News / High hopes for Team Shetland
WITH two months to go until the opening ceremony of the Bermuda NatWest Islands Games the names of the 45 athletes and officials representing Shetland have been announced.
Described as a “good spread of experience plus some new names” Team Shetland will participate in eight sports – athletics, cycling, golf, sailing, clay shooting, squash, swimming and triathlon.
Secretary of the Shetland Island Games Association, Bob Kerr, said hopes were high for the isles to repeat its good performance at the Isles of Wight, when the team returned with seven gold, four silver and four bronze medals.
Four of these gold medals were won by swimmer Andrea Strachan who will be travelling to Bermuda to defend her titles in the 50 metre and 100 metre breaststroke and the 100 metre and 200 metre individual medley.
She will be joined in the open air pool by a swimming team of 12 athletes plus three coaches, including Amy Harper, who won five medals at the 2011 island games.
Also defending their 2011 titles are Christine Mclean in the women’s cycling individual time trial and Emma Leask in the women’s 800 metre athletics event.
And for the first time in the history of the games Shetland is sending a triathlon team.
The five-strong team will be competing in the individual and team events and, in addition, they have all put their names forward for the cycling events. Bonar Barclay and Peter Fenwick are also starting in the half-marathon.
The full list of who is travelling to Bermuda as part of Team Shetland can be found here.
Kerr said the team was grateful for the financial support from its new sponsor, local marine engineering firm Malakoff Limited.
Their input has helped to limit the significant cost involved to travel and stay on the island paradise off the US east coast.
Kerr said travel costs alone were as much as £1,200 per athlete, with the cheapest seat on the only regular European air service (between Gatwick and Bermuda) available at a whopping £987.
The bulk of Team Shetland is scheduled to leave the isles on 8 July to catch the Bermuda flight two days later to be ready for the opening ceremony on Saturday 13 July.
First competitors out of the blocks will be the triathletes on Sunday morning starting at 7.30am.
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