Smiles better! 4J Studios Age Group Champs lifts spirits

Monday 30th August 2021

Kilbarchan’s Stephen Johnston celebrates U20 400m gold with Livingston’s Aidan Brady taking silver (photo by Bobby Gavin)

*This report remains subject to corrections and review. Apologies for any significant omissions.

Aberdeen Results

Welcome back! That was the over-riding feeling around Aberdeen Sports Village as our 4J Studios Age Group Champs concluded on Sunday.

The Day Two action saw more U20 champions crowned and for many younger athletes the U13 Champs offered a very first taste of this kind of competition.

Of course, National Championships were side-lined by the global pandemic last year – so to restore that platform for athletes was the key weekend for scottishathletics as governing body.

Seeing the smiles across faces – from everyone from parents to coaches to athletes to Officials – was an additional bonus!

Olympian Ian Mackie, Scottish sprints legend who is second on the all-time list for 100m, was in Aberdeen as a parent (with his son Harris winning the U15 100m gold on Saturday.

‘It’s great to have National Championships back on again for the young athletes and to see facilities being used again – for championships and club events,’ he said.

‘It’s been a hive of activity this weekend and that’s obviously key for the sport. I’ve enjoyed what I have been watching. There were some good performances in the U20 100m finals – I think the men’s was won in 10.90 (against 10.91).

‘I’m around Pitreavie AAC again but not as a coach. My kids Harris and Sophia are there and I’m encouraging them as a nervous parent on the sidelines. I will give one or two bits of advice if asked.

‘In terms of sprinting overall, we are seeing a few more Scots land GB and NI vests (with Zoey Clark, Beth Dobbin and Nicole Yeargin at the Olympics).

‘That’s always an important step and if those Olympians help inspire or push on a few more of the younger ones then that’s always helpful to the sport.’

Photos from Bobby Gavin on Facebook

Alyson Bell completed a sprint double with an impressive 11.77 run in the U20 Women’s 100m final – to add to her 200m success on Saturday afternoon.

The men’s 100m final was a terrific race Sol Stewart landing the gold verdict in 10.90 by a single hundredth of a second from Dean Patterson of Glasgow School of Sport.

There were also title successes on Sunday morning for Inverness hammer thrower, Rachel MacLennan, and Corstorphine AAC’s Georgia Ledingham in the 1500m steeplechase.

Danny Gracie of Annan and District won the Men’s hammer with a big throw of 56.13m. Ayr Seaforth’s Kate Harvie won the Triple Jump with 11.41m.

The 400m finals saw wins for Kilbarchan AAC athlete Stephen Johnston in 48.78 and Sofia Vidak of Falkirk Victoria in 55.72 – with 800m champion Katie Johnson taking a silver there.

Falkirk had another champion on the podium via the men’s 2000m steeplechase as Calum Little won that one in 6:36.76.

Shot put titles headed to Amy Kennedy of Cumbernauld AAC (13.02m) and Josh Tyler of Exeter (15.98m).

Tyler added the discus title with 43.04m and Meghan Porterfield of VP-Glasgow won the Women’s discus gold with 39.61m.

There was a Fife AC double in the 1500m races as Sarah Coutts (4:41.28) and Ben Sandilands (3:59.49) topped the podium. It completed a fine 800-1500 double for Ben.

Murray Fotheringham was another to double as the Giffnock North AC athlete won the High Jump with 2.05m to add to his 200m the day before.

Aberdeen AAC’s Jane Davidson delighted the locals as she took gold in the 100m Hurdles in 14.62 – defending a title she had won in 2019.

Rosie Sharples, after high jump success the day before, took silver in that race and also won the Long Jump with 5.30m.

Home win . . . Aberdeen AAC’s Jane Davidson took hurdles gold as she defended title she won in 2019 (photo by Bobby Gavin)

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Elgin AAC athlete Holly Whittaker on her way to Scottish U13 Record in the sprint hurdles (photo by Bobby Gavin)

U13 CHAMPS ROUND-UP

Holly Whittaker of Elgin AAC set a new Scottish U13 Record at Aberdeen after not one but two superb performances in the sprint hurdles.

Whittaker had set a Championship Best for the U13 Girls 70m Hurdles with 11.17 in the heats and she eclipsed that in fine style with a run of 11.04 in the final.

There was a Championship Best performance in the U13 Boys 800m – as Giffnock’s Calum Dick clocked a fine 2:12.07. The U13 Girls timed finals saw a win for Lois Macrae of Inverness with 2:26.22.

In the U13 Girls High Jump there was a win for Zoe McKell of Giffnock North with 1.38m

Giffnock’s Angus Weir won the U13 Boys Long Jump with 4.84m. Weir followed that up with a 75m Hurdles win in 12.60.

Cumbernauld’s Angus Gray won the Shot Put with 10.22m and Jessica Young made it a Cumbernauld double in the throws with her javelin win at 24.58m.

Innes McNicol of North Ayshire AC took gold in the High Jump with 1.50m.

Inverness athlete Lucas Davidson won the 100m in 12.78 and Emma Clark of Larkhall YMCA took the Girls race in 12.63. Lucas followed that up with 200m success in 28.45 and Emma did likewise in the 200m with her run of 26.48 to add to her victory in the 100m.

Kilmarnock’s Ross Mitchell won the javelin with 34.24m. Niamh Pegrum of Cumbernauld took Shot Put gold with 7.94m.

In the discus events, VP-Glasgow’s Fintan Rooney took the Boys gold with 27.65m and Jessica Young topped the podium for a second time with 24.58m (again) the distance.

In the 1500m finals, Harmeny’s Fergus Ross set a Championship Best with 4:34.36 and our other champion is Eilidh Dallas of Strathearn Harriers after a run of 5:04.48.