CLYDESDALE BANK FEBRUARY ATHLETE OF THE MONTH ANNOUNCED
The 2009 season proved a series of Herculean achievements for Ayrshire weightlifter, Peter Kirkbride, who is poised to represent Scotland at October’s Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
The 22 year old from Hurlford near Kilmarnock, holds 17 British records, three of them taken in the season-ending Scottish Senior Championships in Pitlochry. He bettered Team Scotland’s Commonwealth Games qualifying criteria by 20kg. In a final crowning glory after a spectacular season he became British Weightlifter of the Year.
Those, combined with other achievements, have led Kirkbride to be named the Clydesdale Bank Athlete of the Month for February. The scheme, being run by Commonwealth Games Scotland in conjunction with Clydesdale Bank as part of its programme of support to Team Scotland, is open to athletes in any of the 17 participating sports who are eligible to represent Scotland at this year’s Games in Delhi.
“It is a great honour to be named Athlete of the Month,” said Kirkbride, who receives a £500 cheque to go towards costs of training and competition. “I have won local awards before but nothing on a national level like this. This is a big thing for me and will help towards my training and travel.”
Peter began weightlifting as an 11 year old. Charlie Hamilton is the coach who has guided him ever since that day when he set foot in Kilmarnock Weightlifting Club.
“When he first came here he could do the splits and it was obvious he was very athletic, even though he’d never done any sports,” says Hamilton.
“I remember taking him to his first British Schoolboy Championships. He came second and after that he just trained and trained and won everything he competed in.
“At 12 he won the British Schoolboy Championships, at 13 he started breaking British records. Now he holds 17 different British age group records from under 15 to under 23. He’s been winning Scottish senior titles since he was 16 and holds every Scottish senior record.”
Kirkbride has Commonwealth Games experience. He won gold at the Youth Games in Bendigo, and finished sixth in the last main Games in Melbourne 2006.
“Melbourne was one of the best experiences of my life,” he says. “I was the youngest weightlifter ever to represent Scotland and I was up against some good competition. It was a totally different world to what I’m used to, being on the big stage with thousands of folk watching you and millions more watching you through the cameras. I’m a big show off in that way.”
Funding from World Class Weightlifting Ltd means Kirkbride can make the sport his full time occupation for at least the next year. In a typical week he has six weight training sessions, with further time spent swimming and boxing.
Helping him deal with the occupational hazards is the West of Scotland Institute of Sport, part of the sportscotland institute of sport’s regional network, which provides high performance expertise to Scotland’s potential world class talent. Last year he suffered a ‘sore elbow’ which the institute’s physiotherapists treated successfully.
Kirkbride is on the light side for his 94kg category, but that hasn’t stopped him clearing astonishing poundages.
“I’m trying to get my weight up as high as I can as I’m only about 91kg, so I’m giving away about three kilos to my opposition…if there is any,” he says. “I’m more of a clean and jerker than a snatcher but you need to keep the two equal. In my last competition I did 145kg for snatch and I clean and jerked 186kg.
“My first try out this year will be at the Palace of Art next month in the Scottish Open. I’m going for big stuff, even bigger than in my last competition. So it should be fun.”
Kirkbride’s early season focus is April’s EU Championships in Belarus where the plan according to Hamilton is to break more records. Then, just six months hence, are the Delhi Games.
In Cyprus last summer Kirkbride became Commonwealth Champion, an achievement which gives an indication of his potential should he be confirmed in Delhi-bound Team Scotland.
“There was some good competition in Cyprus but not everyone showed up for that,” says Kirkbride. “But they will obviously all be there in Delhi. I’m not far off any of them and to be honest I’m not really bothered about my competition.
“I don’t focus on what they are doing but just on what I am doing. I take things one step at a time and see what happens. Sometimes you’ve got it on the day, sometimes it doesn’t work out. For Delhi all I would ask for is to stay healthy and injury free.”
Hamilton is more revealing about their plans, “I’ve been involved for 30 years in weightlifting and I’ve never seen strength like this in a boy in my life.
“Our plan a year ago was a medal of some colour in India, top 10 in London and gold in Glasgow. If he keeps going the way he is it might be gold sooner than you think.”
