Inverurie judoka Andrew McWatt was left gutted after narrowly missing out on a medal at the Commonwealth Games.
He took on giant Mauritian Sebastien Perrinne in his bronze medal fight but was beaten on a waza-ari (1-0) and, despite his best efforts, he was unable to find the ippon that would have given him victory.
McWatt, 21, was well-backed by a vocal crowd at the Coventry Arena and hopes to be back at the Games in the future.
“I’m gutted to be honest with you,” he said. “I’m very disappointed to lose, especially with a crowd like this. It’s happened now, so I’ve got to move on.
“It’s been a really good experience. There’s been a really good atmosphere the whole week I’ve been here. I’m gutted I didn’t get the medal, but it’s still an experience.
“I definitely hope there’s some more Games to come.”
McWatt’s older brother Stuart had hoped to go to the Games himself. However, a third cruciate-ligament injury in April put paid to those chances.
Instead, he was on media duties for British Judo and was actively encouraging his younger sibling from the press box.
It was very much a family affair. His father, Stuart senior, is head coach at Garioch Judo Club and younger brother Ross is an upcoming judoka himself. Both were in the crowd to watch the 21-year-old perform on the big stage.
“I would have wished to have been here competing with my brother (Stuart), that’s always something I hope for,” he said. “He’s always given me good support. He’s a good brother to have.
Just another speed bump on the Road to Success 💪🏻 Big thanks to @BritishJudo for the continued support. #ACL #comebackszn #paris2024🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/FTQ2QUVUTU
— Stuart McWatt (@stuartmcwatt) May 19, 2022
“I’ve got my dad and brother (Ross) down watching and my other brother is working in the media. I’ve got my mum watching back home with the rest of my family and all of my other coaches here. There’s lots of support.
“It’s my first major championships. It’s a bit different to some of the other competitions I’m doing – the atmosphere is a lot better and I think I prefer this. It’s a very good crowd.”
McWatt was a late call-up to the Games after Chris Sherrington could not recover in time from an ACL injury. He was parachuted in to Team Scotland – and made the most of his opportunity in the limelight.
He lost his first fight against Australia’s Dan Park, but won the repechage against Giannis Antoniou, which put him in contention for bronze.
“After losing the first one it was good to come back and get a win,” said McWatt. “It’s always good when you’ve got another chance. Sometimes you make a mistake, like the first fight, and get caught. It means I got a chance to redeem myself.
“The last week or so has been quite hectic. I was away fighting in Zagreb and I got the call, a week out from having to go into the village, that I was going to be a late replacement.
“My prep has still been alright as I’ve been in other competitions, so I still feel good. It was a really good call to wake up to though.”