Triathlete wins bronze at World University Championships

Triathlete Millie Breese – a sports scholar at University of Stirling, UK Sports University of the Year – has won bronze at the FISU World University Championships in Switzerland.

Millie, 21, a fourth-year BSc Sport and Exercise Science student, helped Great Britain to third place in the Mixed Team Relay in Nyon, and was also the best placed British athlete in the women’s individual event – finishing fourth, just a few seconds off a podium place.

Millie, the current Super Series champion, trains at the National Triathlon Centre at the University – a partnership between the University and Triathlon Scotland – under the tutelage of Lead Performance Coach Marc Austin. Earlier in the summer, Millie’s Stirling teammate Tom Williamson took silver with Team Ireland at the World Triathlon Para Series in Montreal, Canada.

  Millie Breese was on the podium, in third place for the relay, alongside her British teammates.

David Bond, Director of Performance Sport at the University of Stirling – UK Sports University of the Year (Daily Mail University Guide) and Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence – congratulated Millie and Tom on their achievements over the summer.

“The National Triathlon Centre continues to develop some of the nation’s best talent here at the University of Stirling as part of our partnership with Triathlon Scotland.

“Millie Breese’s super performance which resulted in a bronze medal in Switzerland and Tom Williamson’s brilliant silver medal in Canada are illustrative of the continued success of the high-performance programme here at Stirling. Congratulations to both Millie and Tom – we’re excited to see what they can achieve in the coming months.”

Championships

The FISU World University Championships are organised by FISU, the International University Sports Federation. In the Mixed Team Relay, Millie competed alongside teammates Joshua Maxwell, Isabella Hayes and Harry Maxwell – finishing with a time of 1:20:04, seconds behind Germany (1:19:47) in first and Belgium (1:19:48) in second.

In the Elite Women’s race, Millie recorded a total time of 1:02:08 – comprising a 10:14 in the swim, 32:51 on the bike and 17:13 for the run. She was just nine seconds off a podium place, with Hungary’s Dominika Peszleg (1:01:57) in first, and France’s Elena Polaert (1:01:58) and Appoline Foltz (1:01:59) in second and third, respectively.

Notably, the Great Britain team was led in Switzerland by Ailsa MacArthur, Support Coach at the National Triathlon Centre, who is a recent Stirling graduate and former President of the University’s Triathlon Club.

At the World Triathlon Para Series, Tom put in an impressive performance to win silver in the Men’s PTS5 race – finishing behind reigning world champion Chris Hammer, of the United States. The silver replicated his second-place finish in the same competition last year.

Reflecting on his latest podium place, Tom said: “Coming second in Montreal again feels somewhat familiar. However, after a tough winter, standing on the podium at this level this year was something I hadn’t expected, and it means more than I can describe. I’m proud of how I’ve navigated the journey to get here. And I am extremely grateful for the support of the people who surround me over the past 6 months.”

As well as being a sports scholar at the University of Stirling, Millie Breese is also supported by Winning Students 100, Scotland’s national sports scholarship programme, managed by the University of Stirling.

Excellence

The University of Stirling is UK Sports University of the Year 2027 (Daily Mail University Guide) and Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence. Through the powerful and inspirational combination of performance sport, recreational sport, research and education, we are delivering medals on the world stage, improving the health and wellbeing of the nation, and producing the next generation of leaders within sport.

At Stirling, athletes have access to world-class facilities, including a 50-metre pool, a state-of-the-art indoor golf studio, unrivalled outdoor space, and state-of-the-art strength and conditioning suites. 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 triathlon, golf, tennis, football, swimming, rugby and curling, while individual scholarships cover all Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games sports.

Read more about sports scholarships at the University of Stirling.