Rosemary Lenton shows no signs of slowing down as she aims for further success
Scotland’s oldest Commonwealth Games gold medal winner Rosemary Lenton is showing no signs of slowing down in her career.
The 74-year-old is still competing and recently won a silver medal in lawn bowls at the World Championships in Australia.
Rosemary continues to represent Scotland in bowls through the summer before switching her attention to turning out for England in wheelchair curling in the winter.
Even though she is in her mid seventies her desire to win still remains as strong as ever. She said: “Put another competition in front of me and we will go for it. We will certainly try our very best and I would still like to win a few more medals.”
Rosemary only found her sports in retirement and after having developed a disability.
She told ITV Border news: “I started around 2005 when I ended up in a wheelchair. I took an earlier retirement than what I thought and someone said to me do you know that you can do wheelchair bowling.
“I went along and had a go of it and someone else said to me that they also did wheelchair curling. That is how I first got into the two sports.
“It was really about getting out of the house and meeting people. Because of the pain I am in it kind of obliterated a lot of that and it made me focus on what I was doing rather than the pain. It was very therapeutic as much as anything else as well.”
Rosemary believes that competing in the two sports is what makes her so happy and at the best possible level of health she can be.
She said: “The friendships I have made are unbelievable. This is at local level but also national and international now as well.
“It is one of those things where you think the NHS should be able to prescribe it. It is far better than any painkillers.”
Rosemary doesn’t believe anyone should allow age or a disability to stop them pushing for sporting success.
She wants to urge more people to be active and to socialise playing sport.
She said: “I would say go and give it a try and donโt prejudge it, you will get an awful lot out of it.
“You might not do it perfectly but so what nobody else does. What you will do is make a lot of good friends and the social side of it is really good. It is great for your wellbeing.”
Caption: Rosemary Lenton (right) with Commonwealth Games gold medallist partner Pauline Wilson. Credit: Allen Simms
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