Magnificent seven picked for Olympics swimming team
SEVEN swimmers from the University of Stirling will compete for Team GB at this summer’s Olympics, in a landmark achievement for the highperformance swim programme.
The British Olympic Association announced their 33-strong swim team for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at a press conference held at the University of Stirling yesterday.
Notably, it is the largest contingent of University of Stirling athletes ever to be selected for a single Olympics.
The group comprises Olympic champions Duncan Scott and Kathleen Dawson, as well as Lucy Hope, Jack McMillan, Keanna MacInnes, Katie Shanahan and Angharad Evans.
Steve Tigg (below left), head performance swim coach at the University of Stirling, has also been selected as part of the Team GB coaching team travelling to the Games to support the athletes. He said: “I am incredibly proud of all our athletes who have qualified for the Olympics.
“For the university to have seven swimmers selected for the Team GB Olympics squad is a phenomenal achievement – and it reflects our athletes’ unwavering determination to succeed, their meticulous preparation, and the high-quality sporting environment in which they train every day.
“I am fortunate to be travelling to Paris with the team and I’m excited to witness first hand what this group can achieve, together with their teammates, on the world stage.”
The Paris Games will be Scott’s third Olympics. He already has six Olympic medals to his name and both he and Dawson will be hoping to build on their success from Tokyo 2021, where they both won gold. Hope and McMillan both have Olympics experience, whereas Macinnes, Shanahan and Evans will be making their Olympic debuts.
Scott said: “All eyes now towards Paris. Every Olympic Games is vastly different, but I think you can draw on past experiences and that hopefully should benefit me.” Dawson, who qualified after recovering from a careerthreatening injury, said: “It’s very emotional for me. I’ve come through a back injury in the last three years, so this is one of the highest points in my life.”