Borders raider Kiera lands the top prize at Scottish Championships
Kiera Waddell is not only the first Berwickshire High School pupil to win the Frances Barker Shield – she is the first girl from the Borders to land the top prize at the Rotary Scottish Schools’ Athletics Championships.
Twenty years after Berwickshire High’s Kris Stewart won the equivalent boys’ title – the Eric Liddell Memorial Trophy – Kiera claimed the title thanks to a school record throw of 41.51m in the Under-17 javelin.
Last year, she set a record of 32.51m in the Under-15 category and the throw at Grangemouth was just 0.01 outside her personal best.
Kiera first stood out as a talent in racket sports. “There was a grassroots tennis programme when I was in primary five at Duns Primary School and that led me into badminton,” she explained.
But it was at her first-year schools sports day that her athletic talent was first noted and she started to pursue the sport seriously.
She joined local club Chirnside Chasers. At that time, it was mainly a running club, but throwing coach Alex Mcgregor was brought in and Kiera has gone from strength to strength.
She is now a member of the Scottish elite programme and has joined Edinburgh Athletic Club and trains at Meadowbank. “It’s great,” said the youngster. “It’s a 45 minute drive to Edinburgh and I go once or twice a week. The facilities are very good and my coach is Douglas Cameron.
“I also benefit from physiotherapy, massages and strength and conditioning.”
Keira also works with her own specialist javelin coach, Robert Wilkie from Helensburgh, whom she meets once a fortnight at Scotstoun in Glasgow.
Having just entered her fifth year at school, Kiera will be mixing her athletics with her studies for five Highers. She hopes to go on to University and study something related to sport.
One of the top-ranked Under-17 javelin throwers in the UK, Kiera is becoming accustomed to winning awards.
Back in March, she was named the Junior Sports Personality at the Borders Celebration of Sport Awards.
“There was a grassroots tennis programme when I was in primary five and that led me into badminton”
KIERA WADDELL