Ex-Pitreavie AAC star Eilidh Doyle wins Scottish Women in Sport prize

The 36-year-old, who represented Pitreavie AAC throughout a glittering athletics career, was honoured at the 2023 Scottish Women in Sport Awards, which took place last Friday evening in Glasgow.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the prizegiving ceremony sought to recognise and celebrate the hard work, dedication and commitment that enables young girls and women to participate in every aspect of sporting life.

Accolades were presented in 10 categories and Eilidh, who hung up her spikes in 2021, ahead of the delayed Tokyo Olympic Games, was presented with the Cameron Commercials 'Pioneer in Sport' prize.

READ MORE: 'I've loved every minute of it': Eilidh Doyle reflects on career

The Perth-born star was shortlisted alongside Aneela McKenna (cycling) and Margaret Brown and Leslie Roy (athletics) for the award, which was to be presented to a nominee who "through her work in sport, which may have largely gone unrecognised, whether on or off the field, has empowered and inspired women and girls to participate in sport today".

Eilidh Doyle began her athletics journey with Pitreavie AAC at the age of nine. (Image: Bobby Gavin.)

Eilidh was named as the award winner, with organisers noting: "Scotland's most decorated track and field athlete, with 17 senior international podiums, one British and three Scottish records over the course of her career, Eilidh is an exemplary role model for women and girls both on and off the field."

Over the course of her stellar career, 400 metre hurdles runner Eilidh - who started with Pitreavie at the age of nine - represented both Scotland and Great Britain at the highest levels of the sport.

Her list of achievements include winning 400m hurdles European Championships gold in 2014, and 4x400m relay gold two years later, and 4x400m gold, and 400m silver, European Indoor Championships medals in 2013.

She twice won World Championships 4x400m silver, and as well as a bronze in both the relay and 400m at the World Indoor Championships, and twice won 400m hurdles Diamond League silver.

In 2016, she was part of the GB women's 4x400m relay team that won bronze at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, and was named the British team captain for the 2017 World Athletics Championships in London.

In a Scotland vest, Eilidh won three 400m hurdles silver medals - in Delhi in 2010, Glasgow in 2014, and Gold Coast, Australia, in 2018 - and, at the latter, she was chosen as Team Scotland's flag bearer for the opening ceremony, becoming the first female to do so.

Eilidh led Team Scotland into the opening ceremony for the 2018 Commonwealth Games. (Image: Team Scotland.)

As well as Eilidh, another nominee with West Fife links, Alessia Palmieri, was also put forward for an accolade.

A former player and coach with Dunfermline Tennis Club, she was named as a finalist in the Coach of the Year category, thanks to her work with Fossoway Tennis Club.

Tennis coach Alessia Palmieri, pictured receiving her LTA award from Judy Murray earlier this year, was shortlisted for Coach of the Year. (Image: Lawn Tennis Association.)

Since returning to the club in her home village of Crook of Devon, Alessia, who before the COVID-19 pandemic had been coaching in the United States, she has developed tennis programmes for both kids and adults, growing membership to around 370, despite it having just one court and no clubhouse facility.

Her work was recognised this year by Tennis Scotland and the Lawn Tennis Association, who both named her as their Development Coach of the Year.

Alessia was shortlisted alongside water polo coach, Julia Kerr, and wheelchair curling's Sheila Swan, British Curling Paralympic head coach, who took the award after leading the Scottish wheelchair curling team to a world bronze medal.

In the sportscotland Sportswoman of the Year category, cyclist Katie Archibald, the partner of late Dunfermline cycling star, Rab Wardell, has been shortlisted alongside fellow cyclist, Neah Evans, and the award winner, triathlete, Beth Potter.