University of Stirling triathlete Sophia Green has hit the ground running on the senior European Cup circuit after landing her first ETU Cup title in Coimbra, Portugal.
Having entered a trio of events for “experience” the third year Sport Studies student picked up a sixth place on her first senior European outing in Poland before moving on to Dnipro, Ukraine, where she finished in third place.
For some, making it on to the podium would have been enough, but not for the 21 year-old who headed to Portugal a week later and put in a sensational performance to win in just her third start.
Commenting on a exceptional debut month, Green said: “It’s really nice to see the progression from the first race and putting all the race experience into practice for the final European Cup,”.
“This year was my first senior European Cup so it was all about gaining experience.
“The win in Portugal meant a lot to me because of all the training we put in during lockdown and it was nice to see it paying off and the transition from competing in junior European Cups.”
Success breeds success is a term that features often in conversations amongst the tight-knit group of University of Stirling triathletes.
Green’s form over the past month not only proves the point but is also inspiring fellow squad members to take opportunities and push harder.
“It’s been fantastic to see Sophia step up at that European level,” said Andrew Woodroffe, High Performance Triathlon Coach at University of Stirling.
“To go from a podium to a win is seriously impressive. How she’s gone from race to race and strength to strength and taking the opportunities - that’s a lot of what we talked about this year, going after opportunities and giving it your all.
“I think it’s really motivated the guys back here as well and pushed everyone on.
“We’re only in June and there’s a long way to go this season and hopefully plenty more success to come.”
Green now turns her attention to qualify for this summer’s under 23 World Championships, along with making some World Cup starts with an eye on potential qualification for the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
Find out more about the University of Stirling performance triathlon programme.