Funding for young Golspie mountain biker
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
For the second consecutive year, the 17-year-old has been picked as one of 82 youngsters across Scotland to receive funding plus expert tuition.
Iain enjoyed an outstanding final year in the youth category, having racked up a long list of accomplishments including British and Scottish mountain bike series championships.
On his way to winning the overall British series, he came first in five British rounds and is now looking to complete a smooth transition and repeat the feat at the next level.
“I want to win the Junior British Championships,” he said. “Then hopefully I will be selected for the Junior World Championships.
“You don’t want to put too much pressure on yourself – just being a part of it would be a real honour.
“The races are much longer at this level so I will have to get used to it. It’s my first year in the junior category and you go into everything blind because it’s a whole new experience.”
He continued: “Coming into this year I’ve been doing a lot of fitness training so that I am prepared for it.
“It’s been an incredible journey for me as, before last year, I had never won a proper mountain bike race. I came to the sport quite late.”
In partnership with SportsAid, the initiative by the Bank of Scotland is designed to ensure more talent reaches the top of their sport. In total, 346 talented athletes across the UK are part of the programme.
And Iain is only too pleased to be back in the fold.
“I feel really good just to know I’ve made it another year on the programme,” he said. “It’s great to have a helping hand from the Local Heroes initiative.”
Bank of Scotland Local Heroes, in partnership with SportsAid, provides support and funding to 82 of Scotland’s most talented developing athletes on their journey to London 2012 and beyond. Since 2008, the programme has supported 1,000 athletes. Follow future stars at facebook.com/bankofscotlandlocalheroes
