Sam Tolchard has completed his set of Commonwealth Games medals with a stunning gold.
The Devon bowler won bronze at Glasgow 2014 and Gold Coast 2018 before scooping a pairs silver and a fours bronze at Birmingham 2022.
But in Glasgow, he secured a brilliant upgrade by winning the men's singles title, defeating Malaysia's Izzat Shameer Dzulkeple in straight sets. Tolchard, 37, hails from an impressive sporting family, with his uncle Roger a Test cricketer, his father Ray a first-class cricket umpire, and another uncle, Jeffrey, a footballer for Torquay United and Exeter City.
Now he's a Commonwealth champion too, just like his sister Sophie, who won triples gold the last time the Games were staged in Glasgow 12 years ago.
"It means absolutely everything, it really does," he said. "It's been such a long road with ups and downs. There have been some really hard defeats over the years to take, but I've kept going.
"It's my fifth Commonwealth Games and I've finally got that gold. A lot of people don't get that many chances, and I'm very fortunate to have had so many opportunities to get to the top of the podium.
"Once every four years is extremely tough, especially when you only get one event. Every game you play now, and every practice session, is worth it.
"It means everything to me and my family. My dad died when I was 15 and he put everything into me. It will be 22 years on August 1. I'm so fortunate to have had that start and I wouldn't be here today."
Tolchard put together a string of impressive wins throughout the round-robin stage. He beat three-time world champion Jason Banks in the sectionals before defeating podium favourite Gary Kelly, of Northern Ireland, in the semi-finals.
"I'm a self-employed electrician, so the week before I came here I was working ridiculously late to try to get jobs finished," he added. "Being an amateur sport, it's really tough for us, but that's probably what we're used to and maybe it hardens us up. Hopefully bowls can be seen in this light more and more, and it can get more support.
"I felt pretty good all week and felt pretty calm going into the game. It was just a case of trying to figure the rink out and get as comfortable as possible. I made a couple of big calls. Some probably ended up negatively, but I'd rather try to change something and make positive changes than do nothing."
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