10from the Isle of Man Commonwealth Games medallists
The Isle of Man has taken part in the Commonwealth Games since its debut in 1958. This year, the Island will be sending a 32 strong squad to the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham – amongst the 32 athletes are RL360 sponsored track cyclist Matt Bostock and long distance runner Ollie Lockley. The Games in Birmingham will take place between 28 July and 8 August and will mark the 16th time that Team IOM has competed. The current tally for the number of medals won by the Isle of Man stands at an impressive 12 medals in 15 Commonwealth Games. In honour of this, we look back at some of the Island’s proudest moments from previous Games. 1. Stuart Slack (cyclist) – Bronze medallist - 1958 Games in Wales The Commonwealth Games in Cardiff was a landmark moment for Isle of Man sport as it was the first time that the Island entered a team into the competition. Of the 10 competitors that formed Team IOM, it was Stuart Slack who made history by becoming the first Manx athlete to win a Commonwealth Games medal. Storming through heavy rain and strong winds (typical Manx weather), Slack persevered and finished with a respectable third place in the Men’s Cycling Road Race. As well as being a talented cyclist, Stuart was also a songwriter who had composed many songs about the Isle of Man. 2. Peter Buckley (cyclist) – Gold medallist - 1966 Games in Jamaica Despite leaving the Island when he was a young child, Peter Buckley did not pass up the opportunity to represent the Isle of Man at the 1966 Commonwealth Games in Jamaica. Even cycling through sweltering heat over a 120mile course and crashing in the early stages of the Men’s Road Race weren’t enough to stop Peter from winning his - and the Island’s - first gold medal. His race time of 5 hours and 7 seconds was also a then Commonwealth Games record. He was a legend in the making but only a few years later his life was tragically cut short following an unfortunate training accident in July 1969.
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3. Alexandra E. Jackson (swimmer) – Bronze medallist - 1970 Games in Scotland By 1970, the Island had formed a reputation for producing high-calibre cyclists and it was the right time to showcase local talent in other sporting professions. The 1970 Games in Edinburgh was the first time that the Island had chosen to compete in the women’s aquatic events. Alexandra E. Jackson was the only Manx female swimmer at the event and completed the 100m and 200m freestyle swims. Having just missed out on a top 3 finish in the 100m race, she pulled off a stellar performance to win bronze in the 200m race and became the first female Commonwealth Games medallist to hail from the Isle of Man. 4. Stewart Watterson (shooter) – Bronze medallist - 1978 Games in Canada For only the second time ever, the Isle of Man entered a team for the shooting events in the Games in Edmonton not long after it was incorporated into the programme as an optional sport. Manx and former champion rifle shooter, Stewart Watterson, took part in the 50m Rifle Prone against 32 other shooters and finished third overall with a total of 1187 points out of a possible 1200. He also went on to represent the Isle of Man in 3 other Commonwealth Games but couldn’t best his performance in 1978.
LIFE & ST YLE IN THE ISLE OF MAN
