Neil DRYSDALE in today's Herald has put former Hawks Craig Gossman in with some good company as focus shifts to 2014
On a personal note I would like to see how Gossiie would cope doing an interval training session with Lynsey Sharp


10 for Glasgow: Optimism is high that Scotland's best can use 2014 as a stepping stone to further success in Rio

sir chris hoy – Cycling

One might imagine there was nothing left for the six-time Olympic champion to pursue. Yet, this iconic figure has always been ready to parade his excitement at the opportunity to bid adieu to his own supporters in Glasgow and he has never been anything other than utterly professional in approaching these events. It might be slightly surreal that Hoy faces the prospect of appearing in a venue which bears his name, but once he has advanced on to the velodrome, such matters will mean little to the 36 year-old, who is likely to compete in the keirin and, possibly, the team sprint.

hannah miley – Swimming

Some people regarded the Garioch competitor's Olympics as a failure, and it might be true that she did not register the sort of personal bests, which could have enabled her to make up ground on her Australian and Chinese opponents. Yet, finishing fifth in a global final in the 400m individual medley is hardly the stuff of nightmares and Miley will be motivated by her recent experiences to train even harder in the build-up to tackling the Commonwealth elite. There have been suggestions that she should exit her "Far from the Madding Crowd" approach to preparing for major games, but the 23-year-old still believes in blazing her own trail and has complete faith in her father-cum-coach, Patrick. She will bounce back.

daniel purvis – Gymnastics

The 21-year-old produced an excellent display to earn bronze (to add to the gold medal he won in the team event at the European Championships in Rotterdam) for the first Games success for the GB males since 1912 and an affirmation of how Blighty's athletes are now prospering in pastimes where they used to simply make up the numbers. Despite being born in Liverpool, Purvis has spelled out his ambition to turn out for Scotland in 2014 – he has already flown the Saltire at the North European Championships – and, given his recent improvement, there is no reason why he cannot add to his medal tally, particularly considering one of his prime motivations. "It would be great to be involved in Glasgow and I think it would be special for my mum [Denise, from Dundee]."

lisa aitken – Squash

The 22-year-old from Montrose has made consistent progress in the squash world and is currently in the Southern Hemisphere, participating in high-profile tournaments in New Zealand, Hong Kong and Malaysia. Having relocated to Harrogate in Yorkshire, Aitken has been working with some of the globe's best talents and is determined to improve on her current WISPA rating of 54. "I have had a tough summer training, both in Britain and in Calgary [in Canada], where I was doing a camp at altitude," says Aitken, a genuinely effervescent character. "My world ranking is the highest it has ever been, but, by the end of 2012, I aim to be up to 30 on the WISPA list and I am confident that I can achieve that goal if I build on what I have learned."

michael jamieson – Swimming

The Glaswegian produced a series of stunning displays during the London Olympics, transcending the often disappointing results of his Team GB colleagues, and coming within a fingernail of shattering the world record in the 200m breaststroke, where he finished with a silver medal. The 23-year-old is an engaging mixture of pragmatism and panache and has already spelled out his ambitions for improving on that performance in his homeland, where he seems likely to emerge as one of the poster boys for his city when 2014 looms into view. "I have Glasgow to look forward to, and I am going there to win."

jen mcINTOSH – Shooting

The 21-year-old might have been unsuccessful in her attempt to qualify for the final of the women's 50m three positions event in London and she was below her best in scoring 570 from a possible 600 points. But anybody who has witnessed McIntosh's elevation will realise she possesses the requisite blend of technical expertise and temperamental sangfroid to use her frustration as a springboard for future riches. After all, she exhibited these qualities while lifting a brace of gold medals at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi and is only at the beginning of her career.

SULEMAN BUTT – Swimming

This Aberdeen protégé may be just 14, but has served ample notice of his potential by snaffling all manner of titles at Scottish and British level, since starting out in the sport at primary school. During the recent British Age-Group Championships, Butt won gold medals in the 100m and 400m freestyle events, and posted a new UK record, en route to lifting his third gold in the 200m freestyle, confirming why he is widely viewed as a major prospect for international recognition at senior level in the future. He is also being sponsored by the former Open champion, Paul Lawrie, through the latter's Foundation.

lynsey sharp – Athletics

Controversy dogged her selection for the London Games, but although the 22-year-old did not qualify for the 800m final, she has demonstrated a steely competitive instinct and one suspects she and her compatriot, Eilish McColgan, will up the ante in the build-up to Glasgow, considering the gifts which steered them into the GB elite in the first place. It shouldn't be forgotten that Sharp won the Olympic trials, claimed silver at the European Championships in Helsinki, and will be determined to maintain her surge, especially with so much rivalry from English athletes.

craig gossman – Rugby sevens

Life has been tough recently for the country which invented the abbreviated version of the game, but the Scots have produced some will-o-the-wisp performers, capable of unlocking opponents, and the 22-year-old former Glasgow Hawks back is the type of player who will be expected to take strides forward when the SRU unveils their successor to Graham Shiel as national coach. The Scotland new boy scored a hat-trick of tries on his first assignment with his compatriots during the summer's European series in Moscow and, having moved from Glasgow to Ayr, will be aiming to continue that momentum while garnering more Sevens experience.

zoey clark – Athletics

The 17-year-old sprinter is making a rapid impression in her sport, as a member of the Hydrasun Athletics Academy in Aberdeen, where she has flourished under the tutelage of performance director, Eddie McKenna. Since embracing track activities on a serious basis, Clark has represented Scotland at the Youth Commonwealth Games and, most notably, was part of the gold-medal-winning British 4 x 400m relay team at the European Championships in Estonia last summer. Her goal now is to maintain that progress and earn selection for the Scottish team in Glasgow.

This article was posted on 15-Aug-2012, 06:47 by Hugh Barrow.