Adlington eyes fairytale ending with third Commonwealth gold

Scottish judo great Sarah Adlington says winning a third Commonwealth Games gold medal in Glasgow this summer would be "the fairytale ending" to her ground-breaking career.

After topping the podium in the same city at the 2014 games in the +78kg category, she did it again in Birmingham four years ago, becoming the first Scottish judoka to win two Commonwealth gold medals.

If she can repeat the feat this summer, she will further cement her place in the history books as the first judo athlete to win a trio of Commonwealth golds.

"I wouldn't be trying if I didn't think it was possible," Adlington told BBC Scotland.

"Whenever I speak to anyone, they are like 'Oh, three times Commonwealth Games champion, that would be brilliant' and obviously that is the dream.

"The fairytale ending would be to finish my career stood on the podium, listening to Flower of Scotland with a home crowd, with my family and friends and people from the judo club there.

"That is why I am doing what I am doing."

Adlington's Glasgow outing will be her swansong after two decades of competing at the top.

She won the first of her eight British titles in 2007 and has also amassed a raft of major championship medals, as well as representing Team GB at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

It is a long way since taking judo up on the eve of her fifth birthday.

That was the start of a lifelong love of the sport, one that was reinforced after she broke her thumb - playing football.

"I played a lot of sports when I was younger, I was an alright goalkeeper, I swam, I played hockey and I broke my thumb playing football in goals and then I couldn't do judo," Adlington said.

"It was one of the things where you really know what you love when you are not allowed to do it and I think that really opened my eyes.

"I remember watching the [2000] Sydney Olympics and loving the tracksuit and my mum said to me 'You could have one of them if you dig in, anything is possible'."

Assuming she is selected, Adlington will become the first Scottish judoka to compete in three Commonwealth Games when she takes to the mat in Glasgow.

It would be another notable achievement in a career that has plenty of eye-catching landmarks, but she says she has learned to deal with the lows along with the highs in sport.

"I try and just be me, I think you learn along the way," she said.

"I remember stepping off the mat in Birmingham and I don't even know who it was came up to me saying 'do you know what you have done, do you know what you have done?' and I was blown away.

"I don't think any Scottish woman has won three golds in separate [Commonwealth] Games since like 1970 or 1950 or something like that, so when you look at that, there is a reason for it.

"It is such a hard thing to try and do. But it is one of those, if you don't try you will never know. You only regret what you don't do."