Boothman dreaming of Commonwealth Games homecoming

By Tom Harle

Cycling sensation Erin Boothman wants her rapid rise to coincide with the 2026 Commonwealth Games in her home city of Glasgow.

The 17-year-old has been shortlisted in the top 10 for SportsAid’s prestigious One-to-Watch Award on the back of a banner year that saw her strike double gold at the UCI Junior World Championships.

The annual Award, launched in 2006, recognises Britain’s brightest young sporting prospects and has previously been won by Olympic champions Tom Daley and Alex Yee and Paralympic gold medallist Hollie Arnold.

The top 10 athletes have been selected from around 1,000 rising stars, supported by SportsAid, across more than 60 different sports in 2024.

With track cycling confirmed as one of the sports set to feature in the slimmed-down Games on home soil, Erin is eyeing up a spot on Team Scotland.

“With it being a home Commies, you can’t not make that a target,” said Erin. “That’s definitely something big.

“The Scottish squad is very strong on the track with Katie (Archibald), Neah (Evans) and the likes of Kate Richardson coming up, all of them are ridiculous riders and very strong.

“So it will be hard to get into the team, but it’s definitely a big goal in the next few years.”

Born in Netherlee, East Renfrewshire, Erin jumped on a bike as a kid at the behest of her family and was reeled into the cycling scene by friends.

“They were like, ‘there’s this race, just come along,’” said Erin. “I was actually rubbish, I was riding off the course and it did not go well!

“Eventually, you could see I had the potential and I always really enjoyed going out on the bike. I think it’s the freedom of it, you don’t get that feeling from other sports.

“I used to play things like netball and I loved the team aspect of those sports, but it was never the same as going out and just being yourself on the road.

“Even now, training is something I really appreciate and it helps me loads.”

Erin earned a spot on the Scottish Cycling Junior Training Programme and was eventually picked up by British Cycling, entering the pathway to representing GB on the global stage.

The 17-year-old’s sole focus now lies in the velodrome but she has plenty of experience on the road and in cyclocross, crowned national champion in the latter at age-group level.

Fittingly, the spark for Erin to pursue cycling full-time was lit at the 2014 Commonwealth Games when she took in track cycling events at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.

“From that moment, I knew it was a sport I could see myself doing,” said the youngster. “The track is such an exciting thing to watch. It’s now my big focus and the adrenaline rush you get from that is unique. That’s what keeps me loving it.”

Erin’s big breakthrough came in 2023 when she was crowned national youth omnium champion.

“It was my first year as a junior so I came in as an underdog and decided we’d give it a go,” said Erin. “I wasn’t expecting much but I got silver in the individual pursuit and turned up on the second day with nothing to lose.

“I ended up winning the omnium and my mentality was so good on the day. That was the first time I thought, ‘I could make this, I could go somewhere.’ That was the turning point.”

Erin’s first experience of a multi-sport environment came at the 2023 European Youth Olympic Summer Festival in Maribor, where she was chosen to carry the Team GB flag.

“These are things that I would never have dreamt of,” she said. “It’s one of my proudest achievements and getting to carry the flag along with my other team-mates, it was an amazing experience.”

A crucial 2024 season for Erin threatened to be derailed when she broke her collarbone in the winter and missed a large chunk of training.

But she got back on track, taking European silver and then a stunning double gold at the Junior Track World Championships in Luoyang, China.

She combined with Cat Ferguson, Carys Lloyd, and Imogen Wolff to win the team pursuit in world record time and then dovetailed with Lloyd to win the Madison.

"As a first year junior, to ride two Olympic events and win gold in both of them is unbelievable," said Erin. "We won the team pursuit in a time that we never thought was possible and the emotions were crazy. The team pursuit meant the most for me, the four of us had spent all year working for that result."

With Great Britain winning five of six available rainbow jerseys in women's endurance events, Erin is part of a golden generation of young female riders preparing to take the track cycling world by storm.

The youngster dreams of competing at the Olympics, with LA 2028 and Brisbane 2032 both possibilities, enjoying the support of SportsAid along the way.

Erin has been provided with crucial financial support by SportsAid in 2024 – with the charity also offering personal development opportunities through workshops and visits.

The typical value of a SportsAid award is £1,000 with money generated through a combination of commercial partnerships, trust and charitable funds, and fundraising activities.

"When you get those gold medals, they're worth every bit of pain," she said. "In the long run, I'm watching girls a couple of years ahead of me going to the Olympics and developing quickly.

"I'm on the same pathway as them, we're following the same programme. Being nominated for this award is a huge honour and with people like Alex [Yee] and Tom [Daley] having won it before, it makes you believe that it's going to work eventually."

SportsAid’s annual One-to-Watch Award is being supported by Aldi – the charity’s Official Supermarket Partner. The winner of this year’s Award will be revealed in December with each of the top 10 receiving cash boosts and special in-person visits at their training environments to celebrate their achievements.