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Reuben Ward’s Glasgow 2026 inspiration speaks of pride
Reuben Ward’s Glasgow 2026 inspiration speaks of pride
The man who inspired Reuben Ward to Commonwealth gold has spoken of his “incredible pride” in the new golden boy of Scottish gymnastics. Daniel Keatings, who won the pommel horse for Scotland at Glasgow 2014, said inspiring Ward to a stunning victory was “an amazing legacy”, which emphasised the power of the Commonwealth Games. “Hearing that I inspired Reuben to gold was really nice,” said Keatings. “I’m so glad I was able to give that to him and hopefully other gymnasts as well. I hope he can replicate now for the younger ones coming through. It shows that it really does work, does instill belief in people, and does make someone set a load of dreams and goals.” Ward, who trains out of the Manchester Academy, made history on Sunday by claiming Scotland’s first ever gold in the gymnastics all-around competition. He would go on to clinch silver in the pommel horse, coming second behind Canada’s Jordan Carroll, and ahead of teammate Cameron Lynn. After winning gold, he said Keatings’ win in 2014 was a massive inspiration. “I remember seeing him win and thought, “I want to do that”, he told BBC Scotland. “To be here now, having done it myself, is spectacular. It’s a full circle moment.” For Keatings, who himself made history in the all-around competition at the World Championship in 2009(claiming Britain’s first medal), Ward’s performance was one that was hard to fault. “The all-around event is really tough,” said Keatings. “There are six pieces of apparatus and it’s pretty time-consuming. He got a great pommel score and the pressure was on to try and keep the lead. However, he didn’t put a foot wrong. “He’s a real talent for the future, that’s for sure. His performance was incredible and hopefully he too will go on to inspire a whole new generation of athletes. There’s no reason now why he shouldn’t be reaching for the stars.” Ward’s story is remarkable enough, but the fact he almost quit the sport after Covid, is symptomatic of the hard yards he has put in, simply to get to Glasgow 2026. Like many athletes, Ward, was unable to train and compete effectively during lockdowns, forcing him to make a tough decision on his future. Encouraged by his dad Brendan, Ward, who is from East Kilbride, Reuben decided to remain in the sport, and is now reaping the fruits of his labour in front of a new tranche of adoring fans. “It does make a huge difference, competing in front of a home crowd,” said Keatings. “For me, winning in Glasgow was totally insane. I say this to everyone, but you’re lucky to be born in a generation where there’s a home Games. “Not everyone gets to experience that. It really is incredible once you’re in it. The crowd totally gets behind you and lifts you into another gear. “I was already smiling when I was halfway through my descent from the pommel horse in 2014. It’s funny, I watched my performance back recently and you can actually see me grinning because I knew that I’d done it.”
The man who inspired Reuben Ward to Commonwealth gold has spoken of his “incredible pride” in the new golden boy of Scottish gymnastics.
Daniel Keatings, who won the pommel horse for Scotland at Glasgow 2014, said inspiring Ward to a stunning victory was “an amazing legacy”, which emphasised the power of the Commonwealth Games.
“Hearing that I inspired Reuben to gold was really nice,” said Keatings.
“I’m so glad I was able to give that to him and hopefully other gymnasts as well. I hope he can replicate now for the younger ones coming through. It shows that it really does work, does instill belief in people, and does make someone set a load of dreams and goals.”
Ward, who trains out of the Manchester Academy, made history on Sunday by claiming Scotland’s first ever gold in the gymnastics all-around competition. He would go on to clinch silver in the pommel horse, coming second behind Canada’s Jordan Carroll, and ahead of teammate Cameron Lynn.
After winning gold, he said Keatings’ win in 2014 was a massive inspiration.
“I remember seeing him win and thought, “I want to do that”, he told BBC Scotland.
“To be here now, having done it myself, is spectacular. It’s a full circle moment.”
For Keatings, who himself made history in the all-around competition at the World Championship in 2009(claiming Britain’s first medal), Ward’s performance was one that was hard to fault.
“The all-around event is really tough,” said Keatings. “There are six pieces of apparatus and it’s pretty time-consuming. He got a great pommel score and the pressure was on to try and keep the lead. However, he didn’t put a foot wrong.
“He’s a real talent for the future, that’s for sure. His performance was incredible and hopefully he too will go on to inspire a whole new generation of athletes. There’s no reason now why he shouldn’t be reaching for the stars.”
Ward’s story is remarkable enough, but the fact he almost quit the sport after Covid, is symptomatic of the hard yards he has put in, simply to get to Glasgow 2026.
Like many athletes, Ward, was unable to train and compete effectively during lockdowns, forcing him to make a tough decision on his future. Encouraged by his dad Brendan, Ward, who is from East Kilbride, Reuben decided to remain in the sport, and is now reaping the fruits of his labour in front of a new tranche of adoring fans.
“It does make a huge difference, competing in front of a home crowd,” said Keatings.
“For me, winning in Glasgow was totally insane. I say this to everyone, but you’re lucky to be born in a generation where there’s a home Games.
“Not everyone gets to experience that. It really is incredible once you’re in it. The crowd totally gets behind you and lifts you into another gear.
“I was already smiling when I was halfway through my descent from the pommel horse in 2014. It’s funny, I watched my performance back recently and you can actually see me grinning because I knew that I’d done it.”