:00:30. > :00:35.If Hello and welcome to the May edition of Sport Nation. Summer is
:00:36. > :00:39.almost year and the pace is hotting up as we move towards London 2012.
:00:39. > :00:43.There is 87 days and will start of the Olympic Games and we need some
:00:43. > :00:47.of the Scots were hoping to make a big impression on the greater show
:00:47. > :00:53.on earth. We are at the London Marathon with Freya Murray,
:00:53. > :00:58.qualifying for the Olympic Games the top of the agenda. I am excited.
:00:58. > :01:03.But it's been Olympic year as well, hopefully the timing will be right.
:01:03. > :01:08.We meet the Scot who is walking tall and chasing a slam dunk
:01:08. > :01:14.Olympic Games for Team GB. I want to fly the flag for Scotland. I
:01:14. > :01:19.want to represent Scotland within the Team GB squad. Elsewhere we are
:01:19. > :01:25.in the ring with a Highlander and Gary Cornish. I have never felt
:01:25. > :01:31.anyone hit so hard on the pads. He has a vicious amateur natural power.
:01:31. > :01:36.From days of glory to desolation, can Scottish squash bounce back to
:01:36. > :01:40.success? We think we may be leading the world. In fact we know we are
:01:40. > :01:43.leading the world. In an interview with the new man in charge of
:01:43. > :01:48.Scottish athletics, can Stephen Maguire get the Scots back on track
:01:48. > :01:53.in time for 2014? When you look at the 41 athletes from the
:01:53. > :01:57.Commonwealth Games squad, where they are at in their athletics
:01:57. > :02:02.Careers, I think there is immense opportunities. There are serious
:02:02. > :02:06.talent. The big focus for all the elite athletes this summer is on
:02:06. > :02:10.the Olympic Games and the London Marathon was a chance for some of
:02:10. > :02:14.the best marathon runners in the world to chase qualification. Among
:02:14. > :02:20.some of Scotland's Freya Murray and John can tell us the story of her
:02:20. > :02:24.big day. After her London Marathon
:02:24. > :02:29.performance, Freya Murray was back working as a structural Engineer in
:02:29. > :02:33.Newcastle. Five days earlier she had tried to run herself into the
:02:33. > :02:37.British Olympic team. She has represented Scotland
:02:37. > :02:41.internationally at 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres and dominated cross
:02:41. > :02:47.country for years but she had never ever raised a marathon. Some had
:02:47. > :02:53.given her no chance. When I was younger I enjoyed short distances.
:02:53. > :02:59.Doing 800 metres and thinking 1,500 metres has a long way. Gradually
:03:00. > :03:09.just moving up and moving up. I am really excited about the marathon.
:03:09. > :03:19.But it being Olympic year as well, hopefully the timing will be right.
:03:19. > :03:20.
:03:20. > :03:24.The world's best gathered. It is about the Olympics as well. Para
:03:24. > :03:30.Radcliffe and marry Ritchie have been pre-selected so there was one
:03:30. > :03:39.place left. The main contenders were Louise Damen, Claire Hallissey,
:03:39. > :03:43.Liz Yelling and myself. The air is Freya Murray. It was Louise Damen
:03:43. > :03:49.who decided I am not sure the pacemaker is doing a good job.
:03:49. > :03:53.Freya Murray has latched onto Louise Murray -- Louise Damen.
:03:53. > :04:00.thought we would all latch on with the pace rigueur. When Louise White,
:04:00. > :04:04.I knew I had to be first Brett. am confident that if she can run
:04:04. > :04:10.well, if this was a ten-mile race, Freya Murray would be the first of
:04:10. > :04:16.the British athletes. It is weird running for 26 miles and not
:04:16. > :04:21.speaking to each other. You are so used to going for a Sunday run and
:04:21. > :04:26.having a blether on the way. So to run that far and just be totally
:04:27. > :04:30.focused and not speak to each other was quite weird. Freya Murray
:04:30. > :04:37.running really well there and the more interesting thing for us is
:04:37. > :04:43.about these two British athletes, can they run fast enough?
