BANK OF SCOTLAND AGE-GROUP CHAMPIONSHIPS

7th February 2008

The Bank of Scotland Age-Group Championships take place this weekend at the Kelvin Hall in Glasgow, the under-13s and under-15s battling it out on Saturday 9th February, the under-17s and under-20s on Sunday 10th.

Much of the greatest expectation will fall on athletes within the under-20 age category:

In the 2007 the Bank of Scotland Age-Group Championships, Dundee coach Dave Combe had an exceptional weekend with a number of his athletes successful in the sprints events. Chris Lavery (Dundee Hawkhill Harriers) won double gold in the under-20 60m and 200m. He aims to defend both titles on this occasion.

In 2007 Scott Hughson (Edinburgh AC) finished 2nd in the under-17 60m and won gold in 200m.

In November he was named on the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games support initiative managed by scottishathletics with a view to individual and team success in Pune, India in October 2008.

Hughson earned his first Scottish senior vest at the Celtic Cup Indoor International in Cardiff on February 3rd - he finished 3rd in the men's 400m.

This weekend he will race over 400m in the under-20 age group - where he's currently ranked 4th for the year to date in the UK power of 10 performance rankings.

Over 1500m, Chris O'Hare makes the step up from under-17 where he won gold over the distance in 2007.

The Edinburgh AC athlete - 3rd in the 2007 ScottishPower National Cross Country Championships and outstanding this season to date in the UK Cross Challenge series - has a 1500m best of 4:01.68. He finished 3rd in the DM Hall Closed Senior Championships in mid-January over 3K - a distance in which he's ranked 3rd in the UK Power of 10 at under-20 level for 2008 to date.

In the under-20 pole vault, clear favourite is Scott Huggins (Blackheath and Bromley AC), who will aim to defend the title he won in 2007.

Huggins finished the 2007 outdoor season in style with wins in the under-20/under-23 Inter-Territorial match and Inter-Counties in August followed up by an under-20 Inter-Territorial victory in September. He has had an exceptional start to the 2008 indoor winning the South of England AA Championships under-20 pole vault title with a new Scottish junior record of 4.91m, a height he then improved to 4.92m in the Kent Championships one week later.

The men's event of the day could come in the under-20 shot putt.

Daniel Carlin (Giffnock North AAC) - 4th in the UK for under-17 shot putt and discus in 2007, gold medallist in both events at the Bank of Scotland Age-Group Championships (outdoor) in the summer and victor in the under-17 shot putt in the indoor championships in 2007 - coming up against Jamie Stevenson (Jersey Spartans AC), number one under-20 in the UK for 2008 to date ahead of Carlin in 2nd - and new Scottish age-group record holder with a 17.92m effort set in Loughbourough two weeks ago.

Suzanne Begg (Victoria Park City of Glasgow) will lead the charge in the under-20 women's sprints.

Begg, who won under-17 200m gold in 2007, was in November selected onto the 2008 scottishathletics Commonwealth Youth Games support programme. This weekend she is entered for both the 60m - an event in which she finished 3rd as a guest at the recent Celtic Cup Indoor International - and the 200m.

Lynsey Sharp (Edinburgh AC) will race the 400m and 800m double - events in which she was ranked 8th and 5th respectively in the UK Power of 10 under-20 age-group rankings for 2007.

Sharp won gold in the Bank of Scotland Age-Group Championships 800m in February 2007. In the Brodies Scottish Senior Championships (outdoor) in August she finished 3rd over 400m.

In an event to challenge the under-20 men's shot putt, the women's under-20 1500m should be an exciting race. 2007 champion Rebecca Finch (Victoria Park City of Glasgow), under-17 gold medallist Sarah Inglis (Lothian RC) and Dundee Hawkhill Harrier's Eilish McColgan will battle it out for the Bank of Scotland under-20 title.

McColgan currently ranks 4th in the UK Power of 10, with an indoor best of 4:36.88. Finch, currently 10th, has run 4:50.50.