By Susan Swarbrick

WITH only 100 days to go until the 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games in Samoa, the 12 athletes who will represent Scotland in archery, boxing, squash and weightlifting have been named.

They include Jason Epton, 14, and Daniel Richardson, 15, from the Gladiator Weightlifting Club in Easterhouse.

Jason set a new British under-14 record at the Celtic Championships in November, adding to his growing collection of weightlifting titles.

His club-mate Daniel, who has a raft of Scottish under-14 and under-15 records, was just four months old when the inaugural Youth Games came to Edinburgh in 2000.

While he was too young to remember it, Daniel toured the Athletes' Village back then with his father, Alex, who was the weightlifting team manager, and is now set to return to the Youth Games as a competitor 15 years on.

"Being selected for the Youth Games is a dream come true," said Daniel. "I intend to deliver a top class performance."

His father and the coach of Gladiator Weightlifting Club, Alex Richardson, said: "I have a photo of me holding Daniel aloft in the Games village when he was only four months old.

"Who would have thought he would be going back to compete 15 years later. At the 2000 Games I coached Jason's older cousin Gary McLean to three bronze medals."

Ayrshire College student Biatrice Gabell, 17, from Dalry will also compete for Scotland in September.

The Kilmarnock WLC member made the switch from badminton to weightlifting in 2013 and has since gone on to become a multiple Scottish record holder.

Team Scotland boxers have a proud history at the Youth Games with a haul of 12 medals to date.

Hoping to add to that tally will be Sean Lazzerini, 17, from Glasgow, William Hutchison, 16, from Lanark and Kieran McMaster, 18, from Kilmarnock.

"I couldn't be happier to have been selected," said Kieran, while William added: "Unbelievable. I can't believe it's happening."

Struan Caughey, 16, and Evelina D'Arcy, 15, based in Elgin and Athens respectively, will become the first archers to represent Scotland at a Youth Games.

Squash players Richard Hollins from Aberdeen and Carrie Hallam from Edinburgh, both 17, weightlifter Rowan Morrogh Bernard, 14, from Pitlochry and boxer Billy Stuart, 17, from Aberdeen were also named in the team.

The 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games will be held from September 5-11.

Those taking part range in age from 13-18 and Scotland will compete in eight of the nine sports on the programme: aquatics, archery, athletics, boxing, lawn bowls, squash, tennis and weightlifting.

Sporting stars that have come through the Youth Games and progressed to win medals at the Commonwealth Games include boxer Charlie Flynn and Josh Taylor who took gold at Glasgow 2014.

Others include swimmers Hannah Miley and Robbie Renwick, gymnasts Daniel Keatings and Adam Cox, athlete Lynsey Sharp and shooter Jennifer McIntosh.

The full and final team for Samoa 2015 will be announced on June 30.

The Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS), meanwhile, has extended a scheme which allows top athletes to spread their studies part-time over two years as they prepare for major sporting events.

The programme, successfully introduced in the lead-up to the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, will continue for athletes aiming for selection at the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio next summer.