by The last 12 months have seen a string of Scottish sporting successes in an action-packed calendar, which included the Commonwealth Games, the Winter Olympics and two other major athletics championships.
Here, the PA news agency looks back on some of 2022’s best results on the wider stage with a focus on 10 sports.
Athletics
Jake Wightman stunned both himself and his father – who was commenting in Oregon Stadium – when he became the first British man to win the 1500m title at the World Championships since 1983. He followed that up with Commonwealth medals and those European. Laura Muir overcame an early season injury to take four medals across three championships, including the Commonwealth 1500m and European golds. Eilish McColgan enjoyed the best year of her career, setting three British road race records and then beating her dam Liz’s Scottish 10,000m Scottish record before emulating her with gold in the same event at the Commonwealth Games. She also won silver in the 5000m and then two medals at the European Championships.
Curl
There was great success for Scottish men and women, with Eve Muirhead and Bobby Lammie winning the world mixed doubles championship in April. Both the men’s and women’s teams won European titles before the stunning success of the Beijing Winter Olympics, where Muirhead led his team to gold and Bruce Mouat led Great Britain to a silver medal.
Amateur boxing
Sam Hickey became the first Scotsman to win a medal at the European Championships for 16 years when he took bronze, just two months after winning the same award at the junior event. The 22-year-old outdid himself in Birmingham, winning a gold medal and being named male boxer of the tournament. Sean Lazzerini and Reese Lynch also won gold. Elsewhere at the junior event in Italy, 16-year-old Niamh Mitchell became the first female Scottish boxer to win major international competition and only the second Scotsman to do so at the event.
Soccer
Rangers made it to the Europa League final against all odds with the help of wins over Borussia Dortmund, Red Star Belgrade, Braga and RB Leipzig. Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side narrowly missed out on glory when they lost on penalties in the final to Eintracht Frankfurt. The Scotland men’s national team also enjoyed success after losing the World Cup. Steve Clarke’s side achieved promotion to the top flight of the UEFA Nations League after overcoming Ukraine, the Republic of Ireland and Armenia to claim their second promotion in three seasons.
Bowls Para Prato
Scotland had unprecedented success at the Commonwealth Games winning all three titles. Garry Brown and Kevin Wallace won the men’s pairs, Rosemary Lenton and Pauline Wilson triumphed in the women’s pairs, and Robert Barr and Melanie Inness took gold in the mixed event with help from Sarah Jane Ewing and George Miller.
aquatic
Duncan Scott overcame illness to collect his second Commonwealth Games haul of six medals, which included two golds. Stephen Clegg took two gold medals at the World Para Swimming Championships and a silver at the Commonwealth Games, while Ross Murdoch came out of retirement to claim two bronze medals in Birmingham as Scotland finished with a 12-medal tally. Lucy Hope collected two gold and two silver medals at the European Championships. In diving, James Heatly and Grace Reid took gold in the synchronized 3m springboard in Birmingham.
To ski
Banchory brothers Neil and Andrew Simpson took silver in the Super Combined at their first World Championships in Norway before making history in Beijing by taking Britain’s first men’s Paralympic gold on snow in the Super-G competition. The blind Neil and guide Andrew then won a bronze medal in the Super Combined.
Cycling
Neil Fachie became Scotland’s most successful Commonwealth Games para-athlete of all time when he won gold and silver in Birmingham to add to the four golds he already possessed. Jack Carlin has won five medals in all at the Commonwealth, European and World Championships. Neah Evans won three British titles, three Commonwealth medals and then gold and silver medals at the track cycling world championships.
Judo
Sarah Adlington defended her Commonwealth Games title in +78kg – which she won in Glasgow in 2014 – to become the first Scottish judoka to win two gold medals.
Darts
Peter Wright won his second world championship by beating Michael Smith 7-5 in a tense final at Alexandra Palace in January.
