lit a candle 5h agoMy dad had the Commonwealth Games on in the background this summer and we both stopped what we were doing when that mixed pairs final went to the tiebreak. He turned 74 that week, same as her, and just kept saying, that's a woman my age. Heard about her passing this morning over coffee and genuinely didn't expect it to hit me like this.
Their story
Mary Stevenson was a Scottish para lawn bowler from Paisley who became one of the most celebrated names in Scottish disability sport after winning Commonwealth Games gold at Glasgow 2026, only weeks before her death. A retired chauffeur, she took up bowls in 2013 at the age of 61 and…
Mary Stevenson was a Scottish para lawn bowler from Paisley who became one of the most celebrated names in Scottish disability sport after winning Commonwealth Games gold at Glasgow 2026, only weeks before her death. A retired chauffeur, she took up bowls in 2013 at the age of 61 and kept competing after her eyesight failed by moving into visually impaired bowls through the Blind Bowlers. She died in the early hours of 24 September 2026, aged 73. No cause of death has been made public.
Stevenson represented Shanks Bowling Club and played internationally for Bowls Scotland and the Welsh Association of Visually Impaired Bowlers. Her defining moment came at Glasgow 2026, where she competed as lead in the Para Mixed Pairs B2/B3 event alongside Robert Barr, Sarah-Jane Ewing and James Aitken. In a tense final against England the Scottish team won a single-end tiebreak to take gold, a victory that earned her the nickname Mary Queen of Shots from teammates and commentators who watched her decisive throw.
Competing only weeks before her 74th birthday, she became the oldest member of Team Scotland at those Games and the oldest female gold medallist in Scotland's Commonwealth Games history. Her path, from a late start in bowls to elite success despite losing much of her sight, made her a symbol of what para bowls could offer older competitors who refused to leave the sport when their bodies changed.
She was back competing for Scotland only the weekend before she died, and Bowls Scotland later said she had been in great form. Shanks Bowling Club announced her death that morning and described her as a long-standing member who had represented the club at local, national and international level. Bowls Scotland, Commonwealth Games Scotland, Bowls England and the Welsh Association of Visually Impaired Bowlers all paid tribute. Commonwealth Games Scotland chief executive Jon Doig said he had been privileged to witness her gold medal and called her an inspiration. Team Scotland chef de mission Elinor Middlemiss praised her quiet determination and the delight she brought around the team hotel during the Games.
Biography adapted from BBC Sport; STV News; Bowls Scotland; Shanks Bowling Club; Commonwealth Games Scotland; The Gazette.
Photos
1by People Forever
Same, the tiebreak clip is still the best five minutes of those Games for me