Good Golly! Molly leads all-female podium
Little Richard's song Good Golly, Miss Molly sprang to mind as Lockerbie teenager Molly Reville dipped to victory in the 152nd New Year Sprint at Meadowmill Sports Centre, Prestonpans.
To continue the musical theme, Girl Power was very much the story of the final as Reville led home a female 1-2-3, pipping Janine Boyle and Sarah Malone in a photo finish.
Reville started the iconic 110m handicap race off 26 metres and went fastest in both the heats and semifinals, but the 16-year-old came under fierce pressure in the final and barely held on to take the title in 10.83 seconds, with Boyle and Malone less than a metre behind.
"I didn't know I'd won it when I crossed the line," said Reville, who received the Eric Liddell Trophy plus a cheque for £5,000.
"Only one woman had ever won it before, so I thought it would be good to follow her (Jaz Tomlinson in 2016). It's nice to see the girls getting the top prizes.
"Three races in one day was tough, but I liked the idea of doing the three, because I like progressing through the rounds."
Runner-up Boyle said: “I got faster in each race today, so I was happy with that."
Defending champion Ian Horsburgh failed to progress from his heat, but the 43-year-old did make it through to the Vets 90m final where he finished second to Nina Cessford.
“It was just nice to be back running again,” he said.
The completion of yesterday's rescheduled meeting – after postponement in January due to Covid restrictions – gave veteran promoter Frank Hanlon the satisfaction of ensuring the Sprint has still been run every year since its began in 1870.