:04:43. > :04:52.remember there was bagpipes are one point. It made me really think,
:04:52. > :04:57.USOC it with a right away. -- you associate with that. And the water
:04:57. > :05:03.station. It is interesting saying that. Just the way I slowed down,
:05:03. > :05:07.get my bottle, picked it up. I have never done it in a race before, not
:05:07. > :05:12.used to running carrying things. That is the point where Clare
:05:12. > :05:16.starts to get away. Claire Hallissey is making the move. This
:05:16. > :05:22.is that a significant.. I want to look back and seat F Freya Murray
:05:22. > :05:27.who has run a fig -- how she still got the composure to stay in
:05:27. > :05:35.contention. I was here and I was thinking, I cannot let them get
:05:35. > :05:41.away. That is all its five seconds now. I think Freya Murray is at
:05:41. > :05:47.striking distance. That gap appears to be closing. It is not that big.
:05:47. > :05:51.And those too much pulling well clear of Louise Damen. It is
:05:51. > :05:57.annoying watching it. I remember thinking on how, if I can just
:05:58. > :06:03.close the gap. Then I will pick it up. But once the gap was open, it
:06:03. > :06:08.was open and that was that. Here is clear coming to the finish. I am
:06:08. > :06:13.not that far behind! Claire Hallissey was the first Brit home
:06:13. > :06:20.and she was selected for the team. Freya was an agonising 26 seconds
:06:20. > :06:24.behind. That is just one second for every mile, or even just
:06:25. > :06:32.inexperience at the water stations. On the one hand I am really pleased
:06:32. > :06:42.I made my debut. It pits may eight on the all-time list in the UK.
:06:42. > :06:46.They would have been nicer to have been 26 seconds quicker.
:06:46. > :06:51.I am staying positive and there is still a 5,000 metres and 10,000
:06:51. > :06:58.metres. I am going to try and qualify for one of them. No
:06:58. > :07:02.reserves have been officially named yet, but you cannot be sure. Maybe
:07:02. > :07:10.if someone else trips up, then I can go. I would never wish illness
:07:10. > :07:16.or injury on anybody. Basketball, like many sports is
:07:16. > :07:21.really suited to those who are very told. All, it is. Think about
:07:21. > :07:31.people like Michael Jordan and Corby bright and Britain's own Luol
:07:31. > :07:51.
:07:51. > :07:56.Deng. Here is a new name, Kieron Achara.
:07:56. > :08:00.This is Manresa, population 77,000, about an hour's drive from
:08:00. > :08:04.Barcelona. It is on the heart of Catalonia but we do not have to
:08:04. > :08:12.look too far you to find a little slice of Scotland. Actually, make
:08:12. > :08:16.that a pretty big lump of Scotland. Because at six at 10 and 17 stones,
:08:16. > :08:22.Kieron Achara is anything but little. He plays for the Spanish
:08:22. > :08:29.club Assignia Manresa in the League second only in quality to the NBA.
:08:29. > :08:33.And he is a popular member of the team. He he is a legend. Kieron is
:08:33. > :08:37.also in the provisional Team GB squad for the London Olympics.
:08:37. > :08:42.is an experience that you want to be part. Being in the squad, you
:08:43. > :08:47.have got that feeling of I am so close but at the same time a good
:08:47. > :08:52.ended any second family. Hopefully I will make it. But there is little
:08:52. > :08:56.doubt where his heart lies. He has got a sweet have to. I am very
:08:56. > :09:00.proud of where I come from and when I grew up. It has moulded me into
:09:00. > :09:06.the man I am today. My first experience playing for the Scottish
:09:06. > :09:11.national team in Ireland when I was 16 years old, it was the proudest
:09:11. > :09:16.moment for me as a basketball player. That said his Scottish this
:09:16. > :09:24.can sometimes pose problems. No one has a clue what I am saying FI
:09:24. > :09:34.speak with my Stirling twang. My accent is the hardest to
:09:34. > :09:36.
:09:36. > :09:40.understand... Funny it is more difficult. Sometimes he just looks.
