Three Stirling triathletes set to compete on world stage

Three sports scholars from the University of Stirling will compete at the World Triathlon Championship Finals in Spain next week.

Ireland’s Tom Williamson will challenge for the Para PTS5 Men’s title, while British triathletes Millie Breese and Isla Hedley will compete in the Junior Women’s event. The Stirling trio be in action at the event, held in Torremolinos, in Andalusia, on Friday 18 October.

Marc Austin, National Triathlon Centre Support and Next Generation Coach, said: “We're thrilled to have three of our athletes qualify for the World Championships.

“Competing on the world stage is a chance to showcase their talent and make their mark, and I have no doubt our athletes will fully embrace that opportunity.”

Isla Hedley and Tom Williamson have been selected to compete at the World Triathlon Championship Finals. (Image credit for Isla: Kenny Girvan / Triathlon Scotland).

The Finals are the culmination of the World Triathlon Championship Series and, with more than 5,500 athletes set to compete, the 2024 event will have one of the highest ever participation levels.

Williamson – who joined Stirling in 2022 and is studying a BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science – is ranked 17th in the PTS5 category of the World Triathlon Para Rankings, with one win and six further podium finishes from 11 starts. He qualified for the Championship Finals through his ranking. Notably, just a few weeks ago, he finished third at the Europe Triathlon Championships in France.

Both Hedley and Breese joined the high-performance programme as scholars earlier this year, studying a BA (Hons) French and a BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science, respectively. They were selected for the Championship Finals by British Triathlon after finishing in the top three at the British Championships. Hedley has won three triathlons from 12 starts, with two further podium finishes, and Breese has one podium finish from 11 starts.

The athletes are all scholars on the University’s International Sports Scholarship Programme – one of the largest high-performance programmes in the UK – which offers athletes funding support, academic flexibility, access to world-class facilities and coaching, equipment and kit.

Triathlon is one of the core sports supported through the programme and last year it was boosted by the launch of a new National Triathlon Centre based at the University and run in partnership with British Triathlon and Triathlon Scotland.

David Bond, Head of Performance Sport at the University of Stirling, said: “Congratulations to Tom, Millie and Isla on competing at the World Championships in Spain. We are proud of all they have achieved by working with our team here at Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence and the coaches at Triathlon Scotland. We wish the athletes all the best next week.”