ATHLETICS — Strong Performances From Junior Glenpark Harriers

14 December, 2020 | Sport

Harris Morrison, right, and Ruairi Trainer

GLENPARK Harriers concluded their club track and field series of events with record-breaking performances from their junior athletes.

The competition was spread over a number of weekends because of current restrictions and saw a mix of junior and seniors on the local track at different times.

In the 300-metre sprint, 16-year-old Simon Okiti displayed some controlled, aggressive running to challenge 400-metre specialist Mark MacLauchlan.

As they approached the middle section of the race, it was clear very fast times were on the cards. Going into the home straight, Simon got an edge on Mark as they kept to their individual plans. Simon crossed a fraction in front of Mark with both athletes recording an excellent 36 seconds.

Contesting his first ever event, Shawn Barnes gained the experience required to compete against his fellow club mates.

Emma Aitken and Niamh McIntosh raced over a similar distance with Emma opening up a gap on Niamh which she held to the finish, stopping the clock to match her fastest time.

Harris Morrison set his stall out early in a 600-metre race for younger athletes, cruising through the first half very quickly, ahead of his target time.

He managed to hold his form and increased speed over the last 200 metres, moving clear of his competitors to record 1.31 mins. Leo Beaton was in silver medal spot after running clear of Summer Taggart and Abigail Crawford.

In the youngest age group, Ruairi Trainer, Grant Munro and Grace Salton had a three-way contest over 60 metres, 150 metres and long jump and managed to perform well despite the very cold conditions.

The final speed event — 150 metres — was a head-to-head between Simon Okiti and Mark MacLachlan with the added spice of Harris Morrison coming down to the shorter sprint to test his speed. As the three hit the final straight toward the finish Simon ensured a double victory on the day with a sub-17 second run with Mark a stride behind and Harris securing third ahead of Shawn Barnes.

In the girls’ 150-metre race, Emma Aitken mirrored Simon with a second victory over Niamh McIntosh who was in a photo-finish with Summer Taggart to conclude the speed events.

The club thank the events team and coaches for arranging the logistics to allow club members to experience competition.

Pin It on Pinterest