Scotland’s sportswomen have had a quite amazing twelve months.
Multiple world champions, a world record and one of the best-ever performances by a Scottish women’s team were just some of the stand-out moments of a year that proved, once again, that Scotland’s sportswomen are amongst some of the very best in the world.
Women’s sport is going from strength-to-strength in this country, fuelled, in no small part, by the outstanding performances on the world stage by these athletes.
Here’s my highlights of a year that was one of the best-ever for Scotland’s sportswomen.
BETH POTTER
Of all the incredible performances by Scottish sportswomen over the past twelve months, there’s no doubt in my mind that my highlight was Beth Potter’s incredible world triathlon title.
After beginning her elite sporting career as a distance runner, competing in the 10,000m at the Rio Olympics in 2016, Potter then did the unthinkable in 2017; switching disciplines to become a triathlete.
Steady progress through the sport saw her climb the world rankings before, in the past year or two, proving that on her day, she could compete with the very best triathletes on the planet.
It was 2023 that saw Potter truly excel, though.
Her first World Series victory was then followed by a win at the Olympic test event in Paris before the big one; winning the world title.
To become world champion in any sport is a remarkable feat but to do it in a sport as gruelling as triathlon, with less than seven years of specialist training, is truly astonishing.
Whatever Potter does in the coming seasons – and an Olympic gold medal is far from out of the question - she’s already guaranteed her place in the history books.
NEAH EVANS
Evans has established herself as a vital member of British Cycling’s women’s endurance squad in recent seasons and this summer, she had considerable pressure upon her shoulders when the World Cycling Championships came to Glasgow.
After winning her maiden world title in 2022, Evans coped admirably with the pressure of competing on home soil, winning gold in the madison to double the number of world titles in her collection.
For someone who tried-out track cycling as a bit of fun in their early 20s, Evans’ rise to becoming one of the very best female bike riders on the planet is remarkable.
SAMMI KINGHORN
Kinghorn won her first world titles back in 2017 when she did the T53 100m and 200m double and it took the now 27-year-old six years to return to the top of the world once more.
But return to the top she did in 2023, with Scotland’s top wheelchair racer regaining her T53 100m title earlier this summer.
It’s impossible not to be impressed by Kinghorn – 2023 has seen her not only excel in athletics but also become a television presenter on the long-running BBC show, Countryfile – and so for the Borders native to have added another world title to her cabinet was just reward for an athlete who’s been at the forefront or para-sport in Scotland for almost a decade. And with the Paralympics just eight months away, she couldn’t have timed her resurgence any better.
KATIE ARCHIBALD
Archibald showed in 2023 why she’s considered one of the most impressive athletes Scotland has ever produced.
After her boyfriend, Rab Wardell, tragically died in the home they shared last August, the two-time Olympic champion was faced with competing at the World Championships in Glasgow earlier this year whilst carrying the knowledge that the event had been so close to the late Wardell’s heart.
Archibald coped admirably with her emotions, winning gold in the team pursuit to pick up what was her fifth world title overall before ending the year with a raft of victories in the UCI Champions League, becoming overall champion for the second time indicating she’s close to rediscovering the form that has seen her become Olympic champion at the past two Olympic Games.
SEONAID MCINTOSH
There’s not too many Scottish women who can call themselves world record holders but McIntosh is one of those included in that select group.
The 27-year-old is from Scotland’s most prominent shooting family with both her parents, as well as her elder sister having excelled in the sport.
But McIntosh is gradually proving herself to be the best of the lot, with 2023 being the year she produced some of her best-ever form.
The Edinburgh woman became world record holder in the 3P event, as well as topping the world rankings and with an Olympic quota place for next summer’s Games secured, she now has her sights firmly set on completing her medal collection in Paris next summer.
SCOTLAND WOMEN’S RUGBY TEAM
Scotland’s women’s rugby team has been steadily improving in recent years, something that was typified by their victory in the inaugural WXV2 tournament in October.
Notable wins over host nation, South Africa, as well as the USA and Japan were enough to see Scotland pip Italy to first place in the tournament and claim a well-deserved overall victory, which marks a significant step forward in their development.
Their tournament victory heralded several significant milestones including it being the first time the women’s squad has won a trophy since 2001, the first time they’d beaten the USA since 2001 and it's also the first time they’d won six consecutive games since 2001.
What was particularly impressive was their improvement in the six months between the Six Nations earlier in the year, where the Scots had only won one game, against Italy. Ending the year in such strong fashion certainly bodes well for 2024 for the Scottish squad.
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