:09:40. > :09:47.Keegan has played for the last they could in the States and Italy. --
:09:47. > :09:50.Kieron has played. I say I live out a masochist, I do not have any
:09:50. > :09:54.personal belongings other than close because I know I have to pack
:09:54. > :09:59.up and leave. That is a little stressful at times, not knowing
:09:59. > :10:03.where I am going to be next year. At the same time I try and soak up
:10:04. > :10:08.all the culture in all the places I have lived. Learn as much as I can
:10:09. > :10:15.- the language, the cuisine. Meet as many people as I have. I feel
:10:15. > :10:20.very blessed to have done what I have done. This is his first year
:10:20. > :10:25.here and he is enjoying the lifestyle. All these chairs are out,
:10:25. > :10:33.people are sitting here until 11 o'clock at night and socialising. I
:10:33. > :10:41.wish there was more of that in Scotland. This is one of the
:10:41. > :10:48.sponsors. He is also learning Spanish but that does not always
:10:48. > :10:54.help. It is in Catalan like everything here. Sometimes if
:10:54. > :11:04.you're lucky you can ask for a menu in Spanish. I am going t e the
:11:04. > :11:13.
:11:13. > :11:20.salad! Basketball is a part of life here. Kids playing every day,
:11:20. > :11:25.coming in with their parents. Here you get a little bit carried away,
:11:25. > :11:30.signing autographs. People in your time, coming out and shouting and a
:11:30. > :11:36.man asking for a photograph. When I go back to Scotland, it is just,
:11:36. > :11:42.bouquet Kieron. It is humbling, it is nice to go home and get away
:11:42. > :11:48.from the hall basketball thing. Just to be the tall Scottish person.
:11:48. > :11:55.-- from the whole Scottish -- whole basketball. I think the fact that I
:11:55. > :12:03.am Scottish, been in Catalonia, the relate a lot to the Scots way of
:12:03. > :12:09.life. The whole looking for their freedom. I think they have accepted
:12:09. > :12:19.me as one of the Rhone. I really enjoy being here. -- one of their
:12:19. > :12:20.
:12:20. > :12:26.own. Hopefully I will make it. I want to
:12:26. > :12:36.fly the flag for Scotland. I want to represent Scotland within their
:12:36. > :12:46.
:12:46. > :12:49.GB squad. Now over the years Scottish boxing
:12:49. > :12:55.has produced some great British and world champions, but never at heavy
:12:55. > :13:00.weight. Could that be about to change? One writer in Inverness is
:13:00. > :13:10.being tipped to rewrite the history books. And Phil Goodlad has been to
:13:10. > :13:13.
:13:13. > :13:23.meet the man the collar Highlander. -- the call that.
:13:23. > :13:28.
:13:28. > :13:34.Tartan and whisky is not all of the Highlands produce. Gary Cornish has
:13:34. > :13:39.a hunger. At 25, the heavy weight has embarked on a journey with one
:13:39. > :13:43.aim in mind. Everybody that goes into boxing dreams of being a
:13:43. > :13:48.champion, so I am no different from any of the boxer. To achieve that
:13:48. > :13:58.aim, he dedicates himself six days a week to a punishing training egg
:13:58. > :14:05.
:14:05. > :14:15.so -- training regime. It is number six on the routine.
:14:15. > :14:18.
:14:18. > :14:23.The hardest part is keeping your strength up. So after all that you
:14:23. > :14:27.would think Gary would go on to rest, right? Think again. Gary
:14:27. > :14:33.Cornish is a professional boxer but first and foremost he is a joiner
:14:33. > :14:37.to trade. We build quite a lot of houses an extensions so there is a
:14:37. > :14:42.lot of lifting so why implement that into my training. In future I
:14:42. > :14:48.could just stick to the boxing. the ring, Gary's potential was
:14:48. > :14:57.quickly spotted. His trainer Laurie Redfern used to be a pro himself
:14:57. > :15:02.and believes Gary has star The Russian brothers have dominated
:15:02. > :15:06.in the world for a long time. Being tall and having a good jab and
:15:07. > :15:12.moving and Gary has that. Gary is the same height and has all the
:15:12. > :15:17.attributes that you want to be a heavy weight champion. At six foot
:15:17. > :15:23.seven and 17-and-a-half stone, Gary the Highlander Cornish has a major
:15:23. > :15:27.obstacle in his way. It's been difficult to get heavier guys to
:15:27. > :15:31.spar, but professional partners will have to be lined up and have
:15:31. > :15:37.been, and that's travelling. They'll come to him or he'll travel
:15:37. > :15:42.to them. Hard work and a struggle, because a lot of the boys are
:15:42. > :15:49.smaller, so struggle to hold a punch, but no we have Paul. He's
:15:49. > :15:52.helping me a lot. After a day's work, Gary is back in the gym.
