Yet, at first sight, few seem less probable than that of the model and aeronautical engineer being fast-tracked for the Great Britain rowing team for Rio de Janeiro after her talent was identified by her grandmother.

Samantha Fowler was 5ft 11in at the age of 12. That’s when she was spotted and introduced to modelling. Now, 6ft 2in, the former Kilsyth Academy pupil is in her fifth year at Glasgow University, preparing for her finals in aeronautical engineering, but her Olympic rowing dream is no flight of fancy.

“I’d never been in a boat until two years ago,” she confessed yesterday. “I didn’t even know you could row in Glasgow.”

An early baptism included being decanted into the icy Clyde in January: “The coldest possible day,” she recalled. It did not put her off. Now, nails and hands once groomed by varnish, creams, and lotions are caloused with all the hours spent at the oars – because she’s worth it.

“My mum sent my pictures to a couple of agencies when I was 12. I’ve kept it up through school and uni: fashion shows, hair shows, various shops.

“I still do it, still pick up what I can, but it’s not something I took too seriously. My course is quite demanding, and I’m away a lot with rowing but it helps financially. I’ve got a part-time job in a bar, but the money is a lot better modelling.”

Fowler, however, was named yesterday as an ambassador, helping publicise Talent 2016: Tall and Talented, a fast-track programme for tall sportsmen and women unveiled by Scotland’s double Olympic medallist Kath Grainger.

We caught up with the 21-year-old from Milton of Campsie, between lectures. “My gran heard about a talent identification programme, Sporting Giants, in 2007,” said Samantha. “She saw it on TV, and encouraged me. I hadn’t even thought about rowing. I’d been a high jumper when I was under 15, and played badminton.”

Now she is on the World Class Start Programme, on the river at Clydesdale, every day bar one, for more than 20 hours every week. There are squad camps each month at Nottingham. She won a first Scottish vest this year, in a coxless four, and an under-23 title in fours, plus an international silver in double sculls at Ghent.

“I’m scared to think about the Olympics, in case I curse it,” she said. “It’s scary to allow yourself to think about it, but it’s possible when I think how far I’ve come in two years. I definitely like to think I can look at 2012. I will still be very young, and 2016 is probably more realistic.

“I was doing plenty of sport, but the brutal nature of rowing was a shock. I’d never done anything like a two-kilometre rowing course. It’s hard, but I see myself getting stronger very quickly. One of the biggest challenges is mental, being able to open your mind to what you can do, how hard you can push yourself. It’s sustained pain, and it’s self-inflicted. I’m doing things now I thought I could never do.

“I started rowing in my third year. I planned to take a year out and go travelling, do some casual work once when I graduated. Now, I will be taking time out to do a bit of rowing.”

Grainger was a karate black belt when she arrived at Edinburgh University. “A student grabbed me and suggested I try rowing at the freshers’ fair,” she recalled. “I slightly reluctantly agreed. Looking back, I found my sport in a pretty informal way, and for the first couple of years I was quite rubbish. It was great fun, but there was none of the expert input needed – not like Samantha is experiencing now.”

If you think you’re worth it, you can have a go. Scots (women over 1.80m, men over 1.90) can register for a trials day at Stirling on January 9. Submit details by November 16. Visit: www.uksport.gov.uk/talent

However, there’s more than one way of discovering new talent. Breed top coaches and hijack it from England. Andy Frost was fourth in the hammer at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, but has now switched allegiance.

Scottish eligibility, on residence grounds, was confirmed in Delhi by the Commonwealth Games Federation a week past Monday.

Trained by Edinburgh’s former UK record-holder Chris Black, and fifth in the Commonwealth this year, Frost is just four centimetres behind England’s Alex Smith, with Scottish team-mate and training partner Mark Dry in third.

The 27-year-old Frost won four successive Scottish titles from 2008 but was denied the chance of a fifth by representing Britain at the SPAR European Cup which clashed with a title-defence at the national championships this year. His best is 72.62m.

“This is great news for me,” said Frost, who’s lived here for four years.

“I consider Scotland my home country. I train in Scotland with Chris Black, my Scottish coach, and compete as often as possible in Scotland for my Scottish club. I’m proud to have won the hammer title at the Scottish Championships for four out of the past five years and look forward to competing at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi and in Glasgow 2014, wearing a Scottish vest.”