From hearing about her mother Liz McColgan’s 1986 and 1990 10,000m golden double, to completing her own full-circle moment with dramatic victory in the same race in Birmingham four years ago, the Games have been part of McColgan’s world for as long as she can remember.

Now, 19 years after she finished fifth in the 1500m at the Senior Scottish Championships at Scotstoun Stadium as a 16-year-old, the athlete is back at the same track and loving it.

“It’s really special to see it’s had a huge glow-up that will really help the next generation coming through,” McColgan (pictured) said on Tuesday.

“I have fond memories of being there but now these youngsters get to use the Commonwealth stadium, which is pretty special.

“You have to see it to believe it.”

For McColgan it was arguably the Commonwealth Games that set the direction of her life.

“As a youngster growing up, I didn't have a lot of confidence, so for me making a Scotland team felt like it might be doable,” the 35-year-old said. 

“I was not really dreaming of going to an Olympics or a worlds. I never felt like that was within my capabilities but actually from a young age, I felt like (representing Scotland at a Commonwealth Games) was something that felt achievable.”

Achieve it she did, with that brilliant 10,000m win at Birmingham 2022 a clear highlight of her decorated career.

Winning in front of not only her parents but a home nation crowd – just like mum Liz had done in Edinburgh in 1986 – further underlined the impact such moments can have.

“I'm very aware that there'll be young athletes who watched me in 2022 and thought, ‘I want to do that’,” McColgan said.

“It's incredible to feel like you've made even the tiniest little dent of an impact into someone's thought process.”

Glasgow 2026 creating dreams

The fact Glasgow stepped up late in the process to help ensure a whole host of future generations will continue to get that opportunity makes McColgan proud.

“I hope that other countries now can see that it doesn't need to have this huge budget in order to make it work," she said.

"There’s different ways you can do it.”

Being forced to watch from the sidelines as Australia’s Rose Davies claimed the 2026 Women’s 10,000m gold at EDF Scotstoun on Monday was “hard” for an athlete who still believes her best may be ahead of her. But there was a silver lining.

“The Commonwealth Games, I did a bit of work for them, so they gave me 10 tickets for my family and friends. With me not racing anymore, I gave the 10 tickets to some of the youngsters from ‘Giving Back to Track’,” McColgan said, referencing the foundation she set up to support young women and help them train and compete.

“Honestly, they were absolutely buzzing. They saw Jemma Reekie last night, they saw Megan Keith, and maybe they think ‘Maybe I can do that’. That’s really special."

While she can't wait to see mile world record holder Josh Kerr (SCO) and countryman Jake Wightman go head-to-head in the Men’s One Mile final on Saturday, McColgan is not ruling out a return in a Scottish vest in Ahmedabad, India, in four years’ time.

“I might have one more Comm Games in me, if they put the marathon back in,” McColgan said with a laugh.