The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Muir and McColgan in running for athlete of the year award
Athletics: Efforts throughout the season led to pair’s recognition
Dundee Hawkhill Harriers Laura Muir and Eilish McColgan are in the running to land the FPSG Scottish Athlete of the Year title.
The middle-distance duo are on a shortlist of five top track and field stars for the award, which will be announced at a dinner in Glasgow on November 4.
Kinross-shire’s Muir, winner of the main title in the past two years, and Callum Hawkins make the top five after fourth place finishes at London 2017. They are joined by double World Para champion, wheelchair racer Sammi Kinghorn.
Carnoustie’s McColgan and Chris O’Hare each broke Scottish national records during impressive track seasons and complete the list selected by scottishathletics.
Females athletes have dominated the award in recent years with Muir directly preceded by the likes of Eilidh Doyle and Lynsey Sharp in the current decade.
Both Doyle and Sharp made individual finals at London 2017 but such has been the level and depth of quality of performances that they did not make the 2017 shortlist.
Rodger Harkins, performance director with scottishathletics, said: “Our FPSG Athlete of the Year shortlists are chose by an independent panel and I am one of those who sits on that and is involved in the process. And I can safely say it is becoming one of the toughest decisions we have to make each year.
“For 2016, we took a one-off decision to extend the shortlist to eight athletes given a number of high quality performances and national records set in Rio.
“This year, the panel decided to return to more usual practice for shortlists of three to five names and that has made it very difficult indeed.
“With regard to London, there were relay medals for Zoey Clark and Eilidh Doyle and we were delighted at their involvement within a GB and NI team in the Women’s 4 x 400m.
“This year the panel opted to put more of an emphasis on individual performances at the very highest level.”
Mr Harkins continued: “Just looking down the names we did shortlist and, of course, both Callum Hawkins and Laura Muir were very close indeed to individual medals at the World Champs in the marathon and the 1,500m final. Both finished in fourth place.
“Chris OHare broke the national record in the 1,500m this year – after it had stood for more than three decades. Chris also had some great runs in Birmingham and London in a strong season overall.
“Eilish McColgan has had a fabulous season with PBs across a whole range of distances.
“I am pretty sure Eilish will look back on 2017 and regard it as the year when she truly stepped up to global level and that was reflected in 10th place in the 5,000m final at London 2017 as well as breaking the Scottish national record at that distance late in the season.”
“I can safely say it is becoming one of the toughest decisions we have to make each year. RODGER HARKINS PERFORMANCE DIRECTOR