Donnie had earlier produced a stunning performance in the semi-final heat beating off all the competition. Having conserved a great deal of strength and energy for the evening's final, Donnie started off strongly in the final but by 200 metres in Druce powered to the front and stayed there for the rest of the race.

Donnie can be proud to have achieved second place with a time of 48.82 and this will be the first medal he has gained at the Island Games. Today (Friday) he will compete in the 4 x 400 relay final at 12.15pm.

Meanwhile, just when we thought the temperatures were starting to cool down yesterday (Thursday) was hotter than the rest of the days. Hoping for cooler temperatures ahead of today's midday start half marathon are Alison Campbell, Mairi MacCormick and Alasdair Murray. The men's football squad will also be hoping for similar cooler conditions as they compete for 7th place against Menorca in the blistering 12.30pm heat.

Yesterday I headed to the much talked about football accommodation. Having completed some training earlier in the day some of the boys were playing golf on the course which is located in the grounds of the chalets, whilst others were simply relaxing by the pontoon. It looked quite the idyllic picture. The accommodation throughout the island is relatively basic across the board it must be stated. But the players seem to be settled, the only complaint which seems to be coming from them is the remoteness of the location and the fact that they would have liked to have been able to see more of the competitions taking place.

Great news for the swimmers earlier in the day with Grant MacLeod achieving another personal best and Kathryn Offer making the finals of the 50m Backstroke competition. In the finals she cut one second of her personal best finishing with a time of 31.38. The bronze medallist finished in 31.33. This means that Kathryn was five hundredths of a second of achieving a bronze medal! She however has set a new Western Isles record for the event and this is her finest performance at the Island Games to date. Team Member and Manager Grant MacLeod said:
"I am totally delighted with Kathryn's result and she can be very proud of her performance. The team have performed exceptionally well and have set personal bests for most competitions. The standard from Rhodes has risen greatly and 32 new swimming records have been set at these Games in Åland alone. We can go home proud that we have achieved and indeed surpassed our targets"

Having encountered calibration problems or at least a difference from what they are used to, the shooting squad have been disappointed with their overall performance. However, Donald MacInnes is currently in 6th position in the ABT Individual competition. Providing he manages to hold onto that position this morning a medal is still a possibility. They are also due to finish in a higher position than Rhodes in 2007 which is an achievement in itself.

Eilidh MacKenzie's chance of another gold medal gets even closer. Yesterday she made the final of the 800m with the fastest qualifying time. It really is a delight to watch Eilidh as she is so graceful when she runs and makes it looks so simple and effortless. Today at 11am she will run in the final and Team Western Isles will be out in force to root her on to come home with a double gold.

Eve Carrington who came home from Rhodes with both silver and bronze medals was competing in the triple jump competition yesterday evening. Eve's first jump of 10.94 was her best and she was sitting in 3rd place until the fourth round. She was only three centimetres off bronze and tonight's jump was considerably behind her personal best. However she remains focused and knows what training lies ahead for when she returns.

Having been staying the same accommodation as the athletes it has been excellent to get an insight to their preparations, strict disciplines and general thoughts and feelings pre and post races. What has struck me is the sense of team spirit and the support they all offer each other.

Mention must also be given to Sinead MacLeod who scored a hat trick in the ladies football game on Wednesday evening against Hitra. This is the first time any footballer, male or female from the Western Isles has completed such a feat at any Island Games.

The girls again showed their feisty spirit with a crushing 5-0 defeat against Guernsey. The game saw goal action from Laura Johnston (two goals), Jane Nicolson, Jenna Stewart and Marina MacDonald. This means the girls won two games and lost two games and finished 3rd in their groups narrowly missing getting through to the next stage. They have performed really well and have demonstrated tremendous focus and drive. They can return home to the Western Isles proud of their achievements.

Day three for our golfers saw David Black finishing on the same score as yesterday, 83, Norrie 'Onions' MacDonald on 80, Andy MacDonald on 88 and Kevin MacRae on 76. The team are somewhat disappointed with their performance but have no excuses according to Team Manager Norrie 'Tomsh' MacDonald although playing for five and a half hours in 30C is not something they encounter regularly! They will play their final round of golf today at their favoured Castle Course. Tomorrow night they will have a clear picture of where the team will be placed but they are currently in joint 7th position.

Well as I was completing the translation of this update, the rain has started – and it is now pouring! I hope to update you again soon – hopefully with the news of another gold for Eilidh, I hope!