Sports Stars Join Hall of Fame
Rio Olympians Polly Swann and Mark Robertson take their place in our prestigious Hall of Fame this week.
Rio Olympians Polly Swann and Mark Robertson take their place in our prestigious Hall of Fame this week.
Polly won a silver medal in the British women’s 8 boat and Mark also scooped a silver in the Rugby 7s. Polly is studying Medicine at the University of Edinburgh and Mark graduated with an MSc in Strength and Conditioning in 2012.
They join other illustrious alumni such as Sir Chris Hoy and Dame Katherine Grainger in the Hall of Fame, which is dedicated to the success of University athletes.
“Polly and Mark’s achievements are truly phenomenal and we are honoured to celebrate them in our Hall of Fame. We hope they serve as an inspiration to our current and future athletes at this world-class academic and sporting university.”
Polly was selected for the eight at the start of the season after finishing runner-up in the women’s pair at the GB rowing team trials. At the European Championships in Brandenburg, she helped secure a gold medal. Other highlights of her career include winning gold in the coxless pair and silver in the women’s eight at the 2009 European University Championships, as well as a gold at the World Championships and wins in World Cup events at Penrith Lakes (Australia), Eton Dorney (London) and Lucerne Rostee (Switzerland) in 2013. Polly returned to her academic pursuits last semester after taking a sabbatical to concentrate on her rowing and is the only Hall of Fame member to be inducted as a matriculated student.
Playing in every fixture of the Rio Rugby 7s, Mark helped the team to top their group (including a win over New Zealand) before beating Argentina and South Africa on the way to the final against Fiji. Following a successful 15s career, Mark went on to win 57 caps for Scotland 7s and play a central role in his country’s resurgence at world level. During his distinguished 7s career, Mark scored 536 points for Scotland through 106 tries and three conversions, his landmark 100th try, underlining his world-class pedigree, coming at the 2017 Singapore World Series event in the match against France.
The athletes celebrate their achievement with a presentation at the annual Blues & Colours reception at Playfair Library on Tuesday 30th May, a highlight of the University calendar which recognises the success of student athletes.
Image Credit: Douglas Robertson