Gymnast Ward goes from Glasgow dreamer to gold medallist

Gymnast Ward goes from Glasgow dreamer to gold medallistImage source, ReutersByRichard WintonBBC Sport Scotland at Emirates Arena, GlasgowPublished45 minutes agoTwelve years ago, wee Reuben Ward watched wide-eyed as Dan Keatings won gymnastics gold for Scotland in Glasgow.That was the day he began dreaming.In his nine-year-old mind, the notion of competing in the Commonwealth Games for Scotland began to form. Not winning gold. Not even being on a podium. Just pulling on the vest and getting out there.So when the 21-year-old took the acclaim of an ecstatic Emirates Arena crowd after being declared as the Glasgow 2026 all-around champion, it was all he had ever dreamed of and so much more.Ward – whose parents Brendan and Lisa left East Kilbride for Bury before he was born – had just become the country’s third gold medallist on day three of the Games.”I remember seeing him win and seeing how it was a big deal to people and I thought ‘I want to do that’,” Ward told BBC Sport Scotland, recalling Keating’s success while in the afterglow of his own. “So to be here now, having done it myself, is spectacular. It’s such a full-circle moment. Glasgow and East Kilbride have been like second homes to me my entire life so to do it here is incredibly special.”Scott overcomes pressure and big pal Dean to give Scotland golden start