The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Strong wind cannot stop Stewart from 400m victory
Athletics: Kelsey adds national prize to her Celtic Games success
AndrewMcFarlane was the north’s standout performer in the under-14s championships at Aberdeen Sports Village, winning two gold medals and a silver.
The 13-year-old Inverness athlete cleared 2.70metres to win the pole vault and hurtled the javelin 40.95m for his victories. He also finished secondin the shot by throwing 11.07m to lose out narrowly to Callum Meldrum (Ayr Seaforth), who won with 11.16m
McFarlane was satisfied with his outstanding day’s work and said: “My polevault was a personal best but I think I could have done better. I also got a personal best in the shot so I was pleased with that.
“In the javelin, I hurt my elbow with my second throw but I still seem to do all right.”
McFarlane’s Inverness clubmate Alex Geddes also hit the gold trail when throwing a lifetime best of 33.66 to win the discus. Aberdeen AAC’s John Angus was third with 25.91. Three other Inverness athletes f eatured among t he medals.
Josie Steel threw 23.97 for second position in the girls’ discus while Joe Arnaud won bronze in the boys’ 800m in 2:16.33 and Tom Evans did likewise when clearing 1.45 in the high jump.
Alix Still (AberdeenAAC) cleared 4.81 to win the girls’ long jump. The Kemnay Academy pupil, who only tookupathletics 10months ago, was happy to win, but expressed frustration at not jumping further. She said: “It wasn’t my best as I’ve done 4.93 before. I was planning on getting 5mbut it was cold and that affected my performance.”
Stuart Bridgeford (Aberdeen AAC) was pipped for gold in the 100m when, despite running into a strong headwind, he clocked a personal best 12.85sec behind winner Fr a s e r A n g u s (Ayr Seaforth), who won in 12.84.
Angus completed a sprint double by winning the 200m in 25.15 with Bridgeford gaining his second silver in 25.64.
Amy Davis (Orkney) lost out on the girls’ high jump title on countback to Pitreavie’s Aimee Scott after both athletes cleared 1.45m while Charlotte Bevan ( Moray) picked up the bronze with a jump of 1.40. Bevan was also third in the 200m in 28.45.
Stephanie Eyres (Caithness) was third in the javelin with a throw of 23.81m. Kelsey Stewart produced a typically commanding performance to win the under18 girls’ 400metres title in the Scottish age group track and field championships at Aberdeen Sports Village.
The Banchory Stonehaven AC athlete took an early lead and never looked to be under any threat as she powered home in 55.96 to add the national title to her Celtic Games success in Wales earlier in t he month.
Stewart’s closest challenger, Elizabeth Musgrove (Haddington), finished 20 metres behind in 58.75 while Erin Boddie (Edinburgh AC) was third in 62.22.
Stewart s aid: “I’m pleased to win and I’m happy with my time considering it was so windy. I also had a difficult lane draw, being right on the inside, so I had to work a bit harder to get into my stride.”
The Scottish junior international will now prepare for the English champi- onships at Bedford later this month before finishing her season by representing Scotland in the UK Schools Games at Sheffield in September.
Thora Cant ( Orkney) won the javelin with a throw of 31.96m but Stewartry’s Kirsten Gair was close behind with 31.76.
The Orkney athlete, who finished second in the Island Games in Bermuda last month, was delighted to pick up the gold medal but was disappointed with her winning performance. She said: “I wasn’t very pleased with my throw as my best is 38.91. It was cold and rainy at times so that affected things, but hopefully I’ll throw better when I compete in the English championships at Bedford.”
On what proved to be a successful day for north and north- east athletes Emma Bowie (Moray Road Runners) struck gold in the hammer, throwing 48.61m, her third best distance this season.
Dionne Milne (Moray Road Runners) stamped her class on the discus by throwing more than seven metres further than her nearest challenger to win with 35.95.
There was more throwing success for the Moray club when Callum Alexander won the javelin with a final roundeffortof 43.39m to defeat Alex Lewis (VP Glasgow), who cleared 39.33, and Orkney’s Alex Stevenson who pocketed the bronze with 37.72.
Connel MacDonald (Inverness Harriers) reached new heights when clearing 1.88m to win the high jump. His performance safely exceeded his previous best of 1.83 and it gave him an impressive victory over Aberdeen AAC’s Ryan Hewitson who cleared 1.80. MacDonald also set a personal best 12.81 to take second position in the triple jump in which his clubmate Christopher Mollison was third with a lifetime best of 12.36.
Hewitson added to his medal haul by picking up another silver when clocking 16.03sec in the 110m hurdles – won by Jack Lawrie (Pitreavie) in 15:42– while Daniel Rees (Banchory Stonehaven) was third in 17:51.
Rees pocketed a second bronze medal in the 400m hurdles (59.26) which was won again by Lawrie (56.91).
C o n n o r Ma c L e a n ( Stornoway) recorded 4min 57.75 to take second position in the 1,500m steeplechase, won by Pitreavie’s Aiden Thompson in 4:52.55.
Bruce Flockhart (Inverness Harriers) threw a personal best of 13.50 to take silver in the shot behind Crewe’s Fraser Ashman, who cleared 14.14.
The Inverness athlete was also third in the discus (30.29) with Ashman winning a second gold with a throw of 46.23.
Sophie Hamilton pipped her Aberdeen AAC clubmate Saffron Cummings to take bronze in the 100m. C a r a - J a y Mu r d o c h (Larkhall) won in 12.95 with Hamilton timed at 13.59, one-hundredth of a second ahead of Cummings.
Shannon Sutherland (Nairn AAC) was second in the 400m hurdles in 83.83 while Sarah MacPhail (Orkney) was third in the high jump with a clearance of 1.55.