Gymnast Reuben Ward has made history for Scotland, clinching the men's all-around gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. The 21-year-old's victory marks the first time a Scottish man has won the prestigious all-around title at the Games.
Competing in front of a roaring home crowd at the Emirates Arena, Ward achieved a score of 79.650 across the six apparatus to secure the historic win. He narrowly held off a late surge from Canada's Felix Dolci, who took silver after recovering from two falls. Australia's Jesse Moore claimed the bronze medal.
"It's an unbelievable feeling," Ward stated after his win. "I only found out recently that no Scottish man had ever won the Commonwealth all-around title, so to make that bit of history is incredibly special."
Ward's path to gold was a display of composure under pressure. After a seventh-place finish in the floor exercise and a seventh-place finish in the team event days prior, he moved into the lead with a strong performance on the pommel horse, his strongest discipline. He maintained his advantage through the rings, vault, and parallel bars. A final score of 12.7 on the horizontal bar was enough to secure the title, despite a strong final routine from Dolci.
"Everyone around me was jumping, screaming and celebrating – I’ve never experienced emotions like that before," Ward described. "Then standing in front of the crowd with the Scottish flag over my shoulders, just taking it all in, was incredible. Running around afterwards, giving people high-fives – it was completely surreal."
The victory fulfills a dream Ward has held since watching the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. "I remember seeing him win and seeing how it was a big deal to people and I thought 'I want to do that'," he said, referring to Dan Keatings' gold medal win. "So to be here now, having done it myself, is spectacular. It's such a full-circle moment. Glasgow and East Kilbride have been like second homes to me my entire life so to do it here is incredibly special."
Ward is not finished with competition in Glasgow. He is set to compete in the floor and pommel apparatus finals, with the latter offering a strong possibility for another medal. "I've got big ambitions in both," Ward added. "I'll try to keep my head screwed on, perform the routines I know I'm capable of, and hopefully bring home another gold medal for Scotland."