The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
ATHLETICS
Banchory Stonehaven AC’s Alisha Rees set two European junior championship qualifying times with stunning sprint performances at yesterday’s Loughborough international meeting.
The north-east athlete, 18, representing the Great Britain junior team, recorded a personal best 11.62sec when finishing fifth in the 100metres.
Her time is just inside the 11.65 required to be considered for July’s European event in Italy.
Rees then won her 200m guest race, against established internationals such as Asha Philip and Laviai Nielsen, in 23.61, again inside the 23.80 Euro mark.
She said: “When I saw the start-list for the 200m I thought I was going to get hammered. There were some big names on there and that could have intimidated me.
“But I just went out and raced it as best I could and I’m really pleased with that. Italy should be on the cards now and hopefully I can go there and do well in the 200m and the 4 x 100m relay.
“The Commonwealth Games time of 23.30 is on my mind and I do want to try to reach that, but it is hard to say where or when it might happen. I was fifth in the 100m but still nicked a personal best by one hundredth and there were girls in there who had run 11.5 and 11.4.”
Aberdeen AAC’s Zoey Clark also showed outstanding 400m form to give her hopes of London world championship selection a major boost.
The Scotland 2014 Commonwealth Games representative clocked 52.64sec to comprehensively defeat England’s Mary Iheke, 54.20, and Welsh Olympian Seren Bundy-Davies, 54.54.
Clark said: “I am pleased with the win in a season’s best and it is getting pretty
“When I saw the start-list for the 200m I thought I was going to get hammered”
close to my personal best of 52.58.
“But I am a little disappointed I didn’t get the Gold Coast Commonwealth qualifying time as I was definitely trying for that.
“I think I have tightened up a bit on the home straight because I was really racing myself at that stage with a lead in the final 100m.
“I had hoped it would be more competitive than that. The positives are I’ve won the race and taken full points for Scotland and it gives me a bit of confidence to beat some of the athletes there.
“I don’t think I’ve ever beaten Seren BundyDavies before, for example, and she’s competed at a very high level so it makes me feel as though I belong alongside these athletes.”
Meanwhile, Moray thrower Mark Dry, representing Loughborough, won the hammer with 71.73m, defeating Chris Bennet by one cm.
Aberdeen AAC’s Kelsey Stewart recorded 54.38 for third place in her guest 400m race won by Swansea’s Laura Maddox in 53.84.