News

Winning Students 100 cohort shine bright at Winter Olympics

The 2026 Winter Olympics showcased the incredible talent nurtured by Scotland's Winning Students 100 programme, with scholars and alumni making their mark on the global stage.

Spirit and skill 

In curling, alumni Bruce Mouat, Bobby Lammie, Grant Hardie and Kyle Waddell formed the core of Team GB’s men’s curling rink, stealing hearts across the globe with their passion, spirit, skill and commitment. 

The team, which arrived in Cortina as reigning world champions, delivered a stellar performance, ultimately earning a silver medal after a hard-fought final against Canada. This marked their second consecutive Olympic silver, following their success in Beijing 2022.

On the women’s side, Jennifer Dodds and Sophie Sinclair were also on the ice representing Team GB. Jennifer Dodds competed in both the women’s team and mixed doubles events. Partnering with Bruce Mouat in mixed doubles, the pair narrowly missed out on a historic medal, finishing fourth after a close bronze-medal match against Italy. 

Sophie Sinclair, making her Olympic debut, brought her extensive international experience to the women’s team, which fought valiantly in the round-robin stages. Winning Students programme alumni Fay Henderson also played a vital part in the alternate role for the women’s team.

Current Winning Students 100 scholar and freestyle skier Chris McCormick also made his Olympic debut. A student at the Open University in Scotland, Chris battled an ankle injury to compete in both the Big Air and Slopestyle.

Chris delivered a strong performance, finishing 21st and 26th respectively, highlighting his progression from the dry slope at Bearsden Ski Club to one of Scotland’s top freestyle skiers.

Elsewhere, alumni Luke Digby showed incredible poise on the ice on his Olympic debut, delivering a season best to finish 15th in the figure skating pairs in Milan with partner Anastasia Vaipan-Law.

Scottish curling strength 

The collective efforts at the Winter Olympics highlighted the depth of talent within Scotland’s curling community – something which Winning Students 100 continues to support.

Athletes spanning seven different institutions across Scotland are currently supported by Winning Students 100:

• Alison Hamilton (Scotland's Rural College)
• Amy Mitchell (University of Stirling)
• Cara Davidson (Edinburgh Napier University)
• Kirsty Gallagher (University of the West of Scotland)
• Laura Watt (University of Highlands and Islands)
• Logan Carson (Dumfries and Galloway College)
• Rory Macnair (Edinburgh Napier University)
• Tia Laurie (Dumfries and Galloway College)

This year’s cohort looks set to further solidify the country’s reputation as a powerhouse for the sport, with a very bright future indeed.

Looking ahead

Looking ahead, Neil Simpson, a visually impaired skier from the University of Aberdeen, is set to compete in the Winter Paralympic Games.

With a gold medal already under his belt from Beijing 2022, Neil is poised to inspire once again as he takes on the AS3 class in Cortina.

2025-26 University of Edinburgh scholar Alistair Hall will be guiding Hester Poole in a host of visually impaired events on the snow, while alumni Scott Meenagh will be competing at his final Paralympic Games in the para nordic skiing and Adam Hall (Alistair’s brother) will be guiding para skier Sam Cozens.

Cathy Gallagher, Chair, Winning Students 100 Advisory Board said: “As Scotland’s national sport scholarship programme, we want nothing more than to see athletes achieve their dreams. I’m sure that the achievements of our curling alumni in particular will continue to inspire the next generation of curlers, ensuring Scotland remains a dominant force in the sport.

“We are immensely proud of the accomplishments of our scholars and alumni these past few weeks. With the Winter Paralympics upon us, and Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games on the horizon, we are proud to remain at the forefront when it comes to supporting our top athletes looking to compete at the highest level and pursue their education.”

Winning Students 100 is Scotland's national sports scholarship programme, supporting talented student-athletes by helping them balance their studies with high-performance training and competition.

Funded by the Scottish Funding Council and sportscotland, the programme provides grants and works with colleges and universities to offer academic flexibility.