The Hunter’s sole dual gold medalist from the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games has been welcomed home by her fellow members at Raymond Terrace Bowling Club.
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Natasha Scott can barely move a metre along the Jacaranda Avenue site without a passerby stopping to say congratulations or, like Merv Aunger and Rod Partridge, taking a closer look at the impressive prizes.
But the 27-year-old doesn’t seem to mind.
“It’s nice to come back to normality and come back to see all the people who have supported me throughout my career,” Scott told the Newcastle Herald.
“When you get here and all they want to do is congratulate you and see gold medals, it’s actually quite a nice feeling.”
Scott said the satisfaction of claiming two titles, the women’s fours and women’s triples last week at Broadbeach Bowls Club, was yet to actually sink in.
It comes after close podium calls at her previous two Commonwealth Games appearances – Glasgow four years ago and Delhi in 2010 aged just 18.
“I’ve had a couple of fourths before and to just miss a medal is devastating, but they do say third time lucky,” she said.
“This time around I would have been happy with any colour medal, but two gold is amazing.”
Scott believes the home green and home crowd advantage were both worth a “couple of shots” with the Australians claiming seven medals from 10 disciplines, including five gold.
After helping break the Jackaroos’ 12-year Commonwealth Games gold-medal drought Scott and her teammates Kelsey Cottrell, Carla Krizanic and Rebecca Van Asch, are keen to back up the success in Birmingham in 2022.
A national squad will tour the UK in July.
The 2019 Asia Pacific and 2020 World championships will both take place in Queensland.
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