University of Stirling Olympic medallists’ royal honour

University of Stirling swimmers Duncan Scott and Kathleen Dawson – who both won gold at the 2020 Olympic Games – have been recognised in the New Year Honours List.

The athletes – part of the University’s performance swimming programme – have been made Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), for their services to swimming. Dawson is also recognised for her services to women in sport. The royal recognition follows their success in Tokyo where Scott won four medals to become the most successful British Olympian at a single Games and Dawson triumphed in the inaugural Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay.

Meanwhile, Paralympic canoeist Charlotte Henshaw - who graduated from Stirling with a BA Psychology and Sports Studies in 2009 - received an MBE for services to canoeing, and David Dent, Honorary Professor at the University of Stirling Management School, was recognised with an MBE for his services to veterans, students and people with disabilities.

Duncan Scott won four medals at the Tokyo Olympics - taking him to six career medals at the competition (Ian MacNicol/Olympic Games, Tokyo/Getty Images).

David Bond, Head of Performance Sport at the University of Stirling, said: “We are incredibly proud of the achievements of Duncan Scott and Kathleen Dawson in their careers to date, including their outstanding performances at the Olympic Games in Tokyo last year.

“Their inclusion in the New Year Honours List is deserved recognition for their passion, commitment and service to their sport. We offer both Duncan and Kathleen our warmest congratulations.”

David Bond, Head of Performance Sport at the University of Stirling, congratulated Duncan Scott and Kathleen Dawson on their MBEs.

The University’s performance swim programme offers world-class coaching, training, competition, and funding support to athletes – enabling them to excel in their sport while studying. The programme is led by Steve Tigg, Head Performance Swim Coach, and its athletes regularly compete on the world stage – including at the Olympics and the Commonwealth Games. Fellow Stirling swimmers Ross Murdoch, Cassie Wild and Aimee Willmott also competed in Tokyo, as did sports scholars Gabriella Wood – the first woman to represent Trinidad and Tobago in judo at the Olympics – and Ben Rowlings, who competed in wheelchair racing at the Paralympics.