Magnificent Megan: Scot seizes British U23 Record for Women’s 5000m

Saturday 27th April 2024

Photo via British Athletics

Megan Keith has landed another Olympic qualifying standard in the Women’s 5000m.

And the talented, hard-working Scot is also the new British U23 Record holder for the distance after a brilliant run in the Diamond League meeting in Shanghai.

Megan led the race for a spell and came home (for eighth place) in a highly impressive 14:43.24 to take down the British U23 mark held by Paula Radcliffe – and move to fifth on the British all-time list.

In Scottish terms, only Eilish McColgan has run faster in the Women’s 5000m.

Megan already has a 10,000m qualifying standard for the Olympics and it will be fascinating now to see how plans evolve for the next few months for the Inverness Harriers/Edinburgh Uni Hare and Hounds athlete and coach Ross Cairns. The European Champs in Rome could yet also be in those plans.

For the moment let’s just celebrate another top class performance by a young Scot who continues to rise through the echelons of global athletics and is a superb advert for the Scottish pathway.

Only a week ago, in fact, Megan was on ‘role model’ duty at the London Mini Marathon event and inspired our young athletes at that event.