Euro titles on the line
Strong university contingent
Past and present Stirling University sportsmen and women are carrying GB hopes in the new-style European Championships which began yesterday (Thursday).
The first edition of the new multi-sport competition will have more than 4500 of the continent’s best athletes competing in seven sports with swimming, gymnastics and cycling based in Glasgow, rowing and triathlon at Strathclyde Park and golf at Gleneagles while Berlin will host the athletics.
All eyes will be on the swimming pool at Tollcross where Ross Murdoch upset home favourite Michael Jamieson to win gold in the 200 metres breaststroke at the Commonwealth Games four years ago.
Ross will be back in the pool alongside Craig McLean, Kathleen Dawson and Aimee Willmott but the spotlight will be on Duncan Scott, whose phenomenal performance on the Gold Coast earlier this year, when he won six medals - a gold, a silver and four bronze - made him the most decorated Scottish athlete at a single Commonwealth Games.
Marc Austin, who trains at the university, will be up against double Olympic champion Alistair Brownlee in the triathlon and also competes in the mixedteam relay.
And graduate Catriona Matthew plays in the first European Championships at Gleneagles.
There will be a men’s and women’s team event, plus a mixed team event in the form of a mixed foursomes.