Inaugural André Reibig Medal awarded

Photo: Jeff Holmes

The André Reibig Medal has been awarded by Winning Students 100 to the inspirational Faye Rogers who won a gold medal in this year’s Paris para-Olympics. 

The medal was created in memory of the person who was instrumental on behalf of SFC in establishing and developing the highly successful Winning Students programme (now known as Winning Students 100). André worked tirelessly as an early adopter, key adviser and passionate advocate for the programme.  

Faye Rodgers, who studies biochemistry at the University of Aberdeen, made a remarkable recovery from a life-changing car accident three years ago to thrive as a para-swimmer, culminating in her success in Paris. Her twin achievements in her studies and in her sport commended her for the medal for which the key criteria are progression in sport; resilience and adversity; and high levels of performance. 

On learning of her achievement, Faye said:  

“It’s a lovely accolade to receive. When you are racing you know what the prize is depending on where you finish, however this award arrived completely unexpectedly and it’s particularly pleasing to be recognised not just for my sport but for how hard I work to balance my studies alongside that.” 

“I’m really honoured to be the first recipient and very grateful to André’s family and to André for his support behind the Winning Students programme.” 

Martin Boyle, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Funding Council, said:

“André was special both as a person and as a colleague, and he took great pride in all the projects in which he was involved. This was especially true for Winning Students where his passion for education and for sport came together in something he cared about very much.  

“Awarding the Winning Students 100 medal in André’s memory means a lot to everyone who knew him and is a wonderful way to honour and remember him. Faye Rogers is a very deserving recipient of the inaugural medal and I would like to wish her every success in her sporting and academic future.” 

With funding from the Scottish Funding Council and sportscotland, and in partnership with Scotland’s tertiary education sector, some 111 individuals will be supported by Winning Students 100 this academic year. The programme supports student athletes to balance their studies with high performance training and competition. 

You can read more on this story on the Winning Students 100 website.