involved.
“The accommodation and facilities at the University of Warwick were absolutely first-class, and the fact that the young people had the privilege of staying in the same Games Village as the Commonwealth Games athletes made it feel extra special for them.
“The opening ceremony was a complete spectacle with local acts performing as well as Flint and Taylor from Britain’s Got Talent.
“The closing ceremony was a special evening to celebrate the achievements of the athletes and the whole ICG experience.
“The athletes then took to the University of Warwick’s Piazza for a fun packed evening with a DJ, carnival rides, ice creams and dancing.
“It was such a great occasion and so much fun to be a part of.
“Huge congratulations to all our athletes, they represented South Lanarkshire brilliantly and we should all be so proud of them.
“Special mention has to go to our coaches who worked tirelessly over the five days to get their teams to and from their events and ensure they were prepared to perform in what was a jam-packed agenda
“I also have to say a huge thank you to the wonderful parents/families/supporters who made the journey to Coventry to support Team South Lanarkshire.
“Every event had spectators waving the Scotland flag in support of the team which made for a fantastic atmosphere at the pitch, track and pool.
“Thanks for all your support and I know that everyone who was there has made memories that will last for a lifetime.”
General Manager of South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture, Kay Morrison, said: “We are all delighted with how well the team competed and they were an absolute credit to South Lanarkshire.
“I would like to thank everyone who put in so much effort behind the scenes, an event of this scale is not easy to plan and organise, but they managed to do so flawlessly.
“This meant the young people could focus on delivering their best performances without any background distractions – which they all done brilliantly.
“The 2022 International Children's Games has been a huge success story for South Lanarkshire.”
A highlights video of the Games is available via YouTube.
In the build-up to the Games, the View has focused on the girls’ football team, the swimming team and the athletics team.
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