Eight Scottish athletes have received a financial boost after being selected for a sportscotland Athlete Personal Awards (SAPA).
Athletes from four sports, some set to compete at the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, have shared £33,000 of National Lottery investment to cover additional training, competition and living expenses.
This latest group of athletes includes established stars such as Kirsty Gilmour, who will compete in her third Olympic Games at Paris 2024, swimmer Scott Quin, a Paralympic silver medallist and European U23 5000m champion Megan Keith who will make her Olympic debut this summer.
The awards only make up a small part of the support the athletes receive as they prepare to compete on the biggest stage. They also benefit from a host of expert services provided by the sportscotland institute of sport which includes nutrition, physical preparation, physio, sports psychology, coaching and may more.
The latest round of funding means the SAPA programme has awarded over £2million of National Lottery funding to athletes and coaches since its inception for the Olympics and Paralympics in London in 2012. In that time £2,053,209 has been shared by 300 high performance athletes and coaches aiming to make their mark in summer or winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as the Commonwealth Games.
Director of sport at sportscotland, Craig Burn, said: “At the sportscotland institute of sport, our aim has always been to find ways to support Scotland’s athletes so that they can focus on their training and competition and SAPAs are a key part of that strategy.
“This financial input is of course only part of the package of support. The wide range of specialist services provided by the sportscotland institute of sport is key to helping athletes perform at their best, as is the continued support of their clubs, coaches and governing bodies, and not forgetting their families.
We are proud to play a part in what is a team effort to ensure Scotland’s athletes are ready to compete with the best on the world stage.”
Inverness runner Megan Keith has had an incredible year. In January she set a European U23 record running in the Valencia 10K as she posted a time of 31.22m. The run was also the third fastest by a Scots athlete over 10,000m on the road - with only Liz and Eilish McColgan having recorded faster times.
The University of Edinburgh student went on to win bronze in the 10,000m at the European Championships in Rome.
The 22-year-old said: “Support from sportscotland athlete personal award (SAPA) has been incredibly valuable during my preparations for Paris 2024. As an athlete you have a lot of things to juggle, especially while I’m at university.
"Having that extra help towards things like travel costs and equipment is a massive help and allows me to fully focus on training and competing.”
The additional funding allows athletes to cut down their working hours to enable them to rest and recover properly after training and competition. Essentially it is about finding ways to make life easier for the athletes so that they can focus on their sport.
Scottish governing bodies of sport nominate athletes they believe could benefit from additional financial support to help them qualify for the Games, or to increase their chances of winning a medal.
List of athletes receiving a SAPA:
Carys McAulay (Athletics)
Neil Gourley (Athletics)
Alyson Bell (Athletics)
Zoey Clark (Athletics)
Megan Keith (Athletics)
Kirsty Gilmour (Badminton)
Kirsten Taylor (Para-Judo)
Scott Quin (Para-Swimming)
