Photo by Bobby Gavin
Finland Athletics Federation – team announcement
By Aidan Gilbride
With the Liverpool Cross Challenge and Euro Cross Trials set for tomorrow, most Scottish and British athletes await the races which will determine who will represent GB and NI in Antalya, Turkey, early next month.
However, this is not the case for one person, as East Kilbride AC and Edinburgh University athlete Hannah Anderson has been selected already for the Finland U23 Women’s team.
Hannah has lived in multiple countries due to her father Steven’s job, but when she was 12 the family settled in Strathaven, Scotland.
Hannah was born in Helsinki, Finland, and her mother Eevamaija is Finnish. For this reason, Hannah is eligible to compete for the Scandinavian nation.
Her proud mum Eevamaija said: ‘For Hannah to run for Finland and see her line up in the Finnish vest will be very emotional, not just for me but for our family back home.
‘There is a Finnish word ‘Sisu’ which refers to grit, resilience and determination and I think this sums up Hannah perfectly.’
Photo via the Anderson family
This journey began a decade ago when Hannah joined East Kilbride Athletics Club. From the outset, it was clear there was a lot of natural talent as she hit the ground running very quickly.
One of her first coaches, Kenny Clements, said: ‘I could tell she had talent, that was obvious. But what also stood out was her application and attitude even at such an early age.’
For the next seven years, she established herself as one of the top young women in her age group, winning multiple Scottish and District medals while representing Scotland on several occasions. She credits coaches Kenny Clements and Niall Walker, as well as the East Kilbride AC small-feel community, for the early development of her career.
In 2021 she began her degree at Edinburgh University and continued to improve in the Hares and Hounds demonstrating an excellent level of consistency in repeated Scotland appearances.
Hannah says the biggest difference in her development here was being surrounded by older female athletes and having a group of girls to train with.
‘Having access to the Endurance Academy set up at the University was a big step-up,’ said Hannah.
‘For the first time, I had access to Strength and Conditioning Coaches, Nutritionists, Physios and Psychologists. It’s easy to forget that running is more than just banking…
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