IYSF supports local Cross-Country Skier in his preparation for 2018 Winter Olympics

Inverurie Youth Sports Foundation (IYSF) is delighted to have been able to provide financial assistance to local Olympic sportsman, Callum Smith, to support his training for the Winter Olympics, Pyeongchang 2018.

The support is funding top level Cross Country skier, Callum Smith in his bid towards this year’s Winter Olympics. Callum Smith, a former student at Inverurie Academy, took up cross country skiing at Huntly Nordic and Outdoor Centre when he was eight years old, from there he joined the junior development squad, progressing to the National Team. 

Callum met current national team head coach, Roy Young, at the Huntly Nordic Centre along with fellow GB team members Andrew Musgrave and Andrew Young.  

Callum said, “Roy was pivotal in getting us involved in competitive cross-country skiing from that early start and continues to support my development. Without Roy, it’s unlikely that there would be a GB team going to PyeongChang for cross country skiing. I love the competitiveness of this demanding sport and the endurance and stamina that it requires.”

Having competed at the 2011 and 2013 World Championships in Oslo and Val di Fiemme respectively, Callum made his Olympic debut in Sochi in 2014 with his best finish across three events a 58^th.

After the 2014 Winter Olympics, Callum returned to his studies at Edinburgh University and graduated in 2016 as a Chemical Engineer.  He is now based in Lillehammer, training as a full-time athlete and looking forward to a promising 2018 season.

Cross Country skiing is physically demanding and can be utterly brutal. Weekly training can exceed 30 hours!  To prepare, training is all year round, with most days made up of 2 x 2 hours sessions.  The day starts at 7.30 am with preparation of the equipment, followed by a two-hour session from 8.30 am.  The training would include either roller-skiing or running, helping to improve ski techniques and build stamina. The morning session ends at 11.00 am for lunch, sleep and catching up on day-to-day jobs.  The second training session starts at 4.00 pm and runs for another two hours, this is either another endurance session or strength training.

The three cross country skiing events that Callum focuses on are the 15km, 30km and 50km, and currently his personal favourite is the 15km skiathlon event.

Speaking recently straight after a training session, Callum said: “After Sochi I set myself the goal of ranking among the top 30 at this year’s Winter Olympics, on a perfect day I believe this is possible, cross country skiers generally reach physical peak aged 30, so this would put me in a very good position to be fighting for a top placing in 2022.  Preparation has been good and being based in Lillehammer has enabled me to focus on my on-snow technique, train with other elite racers and prepare myself, both physically and mentally, for this major event.”

Living and training in Norway can be very expensive and a concern, so the funding from IYSF has been an enormous help to Callum. Having the additional financial support from the IYSF has taken the pressure off, allowing Callum to concentrate on his training for this year’s competitive season.

Gary Wilson, IYSF Secretary, commented: "On behalf of the IYSF, we are delighted that we have been able to support Callum with funding towards his training. We would like to take the opportunity to wish him all the very best in the upcoming 2018 Winter Olympics."

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For more information, please contact the IYSF Media Relations Team: Tel: +44 774 7036477 or email: Hayley@hymarketing.co.uk

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