COMMONWEALTH GAMES - 1998

Mrs Thomson wins Bronze Medal
Medal Winners Here are the Medal Winners.

COMMONWEALTH GAMES 98
A few weeks ago I returned from an amazing experience. I spent 3 weeks in Malaysia-part of the time in the capital - Kuala Lumper, and part of the time at an island called Langkawi, near the Thailand border. I flew out with the rest of the team from Heathrow, arriving in Kuala lumper (K.L.) about 13 hours later. The journey was not as bad as it might sound, as we slept most of the time. After waiting ages for our luggage at K.L. international airport (one bag still missing ) we were taken by bus on the one hour drive to the games village. There, we were shown our rooms - fairly basic but comfortable - then made our way to the main building which housed the dining hall as well as the bank, post office, general store and souvenir shops. The food was supposed to be a selection of eastern and western, but it was quite spicy. There was plenty of fresh fruit - melon, pineapple, water melon, guava, banana or, for the less healthily minded, cornetto or magnum! We stayed in K.L. for 4 days to acclimatise - using the new train system to travel into the city to explore the sights and shops. There was a lot of building still going on - many pavements and roadways were unfinished. We saw the Petronas Twin Towers-the two tallest buildings in the world-and just a few blocks away a blacksmith working in his shop at the road side. Quite a contrast. The big shopping malls are all air-conditioned and stock a wide range of goods, including all the big names - Adidas, Reebok, Nike, Sony at a fraction of the U.K. prices. All the people we met-even in the street-were very friendly, asking where we were from, and what sport we were doing. The island of Langkawi is not as built up as K.L, and has miles of sandy beaches and beautiful clear water. The shooting range on the island is the best I've seen-air conditioned, and very spacious. It was still hot and humid, and we had to remember to drink lots of isotonic drinks. The problem with drinking a lot is that you have to go to the toilet a lot, and in Malaysia that's quite an experience !! We spent two days training then had four days of 'badge matches', which gave us all an idea of what the medal matches would be like. We were then flown back to K.L. for the opening ceremony. We had to walk round the outside of the stadium first before going in, with many stops as the locals wanted photographs taken with us and their children or themselves.We had 4 pipers with us, so the walk was often accompanied by 'Flower of Scotland' or 'Scotland the brave', to the delight of the Malaysians. We all received a tremendous welcome on entering the stadium, and had great fun waving back and taking photographs. Next day we flew back to Langkawi for the medal matches. It was quite nerve-wracking before the matches started, but once they had started nerves were forgotten, and concentration took over. However, if anyone has aspirations to take part in competition in her country, go for swimming. Trying to concentrate on holding a rifle steady and watching wind flags, when sweat is running down your face and your back is not easy! The match in which Shirley (my partner) and I won our bronze medal was really quite enjoyable, although we both felt we could have shot better when we finished, our coach was pleased, saying he thought we had done quite well, and wouldn't be to far away from a medal. As each member of other teams finished, their scores were displayed on a large screen. A lot of fingers were used working out the difference in points between the teams. Gradually we realised that we'd beaten our main competitors - England, Malaysia even Australia and then there were only two countries in front of us. We had done it ! We had won a bronze medal ! We could hardly believe it ! The medal ceremony took place that afternoon under the canopy in front of the main building. We were each presented with our medal and a mascot of the games, WIRA, complete with flowers. It was good to watch Scotland's flag being raised, knowing that my effort had a part in it. It would have been better watching the flag being raised to the tune of 'Scotland the brave' instead of 'O Canada', but there's always next time. Roll on, Manchester 2002! The days at Langkawi went very quickly-we were training, competing or providing support for team-mates, leaving very little for shopping or sight-seeing. However, the shops were open until 9pm or 10pm, so we often had a walk round after dinner. The 1 day I had free to look around the island, it rained so heavily that we couldn't leave the car without getting soaked, so we went shopping instead ! I've now watched both the opening and closing ceremonies on video, and although the T.V. coverage showed what was happening much more clearly, the atmosphere in the stadium on both occasions was tremendous. Taking part in the Commonwealth games in Malaysia was an unforgettable experience - coming home with a bronze medal was a bonus.
Janis Thomson
Results The Results Board.

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