From Birtley AC to Paris Olympics - Kate Waugh is going places!

Lots of you might not be aware that a former Birtley AC member made her Olympic debut in Paris at the end of July. Kate Waugh was one of the athletes chosen to represent Britain in the women's triathlon team, this was her first Olympic selection but will undoubtedly not be her last. 
Several Birtley members, including Kate's former coaches Tommy Millmore and Ed Lown, travelled to Paris to cheer her on from the sidelines, and Kate was very appreciative of their support, as shown in her own words below:-

Somehow I’ve gone from running around in the dark (well it wasn’t always dark) on Tuesday and Thursday nights with Birtley Athletics club to running around the sights of Paris with thousands of people watching. How did that happen? Was it an accident? Well it wasn’t exactly an accident but it definitely wouldn’t happened if I hadn’t been part of the grassroots sport in the north-east. Being part of a club like Birtley quite literally changed my life. That’s because I’d never have made a podium, never have got an invite to represent England in a cross-country, never experienced trips to run in some out-of-the-way places & realise how much I liked it! 
So do I have well-paid British Triathlon coaches to thank for being in the Paris Olympics or do I have a bunch of incredible people who gave up evenings & weekends with no reward other than smiles ( & some tears) to fill a young teenager with enough confidence to fulfill her potential and follow her dreams. Have I been lucky? Too right but I will be forever grateful for the opportunities that grassroots sport gave me and the amazing people in the north east that make it all happen. 
I don’t have the words to say how much it meant that some of those people came out to watch me in Paris.   Knowing they were there cheering me on will stay with me forever.  Team Birtley - the absolute best!

Team Birtley in Paris!