Hawkins first male in nine years to claim gong

Callum Hawkins has spoken of the great honour in being named scottishathletics’ FPSG Athlete of the Year.

The Kilbarchan AAC runner picked up the coveted award at a star-studded, glitzy bash at Glasgow’s Hilton Hotel on Saturday night.

In winning the award, the longdistance athlete became the first male to collect the gong for nine years.

Then, hurdler Allan Scott claimed the title way back in 2008.

Following a successful season, which included setting a new British half marathon record, as well as producing the best British performance at a World Championships when he finished fourth in the marathon at the London event, Hawkins admitted he is proud of what he has achieved.

He said: “I am absolutely delighted to win the FPSG Athlete of the Year award for 2017.

“It’s a great honour because I think everyone knows that Scottish athletes have been performing really well and there are some very talented and successful athletes on the shortlist.

“So, thanks to those who made the selection and to scottishathletics and their sponsors FPSG for the award – the reception on Saturday night at the FPSG Awards dinner was a special moment.

“I took a lot of confidence into 2017 after winning bronze at the Euro Cross last December and then running well at Holyrood Park at the start of the year.

“It wasn’t beating Mo Farah, because I don’t think he was really in shape at that time and it would be wrong to claim otherwise, but it was the performance and going so close to winning that day which added to my belief for 2017.

“Then the two half marathons in Japan and New York set me up for the summer in London.

“Overall, I have to be pretty satisfied with the way the year unfolded.

“Now it is all about getting ready for the Commonwealth Games marathon and seeing what I can do out there in April.”

Hawkins’ efforts have also earned him praise from scottishathletics performance director Rodger Harkins.

With the Elderslie athlete having only made the switch to the marathon over the course of the last two years, Harkins believes that he is due all the credit he is receiving following his rapid rise to the top.

Harkins said: “He is quite new to the event, which is easy to forget.

“He made his debut in the marathon in 2015, stepped up to the Olympics and was ninth in 2016, and then was fourth in the Worlds in 2017. It is a meteoric rise in many ways.

“Don’t forget, the period being looked at includes an individual medal at the Euro Cross in China, which was a first for a Scot at Senior level, and also a national record of 60 minutes in Japan for the half marathon – two really good performances.

“So it is not about just one performance over the year that is being assessed. It has also been a postOlympic year and you would not always expect people to peak again so high and so often in that year.

“Callum was operating at a high level in 2016 but, arguably, this year he’s moved it forward again and underlined his global credentials. That’s to his real credit.”

It’s a meteoric rise in many ways. He’s underlined his global credentials and that’s to his real credit Rodger Harkins