Olympic Gold Medallist Hannah Scott believes sport has shaped everything in her life, in and out of the boat.
The Coleraine rower won gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics and claimed a silver medal at this years World Championships. Scott, who represents Great Britain, is only the second woman from Northern Ireland to win an Olympic gold medal after Lady Mary Peters in 1972.
Hannah’s beginnings in sport may be a surprise as someone who would go on to reach the pinnacle of elite sport. She said: “I wasn’t a very sporty girl. I was okay at things but never really found my feet.
“Finding a sport like rowing, I really found my confidence in it and found something I could do and put my body into that was maybe something I could be quite good at. It never came naturally.”
Our Be Seen, Be Heard, Belong campaign is encouraging women and girls to find their place in sport and reap the physical and mental benefits of physical activity whatever their age, ability or background.
Studies suggest that a key drop off point for girls in sport and physical activity is during their teenage years. Hannah had her own struggles during those crucial years but found that sport helped her through that difficult time,
“I found my teenage years so hard. Especially being a tall girl, I wasn’t really that confident, I was quite shy and with peer pressure it can be hard to figure out who you are.
“Rowing though was my constant. I came down to Bann Rowing Club and found that I was striving to be a sportswoman.
“Now I’m trying to show that young girls can do it as well because it’s given me so much. It’s given me education, international medals and friends for life from home and across the world.”
Hannah’s final message was one of encouragement for all girls to have a go at sport and see where it takes you, she concluded: “I just hope there’s girls out there that can see something in sport and say I want to do that as well because it’s fun, it’s cool, I could travel the world with my friends and it could potentially be a career.
“It doesn’t have to be about making the Olympics, because sport just enriches your life, your mental health and your physical health. Sport is just an amazing thing.”
You can find out more about our Be Seen, Be Heard, Belong campaign here: www.beseenbeheardbelong.co.uk