Clydesdale Bank’s support helps to ensure that athletes training and competing at this level will benefit from extra financial support to help them achieve their goals. The award scheme is a great additional incentive to the athletes as they strive to deliver top performances over the next ten months to book their place on the team.
25 Year old Jayne Clason only took up wrestling 18 months ago and now she is poised to represent Scotland at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in October. Jayne even has an eye on a medal in the 55kg weight category, if she can replicate her form from the Commonwealth Championships last December, where she won a bronze medal against strong opposition. Jayne describes this success as the highlight of her sporting career so far.
Indeed it was this outstanding performance that has led her to be named as the Clydesdale Bank Athlete of the Month for January and she will receive a cheque for £500 towards her competition and training costs. The scheme is being run by Commonwealth Games Scotland in conjunction with Clydesdale Bank as part of their programme of support to Team Scotland and is open to athletes in any of the 17 participating sports who are eligible to represent Scotland at next year’s Games in Delhi.
“This is the first award of any kind that I have won, said Jayne so I am absolutely delighted. I need some new wrestling boots which can cost between £100-£200 for good ones, along with other training kit so the money will be really useful as I can only work part-time as a gym assistant to fit round my training and competitions.”
Wrestling for women is making its Commonwealth Games debut in Delhi. It is a big sport in India and one in which they have targeted significant medal success. However Scotland also hopes to field some strong opposition, mainly thanks to a talent transfer scheme initiated by the Scottish Wrestling Association and following the principles of the talent programme being developed by the sportscotland institute of sport, which has seen Jayne along with four other girls switch from the sport of judo where they also enjoyed considerable success.
“I took up judo when I was just four years old”, said Jayne. “My dad coached the local club and so it was natural to get involved.” Black belt Jayne went on to compete at both Scottish and British level and also won a Commonwealth Championship bronze medal in judo. However two years ago, the qualified hairdresser from Grangemouth, was persuaded by her judo pals to give wrestling a go and she has not looked back.
“The sports are quite similar. You just have to adjust your technique a bit and remember that arm locks and strangles aren’t allowed in wrestling. The outfits are different and I now wear a lycra singlet instead of a judo suit which covers you from head to toe and gives you something to grab hold of. The lycra singlet is quite slippery and makes it difficult to bring your opponent down. Also in wrestling, you fight in a circle rather than the judo square and the mats are a bit softer.”
“Wrestling is a physically exhausting sport which has three two minute rounds with only a 30 second break in between. To win the match you must win two of the three rounds by scoring more points than your opponent in each round. Alternatively pinning your opponent’s shoulders down firmly on the mat for one seconds can decide the match outright.”
So to ensure she is in the best possible shape Jayne’s training involves five two hour sessions on the mat each week overseen by Ukranian coach Volodymyr Gladkov at Palace of Art in Glasgow. This is complemented by several strength and conditioning training sessions each work organised by the Central Scotland Institute of Sport along with medical and physiotherapy support if required.
Having won medals at both the British and Commonwealth Championships so far this season Jayne only needs to do well at one final competition in Glasgow later in the year to secure her place on Team Scotland.
“I would love to go to Delhi as part of the team, I just can’t wait”, said Jayne. “I enjoyed going to India in December for the Commonwealth Championships. It was really good experience and despite all our concerns we all kept fit and healthy and competed really well with the Scots winning five medals in total – the most we have ever won at these Championships.”
So will Jayne be tempted to switch back again in 2014 when judo makes a return to the sports programme? “No I am going to concentrate on wrestling”, she says firmly. “Wrestling is a much better fit for me. Whilst the basics are the same as judo the techniques involved in wrestling are better suited to my style. But it would certainly be fantastic to compete in front of my friends and family in Glasgow in 2014.”
Clydesdale Bank’s support helps to ensure that athletes training and competing at this level will benefit from extra financial support to help them achieve their goals. The award scheme is a great additional incentive to the athletes as they strive to deliver top performances over the next ten months to book their place on the team.
The 3rd Commonwealth Sports Development Conference is being held in the Mitchell Library, Glasgow on Thursday 3rd and Friday 4th June 2010. The theme of this inspiring and interactive event is Achieving Sustainable Development – Building capacity in Communities, Clubs and NGOs.
