Grassroots to Glory - Andrew Musgrave copy

Although he was born in the UK - specifically, Poole in Dorset - he spent much of his childhood enjoying a nomadic lifestyle with his family, which saw him spend time in places all over the world.

During a six-year spell in Alaska, Musgrave took up several winter sports, including the one he would later dedicate his career to mastering – cross-country skiing.

But it wasn’t until he moved to Aberdeenshire aged 11 that he really began to focus on the sport professionally.

The 31-year-old honed his craft at the National Lottery-funded Huntly Nordic Ski Club alongside fellow Winter Olympian, Andrew Young, where the two struck up a firm friendship.

To this day, the pair remain inseparable. Musgrave will be best man at Young’s wedding in early 2023, and the two will compete alongside each other in Beijing next year alongside fellow cross-country skier, James Clugnet.

“We are a small team who spend a ridiculous amount of time travelling around together and we get on very well, which is good as it would be a struggle if we didn’t,” he said.

Although Musgrave has been a fixture on the international cross-country skiing scene since 2008, The Winter Olympics hasn't traditionally been a happy hunting ground for him.

He has missed out on a podium finish in all three of the Winter Games he’s competed in – but he’s determined to make the upcoming Beijing 2022 Games a success for the Team GB cross-country skiing team.

Since National Lottery funding to elite sport started in 1997, over 1,000 Olympic and Paralympic medals have been won, and Musgrave hopes his name will be the latest addition to this distinguished list.

The Scottish star’s best Olympic performance to date came when he finished seventh in the 30km in PyeongChang in 2018.

But Musgrave enters the new season fresh from recording his best World Cup finish in the 2020/21 season – 13th in the distance and 18th overall.

“PyeongChang started off pretty well in the 30k but the races after that were not great,” he said.

“The race that should have been best for me was the 15k and I massively underperformed there. I still don’t really know why.

“But I’m older and more experienced now, and I know what I’ve got to do to be in form. I’ve built on from where I was in 2018 and I am definitely one of the podium potential guys.”

Musgrave’s journey to Beijing 2022 suffered some painful disruption when he ‘ripped off [his] pec’ at the start of the year.

But in the run-up to the Games, having since returned to full fitness, Musgrave said he “feels stronger now than pre-surgery."

National Lottery players help fund over 1,000 athletes which allows them to train full-time, have access to the world’s best coaches and benefit from pioneering technology, science and medical support.  This funding is crucial as athletes look ahead to the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing 2022.