11 Days Of Sporting Spectaculars Draw To An End For 2014

Sunday evening saw the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games come to an end. The games were declared closed after 11 days of sporting action. Commonwealth Games Federation chief executive Mike Hooper described Glasgow 2014 as “the standout Games in the history of the movement”. This year attendance has been high across all 17 sports – and the weather has also been favourable as a new generation of athletes have taken their chance to shine.

Over 11 days we have seen 4,500 athletes from 71 nations compete for 815 medals and some spectacular events along the way. Over 1.2 million tickets were sold making this Glasgow’s biggest ever sporting event.

Hosts Scotland finished fourth overall with a record of 19 golds and a best-ever tally of 53 medals however, it was England who topped the medal table for the first time in 28 years.

This years Commonwealth games may have even unveiled England’s next Tom Daley. 14-year-old Matthew Dixon stunned audiences while completing in the mens 10m platform final. Another young athlete who shone in the pool for us was 13-year old Erraid Davies who picked up a bronze for Scotland. The Shetland Islands school girl, pictured below, hadn’t even told her friends she would be competing at Glasgow 2014!16-year-old gymnast Claudia Fragpane, hoping merely to make a few finals, left as the first Englishwoman to win four gold medals at a single Games in 84 years.

Source: Quinn Rooney - Getty Images

Usain Bolt pulled in a gold for Jamaica on the 4x100m relay making everyone forget about the PR disaster he caused earlier on in the week. It was reported that he described the Glasgow Commonwealth Games as “a bit shit”. The athlete hit back with a tweet the following day saying “I’m waking up to this nonsense; journalists please don’t create lies to make headlines”. The following day he called the Games “awesome” while attending a Jamaican netball team heat.

The 11 days of games saw 3 royal photo bombs, one by Prince Harry, one by Prince William and our favourite one which is one by the Queen! We love it so much that we thought we would show you too!

Source: @_JaydeTaylor

Scottish cyclist Chris Pritchard proposed to his partner literally minutes after competing. The photo below shows him down on one knee popping the question in the stands of the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome. This wasn’t the only proposal; a woman from Bath had a surprise when her boyfriend went down on one knee in front of tens of thousands during the Rugby Sevens tournament at the Ilbrox Stadium in Glasgow – he said “I felt it was the perfect moment to propose!” We wish both couples the very best of luck for the future!

The Commonwealth Games have also had a different type of winner, the Glasgow tourism industry. Visit Scotland revealed that over 100,000 spectators combined their Glasgow experience with a longer trip to Scotland. Mike Cantlay, chairman of VisitScotland said: “Glasgow has delivered one of the best-ever commonwealth games. But while the sport draws to an end, the party is set to continue with some visitors extending their stay to enjoy the many amazing things that Glasgow and Edinburgh and the rest of the country has to offer.” The Games, including the run up have brought an incredible buzz to Glasgow – the city has been packed, the venues are exceptional and the hotels, restaurants, bars and cafes are enjoying one of their busiest-ever summers.

We are exhausted after the jam-packed 11 days, we have thoroughly enjoyed watching the 71 countries participate and the joy and happiness it has brought for some. The next Commonwealth Games will be held in Australia's Gold Coast in 2018 – and we’re wondering if they can top this year’s... We can only wait and see.