The curtain may have come down on The Olympics but the memories will live on for a long time as Paris played host to another exceptional Games and 14 University linked athletes and staff more than played their part, bringing home two bronze medals and inspiring the next generation. Medallists, Oli Wilkes and Aleksandra Kalucka, were simply sensational in their performances. Oli in the men’s fours rowing and Aleksandra in Sport Climbing. Both athletes did themselves, their families and support teams proud and everyone at the University is hugely proud of them too. Head of Performance Rowing Colin Williamson saw the raw talent in Oli Wilkes during his time at university and helped develop that talent through to GB level where he is now a firm part of the successful men’s fours which we hope to see in LA 2028. Watching Oli on the podium in Paris was a great moment for the club, and a fitting end to what has been a fantastic journey. He joined us as a former swimmer with only a year of rowing behind him. He went on to make a medal winning debut for Great Britain whilst studying his Masters degree, and we have looked on with pride as he moved to join the GB Senior team and become a World and European Champion. Oli has written himself into EUBC history as one of our most successful ever rowers, amongst esteemed company. Colin Williams Head of Performance Rowing Incoming sport scholar, Aleksandra Kalucka, was taking part in Sport Climbing, a sport that captured the imagination of many fans as athletes scaled the 15m wall in a fraction over 6secs! A truly remarkable event and one which Aleksandra conquered by bringing home the bronze medal. We look forward to giving Aleksandra a warm welcome to Edinburgh in the coming weeks. As well as demonstrating remarkable sporting talent, athletes also displayed excellent resilience, determination and sportsmanship. Mechanical Engineering student, Charlie Aldridge was brilliant in the Mountain Bike Cross Country on his Olympic debut, finishing in 8th place in one of the stand out events of the Games. We have no doubt that this is the first of many Olympics for Charlie. Former student of Applied Sports Science, Lisa Thomson and the GB Sevens squad put in some big-time performances as they made it through to the Quarter Finals but were unfortunately edged out by the USA 17-7 in a tight match. Lucy Hope, Alumna of the Accounting and Business school, made up part of the 4x100m freestyle swimming squad who qualified for the final event and finished a fantastic 7th in a high-quality final. Alumna Sarah Robertson, who studied Law, and associated athlete, Amy Costello had a rollercoaster of a Games. Both athletes made an impact in the team with Amy scoring in the 2-1 win over South Africa and Sarah hitting the milestone of 100 GB caps and being presented with a special gift by Andy Murray. The results were a mixed bag and performances deserved better as they played some great hockey over the period of the Games. They fought back from two opening defeats to make the Quarter Finals and in another very tight and cagey affair they were on the wrong side of a 3-1 scoreline when taking on The Netherlands. Performance Psychology Alumna, Seonaid McIntosh missed out on the finals of the 10m Air Rifle and 50m rifle 3 position events but faced massive technical issues when her equipment was damaged when held in secure storage. Her father, and coach, University Hall of Famer Donald McIntosh had to act quickly to try and fix the equipment during the warm up. Seonaid put in brave performances throughout and we are sure she will be back on the world stage in the very near future. Our final representation in Paris came when Students Grace Reid (3m Springboard) and Megan Keith (10,000m) who took on the World’s best in their respective event finals. Grace, studying Applied Sports Science, had come through the Prelims in 5th spot to qualify for the Semi-Finals and a solid performance there saw her qualify in tenth for the Final. Grace started the final well but couldn’t reach the heights of the Prelims and had to settle for tenth in a high quality final. Fellow Sports Science Student, Megan was making her Olympic debut and confidence was high having won a medal at the European Championships earlier in the season over the 10,000m. After the opening laps it was clear that Megan was battling an injury, later confirmed as an ankle injury, but she battled on as she was determined to finish the event. This shows the phenomenal spirit of the athlete from Inverness and she gave it her all much to the adulation of the Stade de France crowd who got right behind her until the very end. Eleven fantastic athletes who have given us great memories to treasure from Paris. We are proud of all of them and look forward to hearing about their Olympic tales soon. Not to be outdone, we also had Pete Mitchell in attendance at The Olympics playing a key role as Lead Physiotherapist for Olympic Golf, Donald McIntosh as coach for the GB Shooting squad. Almuna Lucy Glover also travelled as a reserve supporting the rowing squad and Hall of Famer Sarah Wilson officiated in Hockey and had the amazing honour of umpiring the Women’s Olympic Final! Hall of Fame inductees were also in action across various roles. Donald McIntosh travelled as a coach for his daughter Seonaid and the rest of the GB Shooting squad while Sarah Wilson officiated in hockey and had the honour of umpiring the Women’s Olympic Final! 2024 inductee JJ Chalmers made up part of the BBC Sport presenting team alongside Sir Chris Hoy who joined as an analyst. Well done to Sarah, Lucy, Pete and Donald, JJ and Chris fantastic work by each and everyone of you. Next up we look forward to the Paralympics featuring associated athlete and swimmer Stephen Clegg. This article was published on 2024-08-13
