Two athletes with links to the University of Edinburgh have won silver medals at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

Michael Jamieson, a member of the University’s swim team, came second in the men’s 200m breaststroke, missing out on gold by just 0.12 seconds. Fellow student and team member Kris Gilchrist finished fifth in the same event.

The success was not confined to the pool, as recent University graduate Eilidh Child took silver in the women’s 400m hurdles. Athletes with links to the University have now won 27 medals at the Commonwealth Games since their inception as the British Empire Games in 1930.

Both athletes competed for Scotland, which won a total of 26 medals at the games. The University of Edinburgh was also involved behind the scenes as Chris Jones, the University’s head of performance swimming, coached the Scottish swim team.

Jamieson told the Daily Record: "The initial reaction after the race was slightly disappointed with the race being so close. I think that was only natural."

"Now I’ve had a few days to wander around the [athletes’] village and soak up the atmosphere, I’m delighted. Next year we’re just going to have to try and build on this...The Olympics is the pinnacle for any swimmer. There’s just under 18 months to go now until the trials event."

He added: "I grew up training in the pool at Tollcross that’s going to be used for the [Commonwealth Games] swimming in Glasgow in 2014, so it would be a bit of a fairytale if I could go back there and hopefully go one better than in Delhi."

Child, who works as a PE teacher in Perth, told BBC Scotland that she was "so chuffed" to win a medal. "I knew I was capable," she added. "But you never know how you are going to perform on the big stage, so I am just glad I came away with something."

A total of 35 athletes, coaches and support staff with links to the University of Edinburgh took part in the Delhi Games. Of these, 34 represented Scotland, with one featuring for the Isle of Man team.

In a statement, the University suggested that its sports facilities might be a reason for its track record of success at the Commonwealth Games.

"The University of Edinburgh’s sports facilities and programmes are among the finest in the UK. We were rated fifth out of 147 institutions in the British Universities & Colleges Sport league table.

"We provide bursaries, training programmes and a range of support services to help gifted students realise their sporting potential."