Two UWS alumni representing Team GB at the Tokyo Olympics
Two University of the West of Scotland alumni will be representing Great Britain in the Tokyo Olympics which begin today (23 July). Both appearing in their second Olympics, Kirsty Gilmour will be competing in badminton and Callum Hawkins in the marathon.
Prep camp done ☑️
— Kirsty Gilmour (@KirstyGilmourr) July 17, 2021
Into proper village life tomorrow ✌?@TeamGB have thought of absolutely everything ??✨ pic.twitter.com/wiYYiFI1mU
Commonwealth silver and bronze medallist Kirsty will compete in the Women’s Singles event – the only Brit to do so – and qualified for Tokyo as number 26 in the BWF world rankings and 18th in the BWF Race to Tokyo rankings.
Well… I guess we’d better do this thing! ⚡⚡
— Kirsty Gilmour (@KirstyGilmourr) July 14, 2021
Next stop ➡️ Tokyo ??????⛩️@TeamGB pic.twitter.com/G4MolIk6so
The UWS Creative Industries Practice graduate from Lanarkshire told the Scottish Women in Sport blog:
I think sport is one of the only things that is truly universally unifying. Nothing brings people together like it.
Kirsty Gilmour
Callum made his Olympic debut also at Rio 2016, finishing ninth in what was only his third career marathon. Two fourth-placed finishes at the World Championships followed with an appearance at the 2018 Commonwealth Games ending with a fall due to heat exhaustion.
Callum Hawkins?? is the first British male to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic marathon. ?♂️
— #Tokyo2020 (@Tokyo2020) February 10, 2021
For the @TeamGB standout, running runs in the family and at #Tokyo2020 he will “definitely go for a medal” ?#UnitedByEmotion @Olympics @WorldAthletics https://t.co/9CsFgTtOpI
The former engineering student from Renfrewshire and Scotland’s Athlete of the Year, told the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Blog:
I’ll definitely go for a medal, I’ll put myself out there, but it’s going to be tough. I know I finished fourth at world champs but there’ll be a lot more of the big guns going to the Olympics and it’ll be a lot stronger field.”
Callum Hawkins
Good luck to both of them and the whole of Team GB!
