17. 5, Hamish Watson
The popular 30-year-old Edinburgh flanker was Six Nations player of the championship, having been at the heart of Scotland’s historic away wins over England and France.
His consistently high standards and remarkable tackle count resulted in him earning a place in Warren Gatland’s 37-man British & Irish Lions squad.
In the first Tour match against the Sigma Lions, Watson scored a try within seven minutes of kick-off and went on to be named player of the match.
He made his Test debut against the Springboks as a substitute in the series opener, helping the tourists record a 22-17 win.
He continued to go from strength-to-strength in autumn, producing another standout try-scoring display as Scotland defeated Australia in the Autumn Nations Series. Photo: Steve Haag/PA Wire
18. 4th, Craig Gordon
In the context of a long and successful footballing career, 2021 has been pretty significant for Craig Gordon. The goalkeeper was appointed captain of Hearts in the summer and was part of the Scotland squad for the European Championship.
He then regained the No 1 position with his country in September. Having set out to become Scotland's first-choice keeper when he rejoined Hearts from Celtic in 2020, Gordon took just over a year to usurp previous incumbent David Marshall.
His performances were a massive factor in helping national coach Steve Clarke secure a play-off place for World Cup 2022 during qualifiers in September, October and November. Gordon is 39 on Hogmanay but appears to be improving with age. Photo: Craig Foy
19. 3rd, Kathryn Bryce
Scottish cricketers don't usually feature among the world's best, but Bryce has propelled herself into that category in 2021.
She became the first cricketer from Scotland, male or female, to reach the top 10 of an ICC batting or bowling rankings in June.
It came just a month after the all-rounder was named ICC women’s player of the month for May for her performances in the T20 series for Scotland against Ireland.
The Scotland captain, whose sister Sarah also plays for the national team, finished a World Cup qualifier against Ireland in August with a six from the final ball to secure victory in a top-scoring innings of 46 not out.
As Lightning captain, she was Professional Cricketers’ Association Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy Player of the Year for 2021 after ending the year amongst the best performers in the English domestic game with bat and ball. The 24-year-old was also a start performer for Trent Rockets in The Hundred. Photo: Jan Kruger
20. 2nd, Josh Kerr
It has been a long wait since those heady days of Coe, Ovett, Cram and Elliott, but Kerr, now 24, joined their legion as he crossed the line third in Tokyo.
The Edinburgh Athletic Club runner won Team GB’s first men’s 1500m Olympic medal for 33 years and smashed his personal best to take a brilliant bronze in an electrifying race in Japan.
His Olympics were almost over in the heats when he finished seventh in his race, only to scrape through as a fastest loser, and he made the most of that chance to claim a historic medal. Edinburgh clubmate Jake Wightman also did himself proud by reaching the final and coming home ninth.
Kerr, who grew up in Morningside, attended George Watson’s College and now lives in Seattle, returned to his home city to do a Q&A with young athletes and show them his medal. That was class. Photo: Ryan Pierse