Scots spoiled for choice

But things have come a long way in the past 11 years. The Northern European Gymnastics Championships in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, last weekend saw Scotland produce a dominant performance to claim an unprecedented 12 medals.

Selectors could face something of a headache next summer when it comes to the Scottish contingent for Glasgow 2014. Such is the depth of talent in the current squad, it poses the enviable quandary of being spoiled for choice.

The woman charged with ensuring that scenario comes to fruition is Tracy Rea, head of performance at Scottish Gymnastics. According to Rea, 10 Scots will realistically contest the coveted five spots in the men's artistic gymnastics team.

They include Daniel Purvis, a three-time British senior champion who was part of the bronze medal winning GB team at London 2012. He finished fifth all-around in the 2013 European Championships and seventh in the recent World Championships. Purvis will be in action at the Gymnastics World Cup in Glasgow on Saturday.

There's reigning European pommel horse champion Daniel Keatings, who took five individual golds at this year's British Championships, and Adam Cox who, having quit only days before the 2010 Commonwealth Games after his coach Tan Jia En lost his job, emerged from retirement to claim the senior all-around title at the Scottish Championships in June.

Others include Liam Davie who took high bar gold at the Northern Europeans, Daniel Iley, the top placed Scot all-around last weekend, and vault specialist Douglas Ross.

Alongside Sunday Herald columnist Cox, another comeback kid is Andrew Mackie who competed at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, but retired before Delhi. The Stirling-born gymnast is a two-time Scottish junior champion and former British junior champion on rings.

Another name in the frame could be 2012 junior all-around European champion Frank Baines, who trains alongside Purvis at Southport YMCA, but is currently battling back from injury. Then there's Tom Barnes, a former Scottish all-around champion, and Ross Soutar who has built a reputation as a solid performer.

Rea described the strength of the men's squad as "ridiculously insane" when it comes to the scope for selection. "We spent over four hours choosing the team for the Northern Europeans - that's how hard it is when you are looking at the numbers, consistency and individual apparatus specialists," she said. "It's going to be a challenging but very positive meeting in May when we select the team because the depth is there with some good performances coming through."

While Purvis, Cox and Keatings have already expressed their belief that team gold for Scotland could be a realistic ambition at Glasgow 2014, Rea is reluctant to get too carried away. "Our target set by sportscotland is three medals," she said. "I have identified we can get more than that and potentially the most medals we have ever achieved in our sport at any Commonwealth Games to date. I don't want to quantify that number at present. Anything above and beyond three is a bonus.

"You couldn't call it at the moment in terms of the all-around because, for example, we don't know whether Daniel Keatings will compete on six apparatus or only choose to do two or three.

"The aspiration is we would love to get gold and compete seriously against England, especially at a home Games. We can definitely see, if everyone stays fit and healthy, a bronze upwards for the men's team event."

Rea identifies Scotland's leading medal hopes in women's artistic gymnastics as including Amy Regan, Emma White and Erin McLachlan. A four-time Scottish all-around champion, Regan competed in Delhi where she finished fourth in the women's floor final. She has made no bones about the fact that this time around she intends to be on the podium.

The City of Glasgow gymnast showed her pedigree by finishing joint first in the all-around competition at the Northern Europeans last weekend and claiming a further two golds and a silver on vault, floor and beam respectively. Regan has been invited to give a performance of her explosive floor routine as the opener to the Gymnastics World Cup.

At the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, White finished 13th all-around, but Delhi four years later ended in heartbreak when a knee injury during training saw her flown home for surgery before the competition even began. Having returned to the sport at the start of this year, the Scottish Championships in June saw White take gold on uneven bars and beam, bronze on floor and silver in the women's senior all-around.

Rising star McLachlan, who won the junior all-around title at the Scottish Championships, excelled in the individual finals at the Northern Europeans securing gold on beam, silver on floor and bronze on vault.

While a raft of qualification standards have already been gained, key dates will include the Scottish Championships in February, their British counterpart a month later and the CWG Invitational in April. Nominations must be submitted to Commonwealth Games Scotland by May 15.

"If you'd asked me this time last year who was on the short list it wouldn't have looked the same way it does now," said Rea. "It's ever evolving and changing. The commitment from now until the Games must be to stay fit, healthy and injury free because that is going to be key."