Gold, silver and bronze for Stirling’s athletics scholars at national competition

Athletics scholars from the University of Stirling have won gold, silver and bronze at the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) Indoor Championships.

Ryan Martin was crowned 1,500-metre champion after an incredible performance at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield – completing the distance in a season’s best time of 3:46.94, ahead of Archie Parkinson (3:47.08) and William Thomas Strickley (3:49.10), both from the University of Birmingham.

In the 800-metre event, Sofia Vidak took silver as she recorded a personal best of 2:05.42 – just behind Lucy Rebecca Armitage (2:03.06, Manchester Metropolitan University) and ahead of Katie Johnson (2:10.56, University of Birmingham). Notably, she won bronze in the same event last year.

Stirling’s third medal was delivered by Cameron Thores, competing in the T4 60m Ambulant, who put in a season’s best time of 7.60 to finish third, behind Thomas Young (7.26) and Leon Serning (7.31), both from Loughborough University. He won silver in the same event in 2025.

Ryan Martin, centre, won gold at the BUCS Indoor Championships after a stunning performance in the 1,500-metres (credit: BUCS/Adam Bates).

David Bond, Director of Performance Sport at the University of Stirling, said: “On behalf of everyone here at Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence, I send our congratulations to Ryan, Sofia and Cameron on their medals at the BUCS Indoor Championships. To see our athletes on the podium at a national meet is a proud moment – and testament to their, and their coaches, continued hard work here at the University of Stirling.”

Ryan’s gold medal is his latest success, coming months after he was selected to compete for Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the Under-23 European Athletics Championships. The 22-year-old, from Bordon in Hampshire, is in third year at Stirling, studying BSc Sport and Exercise Science, and trains under the tutelage of Michael Wright, the University’s Performance Endurance Coach.

In the coming weeks, Ryan will travel to the United States where he will train alongside former world champion middle-distance runner Jake Wightman.

Sofia Vidak finished second - winning silver - in the 800-metre event (credit: BUCS/Adam Bates).

Sofia, from Denny in Stirlingshire, is a third year Sport Development and Coaching student, while Cameron, from Edinburgh, is also in his third year studying Politics.

At Stirling, athletes have access to world-class facilities, including a 50-metre pool, unrivalled outdoor space, and state-of-the-art strength and conditioning suites.

Cameron Thores, left, won bronze in the T4 60m Ambulant (credit: BUCS/Morgan Harlow).

In addition to its coaching and facilities, Stirling’s International Sports Scholarship Programme – one of the largest high-performance programmes in the UK – offers athletes funding support, academic flexibility, equipment and kit. It has supported hundreds of athletes since its inception in 1981 – with many competing on the world stage, including at the Olympics and Commonwealth Games. Core sports include swimming, football, triathlon, golf, tennis, rugby and curling, while individual scholarships cover all Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games sports. 

Read more about sports scholarships at the University of Stirling.