Zoey back on track as events host #4Jathletics – with thanks to Officials
Joy of athletics – superb shot by Bobby Gavin captures track and field moment at Kilmarnock
*This report subject to changes and scrutiny. It is not intended as a comprehensive round-up of performances, more an overview of three events. Thanks for your patience.
Olympian Zoey Clark was back on the track as our #4Jathletics events happened at three venues around Scotland.
The District and National Open Graded events effectively mark the start of championship events in the outdoor season and it was great to have around 1300 athletes on start lists at Inverness, Grangemouth and Kilmarnock combined.
Staging three meetings on the same weekend requires a huge effort from our scottishathletics Officials as well as volunteers and venue staff in three locations. Thanks for your support.
Zoey hasn’t raced outdoors since 2022 with an injury issue and rehabilitation taking many months through 2023.
But she raced 100m at Grangemouth and then clocked 54.64 in a 400m heat which became something of a solo run and brilliant to see hard work paying off in a performance.
If you have not watched already, we would highly recommend our short documentary on Zoey created by Urbane Media at the end of 2023.
We were fortunate to have an offer of coverage of Grangemouth action by Falkirk By Drone so please also look out for those clips on our social channels.
Grangemouth photos by Simon Wootton
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Logan Mitchell in throws action (photo by Bobby Gavin)
Warm conditions around the country were very welcome on Saturday and the atmosphere at Kilmarnock’s Ayrshire Athletics Arena was festival.
The venue always looks good with a strong turnout of clubs and that was certainly the case for District events in the younger age groups and National Open Graded events in endurance and throws (with sprints and jumps at Grangemouth).
We noted a strong shot putt performance from Logan Mitchell as the Kilmarnock Harriers athlete, on his home venue, threw a new PB of 14.96m.
In the Districts, one of the stand-out performances was an U17 Women’s 100m Record – as Tehillah Ikechukwu-Okonkwo of Law and District AAC clocked 11.88.
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The geographical diversity of North District emerged right at the start of these championships at Queens Park, Inverness, when North Uist’s Rowan Campbell, from Barra (population 1200) on the southern extremity of the Western Isles, romped away with the U13 Girls 800m.
This was Rowan’s first visit to a major track and her ‘local’ facility is in Stornoway, 143 miles and several island hops away at the other end of the archipelago.
Her victory for North Uist came alongside the huge contribution from the other island clubs Stornoway, Orkney and Shetland, with all having big entries.
Among other leading island athletes was Ewan Amos of Stornoway who produced a marginally wind assisted 6.47 and a legal 6.40 to win the U17 men’s long jump. He also took the high jump with 1.75, which was also the height cleared by fellow Stornoway athlete James Anderson in equalling that championship best, held by former Scottish Native record holder David Barnetson of Inverness.
Holly Whittaker (Aberdeen), sliced 0.06 off the U17 women’s 80 metre hurdles record with 12.03, despite having to contend with a 4.1m/s headwind. However she lost her U15 long jump record to club-mate Gemma Forgie who jumped 5.12.
Peace Igbinidu (Inverness) took the U17 women’s hammer while her sister Marvellous had a treble in the U20 open 100m (13.34), 200m (26.58) and 400m (64.23). Her Inverness clubmate Lois MacRae took U17 titles at 300m (41.93), 800m (2:20.07) and 1500m (4:47.59).
With thanks to Charles Bannerman
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Tags: Grangemouth, Inverness, Kilmarnock, Zoey Clark
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