TrYthan's triathletes selected for Scottish Performance Pathway Squad
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The Triathlon Scotland Performance Pathway Squads for 2023-24 has been announced this week and sees placings for several Aberdeenshire athletes.
A total of 42 athletes will be supported, having been invited to join the Commonwealth Games, Next Generation, Academy and Academy Affiliates programmes.
A further four athletes continue to be supported as part of the World Class Programme, with an additional 10 training as part of the new National Triathlon Centre at the University of Stirling.
The list follows a fantastic season which saw some great results on the domestic and international stage.
Squad athletes will benefit from key competition and training camp experiences throughout the season.
All squads came together for an initial training camp at Badaguish, Aviemore, with an additional camp for Academy and Affiliate athletes taking place earlier this month.
The Commonwealth Games Squad is aimed at those athletes (aged 21+) that have the potential to qualify for the next Commonwealth Games but have not been selected onto the British World Class Programme.
Triathlon Scotland Head of Performance Pathways. Fiona Lothian, said, “We are delighted to support these young athletes who have aspirations of being selected onto the World Class Programme and representing Scotland at the next Commonwealth Games.”
The Next Generation Squad is aimed at the best developing athletes aged 16-21 that have the potential to progress onto World Class Programmes. The programme seeks to empower athletes through the provision of opportunities and experiences that add value.
It includes TrYthan's paratriathlete Colin Wallace, who began the year with a fantastic second place finish at the World Triathlon Para Series Yokohama. He was recently reclassified from PTS3 to PTS4.
Fellow TrYthan athlete Ella Chalmers is named as guest following a consistent season which saw her finish in the top 10 at the British Triathlon Super Series.
Next Generation Coach, Marc Austin, said: “There are some great athletes on the current Next Generation squad and some more talented youngsters coming through, which is great to see.
"We are looking forward to next season, where we will continue to support athletes on to British teams and educate them on the demands of the sport.”
Triathlon Scotland Academy and Affiliates creates a supportive, challenging and inspiring environment to help aid and guide Whole Athlete Development in line with the 6 Pillars of the British Triathlon Athlete Development Framework (ADF). The Academy programme is split into two – Academy and Affiliate; with six Academy athletes fully meeting the expected standards (two new and four returning) and 22 Affiliates including TrYthan's Harris Callander and Euan Murphy who are not quite there yet but are committed to working towards achieving the standard in the next six-24 months.
The National Triathlon Centre was launched in March, and is designed to develop the next generation of world-class Scottish and British athletes. Based at the University of Stirling, the centre is a joint partnership between the University, British Triathlon and Triathlon Scotland which will see the University’s existing scholarship programme integrate with the governing bodies’ performance pathways. With 12 athletes currently members of the squad, there is also international representation through athletes competing for the Netherlands, Ireland and New Zealand.
National Triathlon Centre Lead Coach, Crawford Whyte, said: “The athletes in the Stirling National Triathlon Centre have shown a fantastic commitment to excellence. This has been the driving force behind the continual growth and success of the athletes, including many podiums, national representations and PBs,
“Our goal for next year is to continue to develop the level of performances that the athletes strive for, while maintaining our commitment to creating a welcoming and supportive environment.”
