FIONA BURNET wouldn’t be the first person to want what their sister has got but typical sibling envy doesn’t usually extend to Olympic medals.

The 25-year-old has been part of the Scotland hockey set-up for the past eight years but only recently was welcomed into the full-time Great Britain squad at the start of the cycle for the Paris Games in 2024.

Few were prouder than Burnet when big sister Anna won silver in the Nacra 17 sailing event at last year’s delayed Tokyo Olympics, a rich reward for all her endeavour on the water.

Fiona jokes that sailing was never really her thing but she has excelled instead with a stick in her hand and stands now just 27 caps short of a century of Scotland appearances.

Having only just joined the GB squad, Burnet doesn’t want to get too far ahead of herself too soon but the possibility of emulating Anna by claiming Olympic silverware in two years’ time is something that holds significant appeal.

“I wish I had been able to get to Tokyo to watch Anna but unfortunately we couldn’t because of the restrictions but we were watching from home every single day at the crack of dawn,” she reveals. “That was really incredible. And it’s had quite a big impact on me. I started to think, “well if Anna can go and win an Olympic medal then maybe I can too!”

“It was a really proud moment to see her do that. I’ve got a lot of sporting role models in the family but Anna is the main one as a full-time athlete. It really helps to have someone to speak to who understands what’s required and she’s great at giving out advice and supporting me.”
Growing up in Shandon on the Clyde coast, the Burnet sisters never had to travel far to spend time in the water. But Anna enjoyed it more than Fiona.

“I did do a bit of sailing as that’s my dad’s passion so he wanted us all to get into it,” explained the younger sister. “So I think he was a bit upset that I didn’t take to it as much as he would have liked! With the cold water and the weather we have in Scotland, I just didn’t find it that enjoyable. I quit that one quite early on – but he had Anna at least.”

Fiona hasn’t done too badly herself on the hockey front as she assimilates herself with life as part of the GB camp.

“When I got my first Scotland call-up eight years ago, playing for GB was probably in the back of my mind at that time. But in recent years not really so much,” she reveals.

“I’ve been very happy playing for Scotland and also having my job and other things to focus on. I didn’t really think it was on the cards for me. I’ve been enjoying my hockey a lot over the last few years and I think I’ve been playing better as a result. But this opportunity still came out of the blue.

“We’re on the Paris cycle now so it’s going to be a massive couple of years for the squad. It’s in the back of my head that we’re all gearing towards the Olympics in two years’ time. Obviously I’ve just joined the squad and am just starting out so I’m very much just finding my feet still. I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself at this point but it’s definitely something to think about.”

Burnet is also still doing her day job in the Westminster parliament in international relations, helping to “facilitate bilateral relations between UK parliamentarians and their equivalent in the Asia-Pacific region” as she explains.

The other side of her role centres on climate change and she was proud to have attended Cop 26 in Glasgow to learn more about how athletes can use their platform to push the message.

“I loved being at Cop,” she adds. “That was probably the most interesting thing I’ve been able to do while working in Westminster. It’s something I’m really passionate about so to be able to go to COP and bring parliamentarians from all around the world together was pretty special.

“I’ve joined an organisation called Eco Athletes that came off the back of the Sport at COP event. Their whole mantra is about collecting a global network of athletes who all want to make a difference and push for action on climate change. That’s something I’m really interested in doing.

“Being involved in the GB set-up now gives me a bit more of a platform now to push for change and I think a lot of athletes are interested in getting involved in that. And I think it’s important to speak out about the things that you feel passionately about.”