Five Stirling athletes to compete at World University Games

Five athletes from University of Stirling high-performance sports programmes will compete at the Winter World University Games over the next fortnight.

Alpine skier Owen Vinter, cross-country skier Hannah McHugh, and curlers Holly Wilkie-Milne, Amy Mitchell and Kaleb Johnston have all been selected to represent Great Britain in the competition.

Beginning on Saturday [11 January], the biennial Games – the largest international winter multi-sport event for student athletes – will take place across 13 days in Italy. A celebration of international university sports and culture, it will see more than 2,500 student-athletes from 57 countries vie for titles in 13 events.

David Bond, Head of Performance Sport at the University of Stirling, Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence, said: “It is excellent to see the University of Stirling well represented at the Winter World University Games. It is testament to the continued success of our high-performance sports programmes that five of our athletes have been selected for GB Students.

“All five athletes should be incredibly proud of their selection and will be following their progress closely across the week. We wish them all the best as the competition gets under way.”

Holly Wilkie-Milne is one of five Stirling athletes heading to Italy.

Curling will take place in Turin, with the Men’s and Women’s events running from Wednesday 15 through to Thursday 23 January. Alpine skiing will be held in Bardonecchia and cross-country skiing in Pragelato, both to the west of Turin, with events taking place from Tuesday 14 through until Thursday 23 January.

The Stirling athletes are part of a 55-strong British squad, which will also compete in snowboarding, freestyle skiing, ice hockey and biathlon. Notably, the delegation represents the largest number of female students to compete for Great Britain at the Games.

Former University of Stirling Performance Coordinator Chris Purdie, now Head of Competitions at Scottish Student Sport, is Chef De Mission for the Games. He said: “This is an exciting time for all our student athletes as they begin their World University Games journey, and I am sure they are determined to make GB Students proud. Whilst we hope that many of our athletes will challenge for medals, the major benefit of the World University Games is the opportunity it gives young athletes to experience this level of international competition in a multi-sport environment.

“For many students, this will be their first time competing internationally – a memory that will last a lifetime and provide many great learning opportunities. We have recruited a brilliant team of staff who will work tirelessly to ensure that the student athletes are looked after when away from home and have an unforgettable experience in Torino. I am sure GB students will compete to the best of their ability, and we will see a number of future stars emerge who will represent their sport at a senior level. I wish them every success and look forward to seeing them in action.”

Momentum

Nancy Smith, British Curling Pathway Manager – Olympic, who will be GB Students Curling Head Coach for the duration of the FISU Winter World University Games:  

“We have 12 talented athletes representing GB Students in Torino over the next 13 days and we have enjoyed great success at this event winning gold two years ago in Lake Placid with those athletes now competing with the world’s best on the prestigious Grand Slam circuit. So, we know how incredibly important this multi-sport Games environment is in the development of international careers.  

“We have prepared well at the National Curling Academy in Stirling and a number of the athletes have won national and international titles ahead of this event, which provides great momentum heading into these Games and will help them to compete well in what will be high quality, world class encounters with their international rivals.”  

Talented

Marc Forrest, International Performance Manager for British Universities and Colleges Sport, said “We are immensely proud to announce a landmark GB Students delegation for the Torino 2025 FISU Winter World University Games. We have exceptional talented student-athlete representation, all of which, will represent the country, their universities and sport on the global stage; competing at one of the most prestigious winter multi-sport Games in the world.”

As well as receiving support through the University’s International Sports Scholarship Programme, Owen, Holly and Amy also receive support through the national sports scholarship programme, Winning Students 100.

First held in 1960, the Winter World University Games are organised by the International University Sports Federation. In 2025, 13 events will be held: alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, curling, figure skating, freestyle skiing, ice hockey, para alpine skiing, para cross-country skiing, short track speed skating, ski mountaineering, ski orienteering and snowboarding.