Kelly strikes bronze for third Commonwealth medal

Bronze was not the the colour of medal that Gary Kelly came to Glasgow for, but nevertheless the Northern Ireland bowler secured his third Commonwealth Games medal.

Third place in the men’s singles added to a proud collection that includes another bronze from Delhi in 2010 and a silver in Birmingham four years ago.

After a semi-final defeat by England’s Sam Tolchard late on Monday night, there wasn’t much time to get over that disappointment but experience counts for a lot as he defeated Australian Aaron Wilson 9-2 in the second set after the first ended 4-4.

It was a second bowls medal of the day for Northern Ireland as Kelly added to the bronze won by Chloe Wilson and Shauna O’Neill in the women’s pairs earlier on Tuesday.

“Obviously I haven’t achieved the ultimate outcome for Team Northern Ireland. Yesterday just wasn’t meant to be, it wasn’t my day,” said Kelly.

“Sometimes in life it’s about showcasing your character, your personality and what you’ve got within you.”

Kelly said he was “very, very proud” of Wilson and O’Neill as they responded in a similar manner to secure bronze.

“They showcased it first up and stepped onto that green and got a bronze medal for Team Northern Ireland, and thankfully I backed them up and brought a medal home to our country.”

Australian Wilson started well but Kelly reeled him in and a single shot on the final end of the first set led to a 4-4 tie, essentially meaning a one-set shootout for the bronze.

A full house for Kelly of four shots on the second end was the turning point. Wilson appeared deflated and Kelly moved away to win 9-2 and secure the medal.

“It’s more of a mental game rather than physical. It’s just about showcasing belief and trust within yourself, knowing that you’ve got that capability,” Kelly said.

“At the end of the day, it’s sport. It’s one game at a time. Anything can happen. You just go again and just keep that belief.

“Thankfully I did, performed reasonably well and got the win.”

Kelly joins Ian McClure and Margaret Johnston with three Commonwealth Games medals for Northern Ireland, with only Neil Booth on four ahead of him.

It’s sixteen years since his first, so how do they compare? While all are special, he says now they are “slightly different” than 16 years ago.

“Truthfully back in 2010, I had a more selfish thought process wanting the medal for myself,” he said.

“Now my approach to it and the way I personally understand it is that I’m an athlete for Team Northern Ireland, and my duty is to help my country achieve success and win a medal for my country, not for myself.

“I just hope that I make family and friends and our people proud along the way.”

Kelly will start his campaign for a fourth Commonwealth medal on Wednesday alongside Adam McKeown in the men’s pairs.

They are the current men’s pairs world champions and hope they can live up to that billing over the next few days.

“I’m looking forward to it, can’t wait. It’s always an honour to share the rink with Adam.

“He’s been absolutely incredible throughout this whole campaign. He’s been there every single step of the way for me in the singles, he’s been fantastic.

“We’re current world champions. We will have that belief and confidence within ourselves to hopefully bring some success back to Northern Ireland.”