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CWG 2022: At 72 , Scotland's para athlete wins gold in women's pairs lawn bowls
Speaking to the media after her win, she said "Absolutely fantastic, I'm dreaming. I thought I would never get to a Commonwealth Games and, if I did it would be as a spectator. This is effectively our Olympics because we cannot get any higher."
A Commonwealth Games gold medal at the age of 72 !, seems unthinkable but that's what Scotland’s Rosemary Lenton achieved when she won in the Para Women’s Pairs event in the Lawn Bowls on august 3, Wednesday .She partnered with her fellow scot Pauline Wilson to defeat the Australian duo of Cheryl Lindfield and Serena Bonnell 17-5.With the win, she became the oldest Scotsperson to win the Games medal.
In Para Women’s Pairs event, the gold medal match was levelled at 5-5 after eight ends. But the Scottish pair took a lead in the ninth end and then went on to score consistently to win by 17-5 in the 14th end.
Speaking to the media after her win, she said "Absolutely fantastic, I’m dreaming. We both played excellently....".She further said "We always knew we could do it. In the round-robin we didn’t always produce it, but when it really mattered we did, and that’s the important thing. Comparing her win in the games to the Olympics, she said “It’s the first time that women’s para-bowls has been included. I thought I would never get to a Commonwealth Games and, if I did it would be as a spectator. This is effectively our Olympics because we cannot get any higher.”
Lenton had made her debut in the games, two decades on from health issues that had pushed her into a wheelchair. She took up bowls only in 2005 and has competed in three World Championships, winning a silver medal in one.