This is an invaluable opportunity for Sport Practitioners, Policy Makers and various types of Funders to come together to explore issues of vital importance in delivering sports-for-development and sports development programmes worldwide.
Commonwealth Games Associations worldwide will attend the conference, ahead of the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games, and will provide a superb opportunity for discussions on international issues and programmes.
Seminars, Plenary and Q&A sessions will build on the 2006 and 2008 Commonwealth Sports Development Conferences. The 2010 Conference will look at a number of approaches to aspects of organisational development and sustainability relevant to organisations involved in the delivery of, or supporting those delivering, sports programmes.
Speakers from the Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports, LGT Venture Philanthropy, Comic Relief, Mathare Youth Sports Association (Kenya), Magic Bus (India) and Homeless World Cup are just a flavour of some of the organisations that will be present.
‘Registration for the Conference is now open and you can check out the website for full details of the exciting programme – with on-line booking and payment facilities, a downloadable PDF booking form and hotel and general event information.’
Delhi 2010 started to become a reality for Scotland’s athletes today when the first full Team Scotland preparation camp got underway. With the Commonwealth Games only 10 months away, more than 230 athletes and staff representing 17 sports gathered at the University of Stirling despite the wintry weather conditions. The purpose of the day was to ensure all those with aspirations to be selected for Team Scotland are involved in the vital planning and preparations from the outset, aimed at maximising their chance of success at this year’s Games.
One of the highlights of every Games for an athlete is finding out what kit they will wear when they represent Scotland, particularly for the very first time. For Delhi, Commonwealth Games Scotland is delighted to announce it has established a partnership with adidas to design and manufacture its delegation wear. adidas is the premium sportswear manufacturer in the UK and is the preferred choice of many of Scotland’s top athletes including Sir Chris Hoy.
Welcoming adidas on board with Team Scotland, Jon Doig, Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS) Chief Executive and Team Scotland Chef de Mission said: “We are delighted to have established a partnership with adidas to supply our delegation wear for Delhi tailored to our own design. adidas has a first class reputation for technological innovation and a commitment to performance which is in line with Team Scotland’s own philosophy and we look forward to working with them over the coming months. We are also confident it will prove to be a popular choice with our athletes.”
Robin Money, Head of Sports Marketing, adidas UK & Ireland said: “adidas is proud to be supplying Team Scotland with delegation wear for Delhi 2010. We have a long heritage in supplying teams at major sporting events and Team Scotland athletes will receive the very best bespoke team apparel.”
However the day started with the all important decision to finalise the Scottish anthem which will be played, when athletes representing Team Scotland win gold and stand on top of the medal podium in Delhi. With no official Scottish national anthem, it is up to individual sports teams to select the anthem which best reflects their sporting endeavours. Up until 1958, Burns’ ‘Scots Wha Hae’ was used to mark Commonwealth Games success and since then ‘Scotland the Brave’ has been the preferred anthem.
The choice of anthem has been revisited again for 2010 with guests attending the Commonwealth Games Awards Dinner last November whittling down the short list of four to a final two. Gymnastics gold medallist from 2002, Steve Frew, shared his thoughts on the issue before ‘Scotland the Brave’ and ‘Flower of Scotland’ were played to prospective Delhi 2010 team members. This was accompanied by a photo montage of past Scottish medal success, to enable athletes to visualise that special moment and make an informed final decision. There was much excitement when it was announced that by a landslide vote of 211 to 15 Flower of Scotland will be the new Team Scotland anthem for Delhi 2010.
Reacting to the decision Michael Cavanagh, Chairman CGS said: “We felt it was important to give team members the opportunity to choose their anthem and the athletes have made a clear choice. Whilst we are not particularly surprised that they have chosen Flower of Scotland the margin of the vote was surprising.”
It was then down to business, with a series of lectures and interactive workshops throughout the day, giving a flavour of what Delhi will be like as the host city and addressing many of the concerns raised over recent months, including facilities, safety and security, health and wellbeing. Commonwealth Games Scotland team staff and specialist advisers gave briefings, sharing their experiences of the team’s preparation visits to Delhi and answering questions athletes had. Issues raised will also be referred back to the Delhi Organising Committee to help them in their preparations.
