Elgin triathlon duo Cameron Main and Sophia Green were thrilled to be part of Scotland’s best ever Commonwealth Games finish in the mixed relay.
The pair were part of the Team Scotland squad which took fifth at Sutton Park on Sunday, alongside Beth Potter and Grant Sheldon.
Scotland had been hovering around the medal positions heading into the final two legs, with Main going third and Green bringing the team home.
Main admitted to struggling with the 2km run in the sweltering heat at Sutton Park, while Green delivered top performances in the pontoon and on the bike.
“Grant absolutely nailed the first leg, it was exceptional. Beth did really well to hand over to me in second and I swam as hard as I could,” said Main. “I’ve been struggling a bit with the running, so I knew it’d be so tough to keep up with Dom (Coy, Wales), Matt (Hauser, Australia) has been flying and so has Tayler Reid (New Zealand).
“Sophia nailed that performance, especially on the bike. To finish fifth, which is one of the best performances we’ve done at the Commies, is really good progression for Scotland.”
“It was really good to get out there and push as hard as I could,” added Main. “I made up a bit of time on the bike which was nice and I think as a team it’s great. We’ve not finished that high before and hopefully we can progress from there.
“Us Scots aren’t good in the heat so I was bit like ‘oh no’ when I saw the sun was out. But a lot of the run was in the shade thankfully.”
The pair have trained with a variety of clubs in their native Elgin to reach elite level, including Moray Road Runners, Moray Firth Triathlon, Elgin Swimming Club and Elgin Cycling Club.
Both competed in the individual sprint races on Friday, with Green coming 17th and Main 14th respectively.
“It’s our first Commies, we’re both still pretty young, and it’s been an unbelievable experience,” said Main. “It’s been quite an emotional weekend with friends and family here. It’s been something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.
“I’m super-proud of the whole team. It’s been an amazing week.”
@beth_potter flying as strong as the flag 🏴#B2022 #CommonwealthGames pic.twitter.com/hmbXL22b1b
— Triathlon Scotland (@scottishtri) July 31, 2022
“In terms of my individual race I had mixed emotions,” added Green. “I think as my first Games, there were a lot of nerves and I was happy to just get a performance down. There were positives to take from it.
“It was great to get out there as a team in the relay as we never get to do it usually.”
The pair can now enjoy the remainder of the Games, before returning to individual competition later in the year.
“I’m definitely going to have a cold beer tonight!” said Main. “We’re going to watch gymnastics on Tuesday and the athletics next Sunday. We’re definitely going to go the closing ceremony with a few of our triathlon friends.
“It’s going to be a good week ahead and then we’re back to training, as we’ve got a few big competitions still to come.”