Liz McColgan: My daughter’s success is 100 times better than my own

Liz McColgan has said that watching her daughter win Commonwealth gold was “100 times better” than her own success on the track.

Eilish McColgan broke the Games record to win the women’s 10,000 metres in Birmingham on Wednesday night, emulating her mother’s success in 1986 and 1990.

Her mother said the moment her daughter won the race was “amazing”.

Liz McColgan told BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme: “As an athlete myself you have fond memories of having success, but when it is your own children it is like 100 times better.

“It was just one of those really special moments and I was just really thankful I was actually in the stadium and able to experience how the home support helped lift her to that gold medal.

“It was just one of those really, really special moments that will probably never come along again.

“It was a great atmosphere and really exciting and nerve-wracking to be part of that.”

Eilish McColgan set a new Commonwealth Games record time of 30:48:60.

Afterwards, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: “Every medal is special, but what a tear in the eye to see Eilish Mccolgan match her mum’s 1986 gold.”

Liz McColgan said it had been a “really tough race”, with her daughter dramatically coming from behind in the final stages of the race to win.

“Everything about the race was the way we had talked about it and thought it would happen,” she said.

“For about three years Eilish’s goal has been to get a medial at the Commonwealth Games, and I think even herself she would never think gold, but what an amazing race she ran, she ran with a lot of guts.

“For her to have family and friends there to actually share the moment with her, she just broke down really, she was like ‘I can’t believe it’.”