Two gold, three silver medals for Stirling swimmers at Euros

University of Stirling swimmers won two gold and three silver at the European Aquatics Short Course Championships – contributing five of Great Britain’s 11 medals at the meet in Poland.

Jack McMillan was the first swimmer from Stirling – Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence – to medal at the 2025 Championships in Lublin, taking gold in the 400m Freestyle, before Katie Shanahan won silver in the 200m Backstroke. Stirling secured a one-two in the 200m Freestyle with Duncan Scott touching the wall first, just in front of stablemate McMillan, and Angharad Evans rounded off a successful week with a silver in the 200m Breaststroke.

David Bond, Director of Performance Sport at the University of Stirling, said: “It was an action-packed week for our swimmers at the European Short Court Championships – and to come away with five medals is a brilliant achievement for our athletes and their coaches here at Stirling. It was a particularly special meet for Jack, winning his first individual title and Angharad, who took her first senior medal too – congratulations to all our medallists.

“Our swimmers show great dedication to their sport, putting in an incredible effort day in, day out, supported by the world-class coaching team here at Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence. We are proud of this latest win on the international stage – another important step in our athletes' journey towards next year’s home Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.”

Results

Six swimmers from the University’s coveted high-performance swim programme travelled with the British team for the six-day meet – McMillan, Shanahan, Scott, Evans, Freya Anderson and Tom Dean. The Stirling contingent made a significant contribution to the team’s overall medal tally of 11 (three gold, four silver, four bronze), which saw them finish third behind Italy and Netherlands.

Men’s 400m Freestyle: Jack McMillan, 25, from Belfast, won his first individual title when he was first to the wall in the 400m Freestyle with a time of 3:36.33 – ahead of Germany’s Lukas Martens (3:36.51) and Ireland’s Daniel Wiffen (3:37.02).

Speaking afterwards, McMillan reflected on beating two Olympic champions in Martens and Wiffen, saying: “Coming into this I was in really good shape. But actually, to do it on the stage, on the day, is very special. It just gives me more confidence, the training I am doing is clearly working, so that’s good to know at the start of this block heading towards the 2028 Olympic Games.”

Women’s 200m Backstroke: Katie Shanahan, 21, from Bishopbriggs near Glasgow, finished second with a personal best time of 2:02.79 in the 200m Backstroke, just 1.13 behind first-placed Carmen Weiler Sastre (2:01.66), of Spain, and ahead of France’s Pauline Mahieu (2:03.02).

Speaking after the race, Shanahan said: “I’m really happy with that – my coach Ben [Higson] reminded me it was my first PB in two years so that’s almost a win in itself. I would have loved to have stood on top of that podium but a PB and a silver medal, I can’t complain with that.”

Men’s 200m Freestyle: Scotland’s most decorated Olympian, Duncan Scott took gold in the 200m Freestyle. The 28-year-old finished with a time of 1:40.54 – 0.4 seconds ahead of fellow Stirling athlete Jack McMillan (1:40.94).

“It’s pretty cool coming one-two with my training partner,” said Scott. “He won the 400 and it’s good to be there together on the podium, which is pretty special.

“I get to see what he does day in and day out, so I knew he was going to be pretty good at this meet given the way he’s been training. He’s been swimming really well and for him to medal in both events is just class, it’s good to see. He’s been great being part of the team for so long and now we are getting to see him have individual success.”

McMillan added: “We have been training together day in, day out for three years. It’s a great set-up in Stirling and it’s good to come out one and two. That was a big personal best for me – winning the 400 at the start of the meeting gave me confidence going into this event. So, I’m super happy.”

Women’s 200m Breaststroke: Angharad Evans, 22, from Cambridge, won silver – securing her first senior medal – after finishing just 0.74 seconds behind Germany’s Anna Elendt (2:18.16) in the 200m Breaststroke with a time of 2:18.90.

Evans said: “It’s my first senior medal and I think I had a lot of doubt after a disappointing summer at the Worlds. I think my biggest competition in that race was myself and my mind – and I’m so proud that I battled through, had fun doing it and got my hands to the wall second.

“This medal means a lot more to me than a piece of metal – it represents a lot more to me and I think it’s a step forward mentally for me. It’s nice again to see that I’m in a good spot physically.”

Unrivalled

The University’s high-performance swim programme is led by Head Coach Ben Higson, supported by coaches Bradley Hay, Josh Williamson and Charlie Boldison.

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. 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, triathlon, football, golf, tennis, rugby and curling, while individual scholarships cover all Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games sports.

Read more about high-performance sport at the University of Stirling.