In just five hours on Thursday, Scotland collected eight medals at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow — a rush so fast that three of them came within a single five-minute stretch. It was the kind of afternoon that makes a crowd roar.
The first medal of the burst came just before 5 p.m., when Scotland's men's 3x3 basketball team claimed bronze. Two hours later, the medals started flying. Scotland's women's wheelchair 3x3 basketball team took silver. Then swimmer Evans won her second gold of the Games in the 200-meter breaststroke — that's two golds and three medals total for Evans alone. A few minutes after that, Woods sped to gold in the women's T54 1500-meter race.
The momentum kept going. Shaw grabbed bronze in the women's S9 100-meter freestyle swimming event. MacInnes was edged out by a tiny margin in the women's 200-meter butterfly, settling for silver — her second individual silver of the meet. Around the same time, MacKenzie launched herself to bronze in the long jump. And to cap off the five-hour spree, Evans and MacInnes teamed up with Katie Shanahan and Evie Davis to take silver in the women's 4x100-meter medley relay.
With these eight new medals, Scotland's total at the Games climbed to 23. The country is only halfway through the competition, and there's plenty more to come. Three more medals are already guaranteed in boxing — the fighters have reached the semi-finals and will compete Friday. Other strong contenders are still in the running in athletics, bowls, cycling, judo, and weightlifting.
For Scottish fans packing the stands in Glasgow, Thursday proved that when these athletes get going, the medals just keep coming.