When Kieron Achara missed out on selection for the 2006 Commonwealth Games due to an untimely shoulder injury, he believed that his opportunity to compete in a Commonwealth Games was gone forever. With basketball making only intermittent appearances on the Games programme, Achara had no idea if he would still be playing by the next time his sport reappeared in the Games. However, over a decade on, Achara will finally get his chance to represent Scotland in a Commonwealth Games as it was confirmed that Team Scotland is sending a men’s basketball team to Gold Coast for the 2018 Commonwealth Games, which are now less than eight months away. For the 34 year-old from Stirling, it has been a long time coming but the prolonged wait has only served to heighten his excitement. “When I tore my shoulder in 2006 and didn’t get to compete in Melbourne, I cried my wee eyes out,” he admits. “So getting the opportunity now, a little bit later on in my career, is a really big thing for me.”
Achara is adamant that he and his teammates will not be content with going to Gold Coast next April merely to enjoy the Commonwealth Games experience though. Scotland has never won a medal in a team sport in Commonwealth Games history but Achara is optimistic that he and his teammates could be the ones to break the deadlock. “We’re quietly confident,” he admits. “We have a lot more professionals now and with a lot of our players playing for Glasgow Rocks, I think that’s a definite competitive advantage because we have a group of guys training together day in, day out. So we’re definitely looking to go there and medal, that’s our goal.”
Achara may be a Commonwealth Games rookie but the 6 foot 8 forward, who has honed his skills with spells in America, Italy and Spain as well as with Glasgow Rocks, is no novice to multi-sport events. Achara was one of only two Scots selected for Team GB for the London Olympic Games in 2012 and while he is quick to acknowledge what an privilege that was, there is, he believes, something unique about representing Scotland. “Everyone talks about the Olympics but competing for Scotland, you always have that soft spot,” he says. “It’s a great honour to compete for Great Britain but representing Scotland feels so good and so I’m really looking forward to it. My thing, being an older man, is that I have to make sure I stay healthy because this is my last opportunity (to go to a Commonwealth Games).”
Gold Coast 2018 may fulfill some personal targets for Achara but there is, he believes, far wider benefits that can be gleaned from basketball’s inclusion in next year’s Games. While Glasgow Rocks have amassed a sizeable and loyal fanbase, basketball remains relatively low-profile in Scotland. However, success at Gold Coast 2018 could work wonders for the sport in this country believes Achara. “As basketball players, we’re outcasts in a sense so to be a part of Team Scotland is a huge honour and hopefully we can showcase the sport,” he said. “Basketball has grown a lot, especially at participation level but I don’t think we capitalised on the Olympic Games – I don’t think we did enough in working with kids and so forth so I feel like we’re a lot better prepared domestically for that now. We know we have to do the groundwork – we’re not a sport where we can just show the basketball and that’s it, we have to go into schools and communities. It’s stuff that we’ve been doing for a long time but we have to do it on a grander scale using the Commonwealth Games as the backbone and show kids that this is what you can achieve if you work hard. We know if we do well in Gold Coast, that could change the dynamics of basketball.”
It is clear that Achara has a genuine passion about growing his sport and engaging kids, in particular, in basketball. For the next eight months however, his focus will be far more narrow as he wraps himself in cotton wool in an attempt to ensure there is no repeat of that 2006 injury nightmare that snatched away his previous chance of Commonwealth Games success. So from now until next April, Achara will be following a textbook example of clean living, which is a small sacrifice to make considering the potential rewards. “My only focus is being healthy and being ready to go,” he said. “There’ll be extra yoga sessions, more rest and staying away from bad food and alcohol. I’ll be making sure that I’m looking after my body which is something I know I’m capable of doing. I just need to make sure I’m doing all the right things.”
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