Commenting on the importance of the Team Camp Michael Cavanagh, Chair of CGS said: “Commonwealth Games Scotland aims to deliver the best prepared team possible, creating the right environment and giving athletes every opportunity to excel at the Games. The excellent team spirit in Melbourne was a major factor behind our success and today’s camp provides an excellent opportunity for potential Delhi athletes to build a strong team unit right from the start, reinforcing the team’s unique position of ‘17 Sports, One Team’.
“Being held at the turn of the year, the camp marks an important milestone in the countdown to the Games. With just 10 months to go it will focus the whole team on the exciting times ahead, and hopefully inspire our athletes to strive even harder to achieve the selection targets set for their sport and secure a seat on the plane to Delhi.”
Potential Team Scotland athletes for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi gather at Stirling University for the first pre-Games briefing.
Pictured Left to Right are Melbourne medallists Chris Baillie (Silver 110m Hurdles), Susan Egelstaff (Bronze Womens Badminton Singles), David Carry (Gold 400m Freestyle & 400 Individual Medley) and Kate Cullen (Bronze Track Cycling).
Just days after Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS) formally announced hockey’s inclusion in next year’s 2010 Games in Delhi Ross Stott extended Scottish Hockey’s celebrations after the player was named as the Clydesdale Bank Athlete of the Month for December. Ross was delighted to receive the award in recognition of his impressive performance at the recent World Cup qualifier and as the recipient of the trophy he also receives a very welcome £500 towards his training and competition costs.
The award scheme is being run with Clydesdale Bank as part of their programme of support to Team Scotland and is open to athletes in any of the 17 participating sports who are eligible to represent Scotland at next year’s Games in Delhi. Athletes are nominated by their respective sports and must demonstrate outstanding performances during the build-up to the Games.
Ross said on receipt of his award, “This has been a complete but very welcome surprise to me. I had no idea I had been nominated and it is great to win the award and gain recognition for hockey from among so many worthy Commonwealth sports men and women.”
The cheque for £500 is also a welcome boost for the 21 year old hockey player who regularly travels from his home town of Dundee to Bellahouston Park in Glasgow where he trains with Kelburne Hockey Club. The Scotland squad member who hopes to be among the selected athletes bound for Delhi next year added, “The additional funding will be very useful at a time when I am actively looking for work that can fit into my busy training and competition schedule, as my preparations and performances will be very important in the year ahead.”
Ross’ performance at the World Cup qualifying event hosted in Invercargill, New Zealand was integral to the team’s third place finish and he was justly named the man of the tournament by the Scotland team coaching staff.
“I scored the winning goal in the penalty shoot out in that match and I wasn’t keeping count before I lined up for the last penalty so I didn’t know I was playing a crucial shot, but scoring that goal topped off a memorable tournament for us and a great team effort.
“We were ranked 5th out of the 6 competing nations at the start and our determination and confidence just grew after the first few matches. By the end we were slightly disappointed not to have made it to the final even though we had exceeded expectations.”
With Scotland’s men ranked 9th in the Commonwealth ahead of the qualifier, their performance during the tournament helped to demonstrate their potential to meet the top eight standard required by CGS for inclusion in the Delhi 2010 programme.
Beating China ranked 13th in the world for the bronze medal, Stott paid tribute to the current national coach Russell Garcia, who he believes has hugely influenced the development of the current crop of players. “Garcia has achieved so much in the sport the players really look up to him and I think we have the best training squad we have had for a long time. We are on our way up so it is great we will be in the 2010 Games.”
Whilst recognising this year has been a huge learning curve after his first taste of major competition at seniors level at the Europeans earlier this year, Stott hopes his growing confidence and recent experiences will help him get more starts for Scotland.
“My primary aim is to get selected for Delhi but beyond that I would love to get a GB call up for London 2012.”
Hoping to follow in the talented footsteps of brother Niall, who competed in the Athens Olympics in 2004 and was a team reserve in Beijing, Ross says he owes his involvement in the game to his older sibling.
