11 July 2011

Record show for sports scholar Eilish

Dundee University Sports Scholar Eilish McColgan made the most of an invitation to the prestigious Diamond League athletics meeting in Birmingham yesterday, smashing the Scottish record for the 3000m steeplechase.

Eilish’s time of 9 mins 47.03 secs also meets the qualifying standard for this year’s World Athletics Championships. She finished 9th in the race, which featured some of the world’s best in the event.

'While we have had some outstanding athletes at Dundee University over the years, we have never had anyone deliver such a high quality performance, setting a new national record in the process,' said Paul McPate, Assistant Director of the Institute of Sport and Exercise at the University.

'Eilish has also set a British Universities and Colleges Championship best in the steeplechase earlier this year, so it is a great season for her.'

The televised Diamond League meeting in Birmingham featured some of the best athletes in the world. Eilish was given a wild card place as the event was being hosted in Britain.

The Sport Scholarship programme at the University has been running for over 10 years. It aims to assist high performing athletes to achieve their full potential in the sporting and academic arenas, raise the profile and reputation of the University and the athletes themselves in the sporting arena, and improve Dundee’s performance in the BUCS (British Universities and Colleges Sport) rankings.

The Sports Scholarship programme is run by ise (the University’s Institute for Sport and Exercise) in association with the student Sports Union.

Teams and individuals on the programme receive a range of help and services including finance, strength and conditioning training, and sports science support.

For media enquiries contact:
Roddy Isles
Head, Press Office
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384910
E-MAIL: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk
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