Four-time Olympic rowing medallist Katherine Grainger has visited Edinburgh University’s new rowing gym named in her honour.
The new facility at the University’s Centre for Sport and Exercise, which features 22 state-of-the-art rowing machines, was opened on November 16 by HRH The Princess Royal, who is Chancellor of the University.
Ms Grainger, a gold medal winner at London 2012 in the double sculls event, started rowing as an Edinburgh undergraduate and was captain of the University’s Boat Club.
Ms Grainger – Britain’s most successful female rower – has also won three Olympic silver medals, and has been world champion six times.
“It was absolutely thrilling that Katherine was here for the official opening of the rowing facility that has been named after her. She is a fantastic ambassador for the University and an inspiration to our next generation of athletes.”
Jim Aiken – Director, Centre for Sport and Exercise
Official ceremony
The ceremony opening the gym was part of a series of events being held to mark the successful completion of the £350 million University of Edinburgh Campaign.
The Campaign was launched six years ago with the aim of furthering research, maintaining the University’s iconic buildings and providing financial support for students.
At the ceremony, it was announced that a new scholarship – the Katherine Grainger Sport Scholarship – has been launched for high-performance athletes.
The scholarship offers £1,250 per year to a student, currently studying at the University, for the duration of their study. Kieran Brown (pictured below) was the first recipient of the Katherine Grainger Sport Scholarship.
Sporting success
The University has a long and illustrious history of sporting achievement, which includes success at a number of Olympic Games.
Student Eric Liddell won the University’s first Olympic medals at the 1924 Games in Paris, an achievement commemorated in the Oscar-winning film Chariots of Fire.
More recently, Edinburgh students and alumni to have won Olympic medals include Katherine Grainger, Michael Jamieson and Sir Chris Hoy.
Article thanks to Edinburgh University