“I was just three when I was introduced to hockey. Niall was babysitting me and took me along to a training session and I started playing with a stick twice my size and have been involved ever since. He has been such a huge influence in my life and my role model and if it were not for him I would not be here doing what I love to do.”
Clydesdale Bank’s support helps to ensure that athletes training and competing at this level will benefit from extra financial support to help them to achieve their goals. The award scheme is a great additional incentive to the athletes as they strive to deliver top performances over the next ten months to book their place on the team.
Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS) announced today that cyclist David Millar has been cleared by its Board to represent Scotland at the next Commonwealth Games in Delhi, subject to him meeting the necessary performance selection criteria.
Today’s decision comes on the back of an application from Millar to be given eligibility for selection following a successful return to the sport in 2006. David was banned from competing in cycling for two years in 2004 following a positive doping offence.
He returned to racing in 2006, competing for the Slipstream Garmin team at the Tour de France and other major events as well as for GB Cycling in world championships and he did so in the full knowledge that he had a responsibility to educate the media, public and other athletes about the world of doping. Since then, David has worked closely with UK Sport, British Cycling, UCI and WADA in the area of anti-doping and is proving to be a valuable asset. He was nominated to the WADA Athlete’s Committee in 2007 by UK Sport as the British representative, contributing to the development of British Cycling, UK Sport and SPORT WADA anti-doping policies and programmes and demonstrating his commitment to making a difference in the world of sport.
Confirming the decision, Jon Doig, CGS Chief Executive said: “The CGS Board felt that since his return to cycling David has become an active campaigner and educator about doping in sport and has gone to great lengths to rehabilitate himself and share his experiences with others in an attempt to promote the anti-doping message. David has now been cleared to compete for Scotland in Delhi subject to achieving the necessary performance selection standards.”
As a condition of his clearance to compete for Scotland, David has agreed to deliver an anti-doping seminar for young Scottish athletes.
Welcoming the news Millar said: “I am absolutely delighted with the decision. It would be an honour to race for Scotland at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi and to give something back to the country that has given me so much. I am proud to be a Scot and feel that I have been supported incredibly through the bad times as well as the good by Scotland.
“I made mistakes as a younger athlete in a dirty sport, and I will have to live with those mistakes for the rest of my life, but I have changed and I know I bring something beneficial to not only cycling but also sport as a whole.
“I have been so pro-active in my fight against doping because I believe I can make a difference, and I also believe that the mistakes I made as an athlete were fully preventable. If the example I now give and education I provide can prevent a younger version of me from making the same mistakes I made than I could not ask for more.”
David will now seek selection for a number of the cycling events in Delhi.
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After an exciting first day of events and celebrations in Glasgow, host city for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, the Queen’s Baton Relay 2010 Delhi will journey through the central belt today, joining in St Andrew’s Day celebrations in Paisley, visiting The Glasgow School of Sport before heading east to the unique Falkirk Wheel. It will travel on to Edinburgh with a visit to the Indian Consulate where Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond and Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will meet the Baton with Indian Consul General, Mr. Anil Kumar Anand and former Commonwealth Games hammer thrower Shirley Webb.
First Minister Alex Salmond said: “It is an honour to welcome the Queen’s Baton Relay to Scotland as it makes its impressive journey to every Commonwealth capital around the world. With less than a year to go until the 2010 Games, I am looking forward to supporting our Scottish athletes in Delhi and continuing to build on Scotland’s existing relationships and ever growing links with India. As we prepare for hosting the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, the Scottish Government will continue to seize every opportunity to ensure that the event is a success and will support business, tourism and infrastructure across Scotland.”
Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “The Queen’s Baton Relay is one of the great traditions of the Commonwealth Games and a wonderful way to celebrate this world-class competition. It provides a focus for the Games in Delhi in 2010 and reminds us of the hard work and dedication of Team Scotland as they prepare to compete in the Games. I am sure that they will be a credit to Scotland and will set the bar high for Glasgow in 2014. The Scottish Government wants all of Scotland to benefit from hosting the Commonwealth Games. That’s why we have recently launched a £23.5 million legacy plan to ensure we capitalise on the economic, social and cultural advantages of 2014 and to encourage Scots of all ages to lead healthier, physically active lives.”
