- Kimberley and Louise Renicks became known as the ‘Golden Sisters’ back in 2014, when they kick-started Scotland’s historic judo medal haul at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
"VAN" (Sports Desk - 16.02.2026) :: The younger of the two, Kimberley, claimed Team Scotland’s first gold medal of the home Games, winning the -48kg category. Just 45 minutes later, sister Louise followed suit in the -52kg category, securing Scotland’s third gold of the Games, just minutes after Hannah Miley’s triumph in the pool.
“When you watch the clips back, you can see how shocked I am. I’m so happy but so shocked,” Kimberley recalled.
“You can see when I’m walking around that I don’t really know what I’m doing. Because we were the first, we really were the guinea pigs for everyone who came after us.”
Kimberley’s gold marked the beginning of a historic judo medal campaign for Team Scotland (six golds, two silvers and five bronze), which saw the sport become Scotland’s most successful event of the Games.
“I watched Kimberley’s final in the athlete area before I warmed up,” Louise recalled.
"I did put my headphones on, though, because the crowd was so loud.”
“I remember the Team Manager coming up to me and saying, ‘Should you really be watching this, Louise?’ and I said, ‘Yes - that’s my sister.’”
The moment Kimberley’s win was confirmed, Louise headed straight to the warm-up mat to prepare for her own gold medal match.
Having just watched her sister cement her place in the history books, Louise stepped out for the -52kg final.
“People always ask if I felt pressure because of Kimberley’s win, but I didn’t,” she expressed.
“Because I believed in the two of us.”
In a nail-biting, tactical contest, Louise defeated England’s Kelly Edwards to claim gold.
“I didn’t win the way Kimberley did, with the big ippon and wow factor,” she explained.
“But that’s sport. Sometimes you have to win tactically - and that’s exactly what I did.”
With Kimberley taken straight for routine drug testing after her victory, she had to watch Louise’s final on television.
“That’s the one thing I wish I could change about our Games experience. I was a wee bit gutted that I didn’t get to see her straight after.”
The sisters were quickly swept into the media spotlight, with every journalist and broadcaster eager to get a piece of the ‘Golden Sisters’. Kimberley recalled the moment they were finally reunited for a side-by-side photo.
“It was quite surreal,” she said.
“We just looked at each other and said, ‘Well done, well done.’ But it wasn’t until we got back to our room at about two or three in the morning that we were able to celebrate together properly.”
Louise also remembers that moment fondly.
“We were absolutely exhausted,” she laughed.
“Kimberley lay straight down on the bed, but I made her get back up so we could jump around together and have that sisterly moment… then at 5.30 that same morning, we were off to the BBC studios.”
Life didn’t slow down for the Renicks sisters after that.
“We could kind of get away with it if we were separated,” Kimberley said.
“But as soon as we were together, people recognised us, and we’d get pulled here, there and everywhere.”
“It’s funny, because we were told it would probably last about three days,” she added.
“But it was literally from day one all the way through.”
Reflecting on that time, the sisters shared how special it was to receive such recognition in a sport that doesn’t always sit in the spotlight.
“I think the Commonwealth Games are brilliant for that,” Kimberley said.
“People really get behind the athletes in every sport.”
Looking ahead to Glasgow 2026, both Kimberley and Louise are excited to watch the Judo event - this time from the stands.
Louise is returning, this time as a mum, as well as an experienced coach and support worker within the GB Judo circuit.
“I’m really looking forward to taking my kids along and letting them build their own memories of the Games,” she said.
“Hopefully they’ll feel inspired too.”
“I’m also excited to watch the Team Scotland athletes I know get their opportunity to perform and really soak up that atmosphere.”
Kimberley, who now works full-time in care, is hoping to take some of the young people she works with along to experience judo for the first time.
“A lot of the kids I work with were so young in 2014,” she explained.
“So, it’ll be really special for them to experience the Games for the first time and see where I’ve come from.”
When asked why people should make judo part of their Glasgow 2026 experience - even if they know little about the sport - the sisters were clear: it’s not to be missed.
“Even if you don’t understand judo, you’ll come out thinking, ‘Wow, that was absolutely incredible,’” Louise said.
“It’s an atmosphere you just can’t replicate.”
“It’s such an exciting, explosive sport,” Kimberley added.
“And you don’t get many chances to see it live on this kind of scale.”
“It’s an experience you really don’t want to miss.”
Cr-Glasgow2026
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