A University of Stirling sports scholar will leave for Beijing in the coming days after being selected to represent Team GB in curling at the Winter Olympics.
Current Sports Studies student Ross Whyte will be joined by former sports scholars Bobby Lammie and Mili Smith.
Whyte has been selected as alternate for the men’s team, skipped by Bruce Mouat, and is joined by Lammie, Grant Hardie and Hammy McMillan Jr.
Smith, also alternate, joins Vicky Wright, Jen Dodds and Hailey Duff as part of the rink skipped by Eve Muirhead – who was made an honorary graduate of the University of Stirling in 2018.
Both rinks won Gold representing Scotland at the European Curling Championships in Lillehammer last November.
Whyte, 23, now based in Stirling, said: “It is a tremendous feeling to be selected to represent Team GB. It’s a dream come true – a really good achievement for me.
“I’m really excited to get out there and show what we, as a team, can do.”
2020 Stirling Graduate Bobby Lammie, 24, from Stranraer, who studied Sport and Exercise Science while a scholar at the University, said: “It feels great to be selected for the Winter Olympics – it’s the result of lots of years of hard work and I feel very proud of this achievement.
“The Winter Olympics is the pinnacle of our sport – and I’m really looking forward to getting there and feeling that pressure.
“The support from the University has been very important in the lead up to the Olympic Games. It allowed me to graduate a couple of years ago and gave me the opportunity to become a full-time curler, with a degree behind me.”
Smith, 23, who graduated with a BA in Psychology last year, said: “It feels absolutely amazing to be selected to represent Team GB.
“We just want to make the most of it and do as well as we can.”
Executive Director of Sport at the University of Stirling, Cathy Gallagher, said: “I’m absolutely delighted for Ross, Mili and Bobby following their selection for Team GB at the Winter Olympics.
“We’re incredibly proud of all that they have achieved in their curling careers so far – and look forward to cheering them on over the next few weeks.
“The success of Ross, Mili and Bobby reflects the comprehensive sports scholarship that the University has in place for our high-performance athletes, as well as the effective partnerships with governing bodies, including British Curling.”
The Winter Olympics run until Sunday, February 20. The men’s curling competition starts Wednesday, February 9 and the women’s Thursday, February 10.
Feature Image Credit: University of Stirling
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