After a relay from Edinburgh Castle taking in the sights down the Royal Mile, the Queen’s Baton Relay 2010 Delhi will conclude its Scottish visit at a business function hosted by Clydesdale Bank one of Team Scotland’s commercial partners.
The Queen’s Baton Relay is the traditional curtain raiser to every Commonwealth Games and starts its journey from Buckingham Palace, where Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II places her ‘message to the athletes’ into the Baton. The Queen’s Baton Relay 2010 Delhi started on 29 October and will traverse the length and breadth of the Commonwealth for 240 days visiting all 70 nations and territories, before embarking upon a 100 day national tour of India. The relay will conclude at the Opening Ceremony on 3 October 2010, when the message will be retrieved and read out by the Queen to officially open the Games.
Scotland is the eighth leg of the Relay’s marathon journey and a number of organisations and partners of Commonwealth Games Scotland have come together to host an outstanding range of events and celebrations turning the spotlight on Scotland’s participation in the Delhi Games next year.
Commonwealth Games Scotland Chairman, Michael Cavanagh said: “The visit of the Queens Baton Relay to Scotland brings the Games a step closer still. We are delighted about the level of enthusiasm that the arrival of the Queens Baton is generating and we look forward to a second day of events involving our athletes, school children, business and community groups across central Scotland.”
Anticipation is growing across central Scotland this week with news that the Queen’s Baton Relay 2010 Delhi will be arriving in Glasgow on Sunday 29 November for two days of events and celebrations.
The Queen’s Baton Relay is the traditional curtain raiser to every Commonwealth Games and starts its journey from Buckingham Palace, where Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II places her ‘message to the athletes’ into the Baton. The Queen’s Baton Relay 2010 Delhi started on 29 October and will traverse the length and breadth of the Commonwealth for 240 days visiting all 70 nations and territories, before embarking upon a 100 day national tour of India. The relay will conclude at the Opening Ceremony on 3October 2010 when the message will be retrieved and read out by the Queen to officially open the Games.
Scotland is the eighth leg of the Relay’s marathon journey and a number of organisations and partners of Commonwealth Games Scotland have come together to hold an outstanding range of events and celebrations turning the spotlight on Scotland’s participation in the Delhi Games next year.
The visit will start on Sunday 29 November with a day of celebrations in Glasgow, the next host city of the Commonwealth Games in 2014. One of the highlights will be a major relay through the city centre from Buchanan Street to George Square.
On Monday 30 November the Queen’s Baton Relay will journey through the central belt, joining in St Andrew’s Day celebrations in Paisley, visiting The Glasgow School of Sport before heading east to the unique Falkirk Wheel. It will journey on to Edinburgh with a visit to the Indian High Commission where Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond and Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will meet the Baton with Indian Consul General Mr. Anil Kumar Anand. After a relay from Edinburgh Castle taking in the sights down the Royal Mile, the Queen’s Baton Relay 2010 Delhi will conclude its Scottish visit at a business function hosted by Clydesdale Bank one of Team Scotland’s commercial partners.
Welcoming the arrival of the Baton north of the border, Commonwealth Games Scotland Chairman, Michael Cavanagh said: “The visit of the Queens Baton Relay to Scotland brings the Games a step closer still. We are delighted about the enthusiasm the arrival of the Queens Baton is generating and we look forward to an exciting two days of events involving school children, youngsters, business and community groups across central Scotland.
“Commonwealth Games Scotland is looking forward to holding a gathering of our past team members, known as the Thistle Club in Glasgow on the Sunday evening hosted by the Lord Provost of Glasgow. For our athletes from previous Games it will be a particularly special occasion reminding them of their own special Commonwealth Games experiences.”
One of Scotland’s greatest ever female Olympians, rower Katherine Grainger MBE, was named Scottish Sportsperson of the Year and awarded the ‘Emirates Lonsdale Trophy’ at the Commonwealth Games Scotland’s Awards Dinner in Glasgow tonight, and is the first woman to win the title. The dinner was held in association with Clydesdale Bank and the award is for performances between 18 September 2008 and 17 September 2009.
