COMMONWEALTH Games medal winner Nicole Yeargin has been nominated for a place on a funded UK Athletics programme for the coming year.

The 25-year-old, who is a member of Pitreavie AAC, is one of 66 athletes put forward to join the UK Athletics Olympic World Class Programme (WCP) for 2022/23.

Nicole, who won bronze medals at the Commonwealth Games, World Athletics Championships and European Athletics Championships during the summer, joins seven other Scots in being recognised by UK Sport's National Lottery-backed initiative.

The WCP supports the delivery of success at named milestone targets – specifically outdoor track World and European Championships, as well as the Olympic Games – with the World Athletics Championships, in Budapest next year, and the Paris Olympics, in 2024, the next major competitions on the calendar.

Maryland native Nicole, who is based in the United States, is eligible to run for both Scotland and Great Britain as her mum, Lynn, is from Dunfermline originally.

In June last year, a second-place finish at the Müller British Athletics Championships sealed qualification for her first Olympic Games, where she helped Team GB to fifth and sixth in the women's and mixed 4x400 metre relays respectively, after suffering disqualification in the heats of her individual 400m event.

This year, Nicole, who reached the semi-finals of the 400m at the World Athletics Championships, held in Oregon, USA; the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham; and the European Athletics Championships, in Munich, collected a trio of relay bronze medals.

In each of those events, she stepped onto the podium in the women's 4x400m, and she has been nominated for a place in the 'Olympic Relays' level of funding on the WCP.

The levels, which also include Olympic Podium, Olympic Podium Potential and Olympic Confirmation Level, reflect the actual and potential performance of athletes, and those nominated are put forward to "further the aim of UK Athletics to win medals at the 2024 and/or 2028 Olympic Games".

Nicole's nomination, and that of other athletes, which includes fellow Scots Laura Muir, Josh Kerr, Jemma Reekie, Jake Wightman, Eilish McColgan, Zoey Clark and Beth Dobbin, is subject to UK Sport ratification and a signed agreement between the athlete and UK Athletics.

Stephen Maguire, technical director at UK Athletics, commented: "We look forward to working with the athletes and their coaches, and seeing where the World Class Programme can support them appropriately, and where it can add value to enhance their potential as we look ahead to Budapest, Paris and beyond."

News of Nicole's nomination comes after West Fife's T20 1500m Paralympic champion Owen Miller was named on UK Athletics' Paralympic WCP for 2022/23.