Team GB Olympic medal hopeful reveals love for Celtic - 'it's ingrained into us'

Rebecca McGowan will become the first Scot to compete in taekwondo at the Olympics on Saturday when she takes part in the +67kg weight category at the Grand Palais des Champs Élysées.

The 24-year-old from Dumbarton is a strong contender for a medal having already enjoyed success in her sport with gold at the European Championship as well as bronze and silver at the World Championships.

A member of the Caledonian Taekwondo Club in Anniesland, she revealed that her dedication to taekwondo has meant giving up her seat at Parkhead having attended matches in her youth after being born into a diehard Celtic family.

McGowan told the Celtic View podcast: "You're just born into that.

"I used to go to the games with my dad when I was a little girl but then taekwondo competitions came along and they were always on a Saturday or Sunday. But my dad and my little brother still go to the Celtic games, so it’s always run in the family to support Celtic and go and watch them play."

She added: "It becomes such a family rooted thing. It's been part of my family just to watch, my dad's sitting watching it, it's something ingrained into us. That's something throughout the whole of Glasgow, the whole of Scotland. Celtic becomes ingrained into your blood, into your family."

McGowan was a reserve at the Tokyo Olympics and she revealed how not making the final team made her more determined to make it to Paris.

She added: "I can remember being in Tokyo and thinking 'I'm not doing this again, I'm not going to be doing the whole prep and then the whole final part is cut away from me.'

"At that point, it just lit a fire in me and since then I was focused on doing everything I could to get to Paris. It definitely lit a fire that I wasn't going to be reserve this time."