Among the magic and spectacle of the Glasgow 2014 opening ceremony, Britain’s greatest Olympian shared a family moment to treasure in the colourful cacophony of Celtic Park.
With the baton ceremony nearing its conclusion, Sir Chris Hoy accepted it from his great uncle, 97-year-old Angus war veteran Andy Coogan.
The emotional moment delighted Angus and Carnoustie, where the one-time Japanese prisoner of war is a local legend.
Andy, who Sir Chris has described as his inspiration to become a sportsman, was a champion runner whose capture during the fall of Singapore in World War Two saw him subjected to slavery, starvation and even having to dig his own grave twice during more than three years as a PoW.
He captured the experiences in a book, Tomorrow You Die.
In 2012, Mr Coogan received a rapturous reception as a torchbearer in the Olympic relay and last June was honoured in Carnoustie when the lounge in the town’s Royal British Legion Scotland branch was named after him.
For Sir Chris’s wife, Sarra, the baton passing between her sports legend husband and his great uncle was a highlight of the spectacular opening ceremony.Read an exclusive interview with Mr Coogan in Friday’s CourierShe tweeted to her 5,000 followers: “Spoke to a 97yr old ex-athlete & PoW today who dreams of sport bringing world peace through its ability to unify. What a vision #Glasgow2014…And that man was Andy Coogan, who just passed @chrishoy the baton. A 97-year-old war veteran one amazing man, one amazing life.”
As a former athletics coach and caddy, Andy is well loved in Angus and people were quick to add their own tributes.