Record number of Stirling University athletes gear up for Commonwealth Games 2022

A record number of athletes from Stirling University will compete in the Commonwealth Games – with 20 set to travel to Birmingham.

As Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence, Stirling will send 16 swimmers – including record-breaking Duncan Scott – as well as a triathlete, a judoka, and two hockey players.

The athletes represent a total of five nations, including Scotland, England, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, and Trinidad and Tobago.

In addition to the 20, recent graduates from the university’s sports scholarship programmes will also compete in the games – including in cycling, netball and triathlon.

Swim coaches Steve Tigg (head performance) and Bradley Hay (high performance) will head south with Team Scotland.

And the group is also supported at Stirling by high performance swim coach Josh Williamson.

Last year, Duncan Scott became the most successful British athlete at an Olympics and, in 2018, claimed the accolade of most decorated swimmer at a single Commonwealth Games.

Speaking ahead of the Birmingham Games, Scott said: “I still experience the same sort of feelings in the build-up to major international competitions – but I’m much more relaxed.

“I’m an athlete and a competitor and, no matter what race I’m going into, I want to win.”

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His Scotland teammate Martyn Walton will make his games debut after being part of the programme for seven years.

On his selection, the BSc Sport and Exercise Science and MSc Sports Management graduate said: “This has given me a great end to my career. I plan for this to be my last meet before I go into coaching.It’s probably something, two or three years ago, I didn’t think was possible so it’s amazing.”

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