:15:52. > :15:59.box because I love the sport. Once you get in the ring you get a
:15:59. > :16:09.hunger and you want to do it more and more. Boxing isn't Gary's own
:16:09. > :16:10.
:16:10. > :16:17.pleasure. This is my pet. What is that? Crickets. You can sit and
:16:17. > :16:20.watch them forever, you know. not just bearded dragons with the
:16:20. > :16:24.ferocious appetite. He needs around 4,000 calories a day. It starts
:16:24. > :16:29.with four eggs in the morning and is quickly followed by the first of
:16:29. > :16:34.his high-energy snacks. Lunch is chicken pasta and bread, with a big
:16:34. > :16:40.bowl of porridge for tea. The main meal is at 10pm, before a protein
:16:40. > :16:46.shake at bedtime. I don't need to tell you about some of the great
:16:46. > :16:50.names Ken Buchanan and Jim Watt, but all fighting at lower divisions
:16:50. > :16:54.than heavyweight and that's a division we've not had much success
:16:54. > :16:57.in down the years. It's a question of numbers. If you don't have
:16:57. > :17:03.enough heavy boys to work, the chances of one breaking through
:17:03. > :17:08.when you have so few coming through is remote. Gary rounds off the
:17:08. > :17:13.day's training with a session in the pool. 14 hours after he went
:17:13. > :17:17.for his early morning run. It's good to come here after training
:17:17. > :17:21.and cool down and loosen up. It takes all the tension out of your
:17:21. > :17:25.legs. You don't worry you might burn out? Not yet. Maybe when I'm a
:17:25. > :17:32.bit older I'll slow down, but just young just now, so keep on pushing
:17:32. > :17:39.myself. Gary is determined to do just that, to create Scottish
:17:39. > :17:43.boxing history. The joiner from Inverness, with the heavyweight
:17:43. > :17:51.dream. I've never felt anybody hit quite so hard on the pads. He has a
:17:51. > :17:54.vicious amount of natural power. be a British champion and be
:17:54. > :18:01.Scotland's first-ever champion is going to be something in itself.
:18:01. > :18:11.You dream of it, but I guess I - you're only as good as your last
:18:11. > :18:13.
:18:13. > :18:16.fight. I don't like to get ahead of myself. There aren't many sports
:18:16. > :18:20.where Scotland's been able to boast Commonwealth champions and world
:18:20. > :18:24.number ones, but squash is one of those sports. Over the years, fewer
:18:24. > :18:29.and fewer people have been taking up the game and that's a worry to
:18:29. > :18:39.Scottish squash. They say it's time to get back to people bashing a
:18:39. > :18:41.
:18:41. > :18:46.British squash is 150 years old, but nobody's absolutely sure how it
:18:46. > :18:50.started. The home of the association is that people who
:18:50. > :19:00.never held a racquet will be tempted to venture for a 40-minute
:19:00. > :19:08.
