MacLean heads south on a high

GREGOR MA CLEA N heads for the British Championships in Sheffield this weekend on a high after a Scottish record in the pole vault at the Senior Championships.

It was the Montrose and District athlete’s first visit to the Emirates A rena and he delivered in fine style with a 5.30m clearance and attempted 5.41m to push up his own national record for indoors.

Now Gregor wants to improve before an outdoor season in which he feels he can reach 5.60m before the Commonwealth Games.

MacLean is among more than three dozen Scots set to compete at the British championships with the nine medals claimed at this indoor event last February having been the best haul since 1995.

“I was pretty pleased with the 5.30m clearance last weekend,” said Gregor, who won a silver at the British championships outdoors in 2012 before an injury-hit 2013 season. It was another Commonwealth Games standard and a native record for indoors. I had never jumped before at the EmiratesA rena and I loved it as a venue.

“I enjoyed it a lot and the crowd really got the atmosphere going for me. Jumping 5.30m pretty easily felt good and of course I’d done 5.40m in France a couple of weeks earlier.”

Up to 40 Scots have headed south, including Jamie Bowie, Chris O’Hare, Guy Learmonth, Ryan Oswald and Laura Muir.

The likes of Bowie, Muir, Child, O’Hare and Learmonth will feel they have a chance of making theWorld Indoors event in Poland and top two finishes would be enough for Muir (800m), Child and O’Hare, given they have the qualifying standards.

Getty Images. Craig Lee shares the lead.