In 2009 Katherine switched from the quadruple sculls, in which she won a silver medal at the Beijing Olympic Games, to the single sculls. Her outstanding performance of 2009 was winning a silver medal at the World Championships after less than a season racing single sculls and followed a win in an earlier World Cup event. Before this, Katherine had led the women’s quad to three successive world titles, giving Katherine herself four world golds and a bronze.
These latest performances highlight some ten years of dedication and achievement in GB Rowing’s international squad and Katherine is the first British female athlete in any discipline to medal in three successive Olympic Games. This record makes here the clear successor to Steve Redgrave and Matthew Pinsent as the figurehead of the GB rowing team. She is Honorary President of the Scottish Amateur Rowing Association and Patron of the Central Scotland Institute of Sport, among the many other voluntary roles she carries out.
Accepting the Award Katherine Grainger said: “The Commonwealth Games Awards dinner is always a wonderful celebration of Scottish sport, and I believe it is in great shape right now, with some fantastic performances across a range of sports. It is fabulous to win this award and it is the icing on the cake for my first season in the single sculls. Many thanks to Emirates for their continued support.”
In second place was Andy Murray. Currently World Number 4 and Britain’s number 1 ranked player, Andy reached the heights of Number 2 player in the World during the 2009 season before succumbing to injury in the latter part of the season. Over the last year he has won no less than 10 ATP singles titles having beaten all the top players including Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Andy Roddick and Novak Djockovic.
Closer to home Andy was a memorable winner at Queens and semi finalist at The Wimbledon Open Championships.
In third place was gymnast Daniel Keatings. In April 2009 Daniel was selected for the Senior European championships in Milan – Italy, where he won a silver in the All Around final, Britain’s first ever All Around medal in a major championships and a bronze on the pommel horse. In 2006 competed for Scotland at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games and in 2008 was selected to represent GB in the Olympic games in Beijing – China, where he qualified for the All around final finishing 20th and narrowly missing the Pommel final finishing 9th .
Completing an impressive short list was judo player Sarah Clark and swimmer Hannah Miley.
Announcing the award Michael Cavanagh, Chairman of Commonwealth Games Scotland said: “It is fantastic to see that in a traditionally quiet year between Olympic and Commonwealth Games that there are so many outstanding Scottish performances to choose from and many congratulations to all our nominees.
“However, Katherine’s determination to strive for Olympic gold in yet another discipline of her sport, despite having three silver medals in consecutive Olympics, is a credit to her absolute commitment to be the very best. The fact that she got onto the World Championship podium in her first season in the single sculls is quite incredible. She is a great ambassador, an outstanding female role model and a truly worthy winner of the Emirates Lonsdale Trophy.”
Congratulating the winners, Conrad Clifford, Emirates’ Vice-President, UK & Ireland, said: “Emirates is very pleased to continue its support of The Lonsdale Trophy, and we would like to offer our warmest congratulations to Katherine Grainger MBE on being awarded ‘Scottish Sportsperson of the Year’ for the very first time in her career. As official partner of the Scottish Commonwealth Games Team, we are honoured to be associated with an event that acknowledges the achievements of elite Scottish athletes like Katherine, Andy, Daniel, Sarah and Hannah on this global stage.”
Also recognised tonight were five winners of Scottish Sports Aid Merit Awards, for athletes 18 years of age and under. These were made to: Andrew Ward – Field Archery; Will Johnston – Triathlon; Sarah Kelly – Athletics; Lisa McKenzie – Fencing and Kirsty Gilmour – Badminton.
Ronnie Sloan, Acting Chair of the Scottish Sports Aid went on to present the Scottish Sports Aid Junior Sportsperson of the Year 2008/9 to Sarah Kelly. Sarah had an outstanding season winning no less than six titles including: AAA U17 800m Champion; Scottish U17 800m Champion; Scottish Schools Champion
Celtic Games Champion; Bank of Scotland U17 Champion and British Schools silver medallist.
It was also announced at the Dinner that Sir Peter Heatly was to become the new Patron of Commonwealth Games Scotland.
Lonsdale Trophy Winner Katherine Grainger & Scottish Sports Aid Junior Sportsperson of the Year 2008/9 Sarah Kelly