:19:08. > :19:14.session. I I think -- I think I can do with a drink. The 1970s, the
:19:14. > :19:19.days of strikes, Slade, Saturday Night Fever and squash. Because it
:19:19. > :19:22.was back then that the popularity of the sport in this country was at
:19:22. > :19:28.its height. No, the numbers of people playing in Scotland have
:19:28. > :19:35.dropped to around one sixth of what they once were. That makes this
:19:35. > :19:39.man's job all the more challenging. The game of squash is traditionally
:19:39. > :19:43.a big sport in Scotland and we have produced a lot of very good players
:19:43. > :19:51.over the years. I suppose on the back of the big boom in the sport
:19:51. > :19:54.over the 1970s and 80s. In fact, now we are in the programmes we are
:19:54. > :19:57.getting the kids of the players who started then. I'm not concerned
:19:57. > :20:02.about the quality that we do get. The issue is we only get the odd
:20:02. > :20:07.one, so in terms of our talent pool it's a very, very narrow pool. The
:20:07. > :20:11.difficulty for me then is when we play representative events where we
:20:11. > :20:17.are a team and we need a result and we don't have the numbers to be as
:20:17. > :20:20.strong as a lot of the other countries in the world. Squash is
:20:20. > :20:27.not an easy sport for beginners to get the hang of and that's one
:20:28. > :20:33.reason why people have turned to other pursuits. Alan klein makes it
:20:33. > :20:35.look effortless, but he's the best player in the country. It's always
:20:36. > :20:40.been known as physical chess, because it's really physical. You
:20:40. > :20:44.have to be fast, agile on the court and some the matches go on for a
:20:44. > :20:49.long time and the difference between squash and tennis is a lot
:20:49. > :20:53.more intensity and there are not as many breaks and going pretty much
:20:53. > :20:57.non-stop and you need strength and endurance, speed obviously and
:20:57. > :21:01.there's just so much aspects of physicalness, but also technical
:21:01. > :21:05.ability and to be able to play shots to the front, so it's not
:21:05. > :21:09.just physical, you have to be really good with the racquet.
:21:09. > :21:14.are other factors too. Rebound sports like squash and racquet ball
:21:14. > :21:21.they are not widely known. Facilities are difficult to access.
:21:21. > :21:23.They are in private clubs largely and building new facilities is
:21:23. > :21:27.extraordinarily difficult. Scottish squash is rolling out a new weapon
:21:27. > :21:33.to take the sport around the country. What we have here is the
:21:33. > :21:38.world's first mobile racquet wall as we're calling it. You can use it
:21:38. > :21:42.for squash and racquet ball. It's actually made of the same material
:21:42. > :21:46.as a competition squash court. We have some of the Scottish squad,
:21:46. > :21:52.doing some of the training on it today. This is the first time it's
:21:52. > :21:55.been fired in anger, a concept that the head coach and myself came up
:21:55. > :22:02.with. The objective trying to be to take squash into areas where there
:22:02. > :22:07.are no courts. It's a really simple concept, but it means we can take
:22:07. > :22:11.the sport to the Shetlands, Orkneys, to the various sports halls out in
:22:12. > :22:17.the Hebrides and take it anywhere in the country. Rather than
:22:17. > :22:20.focusing on places where there might be courts available. What we
:22:20. > :22:25.would love to have is more competition for the regional
:22:25. > :22:28.development squads that we have. We would love to see more children
:22:28. > :22:33.playing. Squash has been an add altogether sport and we would like
:22:33. > :22:36.to see more children playing squash. We are currently putting walls into
:22:36. > :22:40.several schools in Glasgow. And introduce to schools possibly for
:22:40. > :22:50.the first time and we think we might lead the world here. In fact,
:22:50. > :22:53.
:22:53. > :22:56.we know we're leading the world here. The potential is unlimited.
:22:56. > :23:00.It's getting it accessible to others and getting enjoyment,
:23:00. > :23:04.because it's good fun. I would hope that it wouldn't keep declining,
:23:04. > :23:08.but we have to wait and see. We are determined to get more people
:23:08. > :23:18.bashing that ball against that wall. Give us the resources and players
:23:18. > :23:32.
:23:32. > :23:35.and I think we can turn out a few Scotland's record on the athletics
:23:35. > :23:39.track has been disappointing in recent years and behind the scenes
:23:39. > :23:44.the picture has also been less than impressive. That's because two
:23:44. > :23:50.national coaches were appointed and left in quick suck success, so will
:23:50. > :23:54.it be third time lucky We went to meet Stephen Maguire, the new
:23:54. > :23:58.director of coaching. This is the man who will lead the charge to
:23:58. > :24:02.Glasgow 2014. Stephen Maguire has coached the Irish sprinter Jason
:24:02. > :24:07.Smith to double Beijing paralympic golds, so what's next for the man
:24:07. > :24:12.from Northern Ireland? Well, Scottish Athletics enjoyed great
:24:12. > :24:22.success in Edinburgh in 1970 and 86, the last times the Commonwealth
:24:22. > :24:28.
