When she’s not in the pool, swimmer Susannah Kaul is studying architecture at TalTech. “Right now I’m working really hard to make it to my second Olympics,” she says. Three years ago she competed at the Tokyo Paralympics; now she’s just short of qualifying for the Paris Games.

“My days are pretty full,” she explains. “On a typical day I’ll be in the water by seven and do an hour and a half of swimming practice. After that, I go to a gym on the other side of the city, where I spend another hour and a half. Then I head to work. I’m there for half the day, then it’s lectures. It’s all pretty intense!” 

She adds that she finds herself thinking more and more about what will happen once her sporting career comes to an end. “Sponsorship would help me get by in sport, at school and in my private life,” she says. “Without the support I’m already getting and any I might get further down the line, I wouldn’t be able to do all these things at the same time: I’d have to choose just one or two of them. But I want to do them all at once, and quickly, and see quick results as well. And for that I need support, good people around me.”

Sailor Juuso Roihu is studying business at TalTech. His equally ambitious goal is to qualify for the Paris Games and to finish in the top 10 in Olympic sailing. He spends two to three weeks every month sailing abroad. “Sailing’s a technical sport, and the season in Estonia is so short because of the weather that you have to spend a lot of time elsewhere,” he explains. “As you improve, you have to upgrade your equipment, so the amount you need to spend grows every year. Personal supporters, the federation and the Olympic Committee have all helped me a lot so far. I’m extremely grateful for their support. But the closer I get to the top, the bigger the numbers get. Financial support, whatever form it takes, is always the best support an athlete can get. I’m in my second year of sailing with the same hull on my boat, but those at the top of their game change hulls every year.”

The support would help Roihu upgrade his equipment, which has a direct impact on his results. The cost of a new hull is €24,750. Moreover, each vessel needs a new mast and two pairs of new sails, totalling around €20,000. At the highest level of competition, this means annual expenditure of around €45,000 on equipment. On top of this there are camps, participation in which costs around €39,000 a year. As such, the total cost sailors like Juuso face each year is more than €84,000. At the moment he has less than half of what he needs: just €36,000. This will cover the cost of the camps. There is no money for new equipment.

The TalTech Dual Career Scholarship for Athletes is designed to ensure that the next generation are able to acquire a decent education at the same time as pursuing their sports, so that they can continue their work as an engineer or other specialist when their sports career comes to an end. The scholarship also aims to reduce the need for student athletes to work, since it takes up valuable time they could be spending in training or at university.

Performing at the highest level of your sport requires discipline, effort, teamwork, continuous learning and an ability to cope with a constant barrage of physical and mental challenges. Developing these qualities also helps athletes rise to the top of their profession after their sports career, especially if backed by a proper academic education.

Anyone can apply for the amount of support they need via the TalTech support portal at toeta.taltech.ee. All forms of support are important and give a boost to Estonia’s sporting talent.