Stephen leaps into Ullapool history
Stephen Mackenzie started triple jump when he was a pupil at Ullapool Primary School – now he is rated the best male school athlete in Scotland.
The 15-year-old won the Under-17 triple jump and high jump and gained a silver in the long jump in a packed weekend at Grangemouth Stadium.
It was only after the long drive home to Ross-shire that he learned he had made history by becoming the first Ullapool High School pupil to win the most coveted of Scottish school sports awards, the Eric Liddell Trophy for the outstanding boys performance at the Scottish Schools’ Athletics Championships.
He is also the first Ullapool pupil to win two golds at the same championships – and the first to set a new record with his leap of 13.98m in the triple jump. He cleared 1.90m in the high jump and his long jump was 6.55m.
Now he is certain to be representing Scotland in the Under-17 school team that will travel to Dublin next month.
A fourth-year pupil – his uncle (David Lees) is head of physical education at the school – Stephen made his debut at the Scottish Schools Championships at Hampden in 2014. The event was staged in Glasgow as part of the buildup to the Commonwealth Games.
“I finished third and it was a real inspiration,” he said. “At Ullapool Primary, we used to do triple jump every day on the tennis courts.
“About a year ago, I joined Inverness Harriers. It’s a 120mile round trip and I go twice a week.”
Dianne Mackenzie is the jumps coach at Inverness, and she has guided the youngster to the top of the age group rankings.
He was thrilled with his triple jump record – he beat his previous personal best by almost half a metre. In addition to the Eric Liddell Award, he also gained the Bob Stephen Trophy for the best triple jump.
At school, he is about to enter his fifth year and faces a tough schedule of five Highers – Maths, English, Physical Education, Biology and Chemistry.
Clearly he is heading down the scientific route but, as yet, has not chosen a career path.
But he does want to take his athletics as far as possible – he is ready to leap further into the limelight.
For Ullapool High, it is a memorable occasion. “Everyone is very proud of Stephen’s achievements,” said David Lees. “His athletics has developed very well over the past couple of years. ]
“He is also a good student and I think he might go down the medical route.he’s very meticulous in everything he does.”