:24:28. > :24:32.Can this be repeated under his watch for Glasgow 2014? In the last
:24:32. > :24:38.Commonwealth Games Scotland one two medals. Can things be much better
:24:38. > :24:43.than that? Yeah. How much? Give us a ballpark? More than two is what
:24:43. > :24:48.people are saying. I would agree with that. I'm not in long enough
:24:48. > :24:53.to be honest. That's to really determine what could happen. I
:24:53. > :24:58.don't know the programmes that the athletes have and I know the
:24:58. > :25:03.influence from the Scottish Institute of Sport is good and it
:25:03. > :25:07.can probably be better and I think the input from a lot of things can
:25:07. > :25:12.be lit better. If we have got people qualifying, then my job is
:25:12. > :25:15.to get them up to semi-finals. The people who you earmark for them get
:25:15. > :25:19.them into finals. People who you think will be fifth get them up
:25:19. > :25:29.into third and the people around the ballpark of medals then they
:25:29. > :25:31.
:25:31. > :25:36.have a challenge. 18 months ago and before the Delhi Commonwealth Games,
:25:36. > :25:41.Lawrie Primo was the head in athletics. Anything that we do with
:25:41. > :25:46.the younger generation will be geared to 2014 and one of the first
:25:46. > :25:51.thing is to set targets and work our way backwards, so we'll look at
:25:51. > :25:55.2014 and if this is our target where do we need to be in 2013, 12
:25:55. > :26:00.and 11? We are doing everything we can to create good performances in
:26:00. > :26:05.2014. Since that interview he has left the position, followed months
:26:05. > :26:11.later by the Australian acting head coach Steve Ripon, so has all of
:26:11. > :26:15.this had an impact on expectation for Glasgow 2014? In terms of
:26:15. > :26:20.impact in Glasgow, it's a short- term target. Let's be very honest
:26:20. > :26:27.about that. I'm realistic. Glasgow's a short-term target. Rio,
:26:27. > :26:36.medium-term? 2018, medium to long. What did you think of the talent
:26:36. > :26:39.base here in Scotland? If you were to look at world rankings you would
:26:39. > :26:45.say that there's nothing earth- shattering, but if you dig below
:26:45. > :26:49.and look at the 41 athletes in the squad the age profile, where
:26:49. > :26:54.they're at in their careers, I think there's immense opportunities.
:26:54. > :27:00.I think there's serious talent. There have been encouraging signs,
:27:00. > :27:08.not least long jumper Jade, who broke the oldest Scottish record in
:27:08. > :27:12.the books a few weeks ago. She broke the 1973 record. We need to
:27:12. > :27:15.manage the athletes. It's one of the things I don't want to do, to
:27:15. > :27:20.try to develop a control and that that we actually know what they are
:27:21. > :27:24.doing and if there's gaps in the coaching, then it's my job to skill
:27:24. > :27:28.the coaches. It's my job to continue to ensure that the
:27:28. > :27:31.Scottish coaches are benchmarked against the best in the world.
:27:31. > :27:37.problem that there has been recently is that the two national
:27:37. > :27:42.coaches, albeit one was acting, but they left sooner than was expected.
:27:42. > :27:48.Are you confident now that Stephen is going to be here for the
:27:48. > :27:52.longhaul? As confident as I can be. I think we've taken a very mature,
:27:52. > :27:57.timely recruitment process. I've had many a dialogue with Stephen
:27:57. > :28:00.before, during and after the actual appointment. In that time we and he
:28:00. > :28:05.have been very open and honest with each other about the commitment.
:28:05. > :28:09.I've said this is an eight-year job. I'm looking for someone to do that
:28:09. > :28:12.with it. I'm going to meet road blocks and I'm going to meet people
:28:12. > :28:18.who don't agree with what I'm saying. I'll be having
:28:18. > :28:21.conversations like this, with them. I'm not - they're probably the
:28:21. > :28:24.first people I'll meet and I'll have the phone on and the e-mail
:28:24. > :28:31.will be on and they know where I am and I would encourage people to
:28:31. > :28:34.communicate. That's it for tonight's programme. We hope that
:28:35. > :28:38.you enjoyed the show. We are back Tuesday, 5th June for another