Four major events in a single week would test the resolve of any athletics club, but Shettleston Harriers once again rose to the challenge as athletes, coaches, officials and parents stepped up to deliver another outstanding week of competitions.
With the Commonwealth Games fast approaching, the domestic calendar has become increasingly compressed, creating a hectic period for everyone involved in the sport. This week alone saw club members competing at the Lanarkshire Relay Championships, the final race of the Babcock 10km Series, the Scottish Athletics SuperTeams competition and the National League, while others represented the club at events as far afield as Stockholm and Birmingham.
Lanarkshire Relay Championships Success
The week began on Wednesday at the Lanarkshire Relay Championships in Cumbernauld.
With 21 of our youngest athletes preparing for the SuperTeams competition later in the week, our Under-12 squad were rested, leaving athletes from Under-14 through to Senior level to represent the club. They did so in style, bringing a superb collection of medals back to the East End.
4x100m Relay Results
Silver Medal, U14 Boys
- Louis Millican
- Harry Bell
- Dominic Boyle
- Naod Woldeselassie
Silver Medal, U14 Girls
- Indie Connolly
- Violet MacLean
- Annie Brownhill
- Molly Brown
Silver Medal, U16 Boys
- Ciaran Curley
- Thierry Giraud
- Tristan Giraud
- Lucas McDonald
Silver Medal, U16 Girls
- Arianna Obiora
- Charlotte Reilly
- Keva Adams McKenzie
- Zoe Roberts
The club’s B team of Natasha Nlumbile, Eilidh Stephen, Summer McCallum and Juliette Graham also performed well, finishing sixth.
Gold Medal, U18 Men
- Zack Hutton
- Nathan Monaghan
- Sam McGowan
- Abraham Lanahan
Silver Medal, U18 Women
- Kara Lindsay
- Helena Hughes
- Kimberly Meikleham
- Victoria Tennant
3x800m Relay Results
Gold Medal, U14 Boys
- Dominic Boyle
- Rio Biddlecombe
- Naod Woldeselassie
Bronze Medal, U16 Boys
- Thierry Giraud
- Ciaran Curley
- Matthew McEwan
Gold Medal, Senior Women
- Estelle Giraud
- Kara Lindsay
- Emma Lockie
The Senior Men’s team crossed the line first in the 3x800m relay but were unfortunately disqualified after the race.
Overall, it was another highly successful evening and a great reward for the hard work being put in across the club.
Final Babcock 10km Delivers More Success
On Thursday evening attention turned to Helensburgh for the final race in the highly successful Babcock 10km Series.
It proved to be a night of runners-up finishes, with both Jamie Burns and Clare Stewart finishing second in their respective races against strong opposition.
Jamie was only beaten by GB international Calum Johnson of Gateshead Harriers, while Clare finished second behind Nynke Mulholland Stummer after another excellent run.
Clare then led the women’s team to second place overall, supported by Skye Rae and Emma Choudhry.
The men’s team were desperately unlucky to miss out on second place on countback, eventually finishing third. Jamie Burns was joined in the scoring team by Gerard Pelegri and new club member Danny Munro.
Women’s Team: 2nd Place
- Clare Stewart, 2nd, 37:03
- Skye Rae, 4th, 38:52
- Emma Choudhry, 49:04
Men’s Team: 3rd Place
- Jamie Burns, 2nd, 30:50
- Gerard Pelegri, 10th, 34:27
- Danny Munro, 16th, 35:28
Other Shettleston Performances
Women
- Joanne Harkins, 1:00:30
Men
- Alex Manley, 37:28
- Stewart Houston, 37:21
- Toby Hession, 37:34
- David Gillespie, 40:06
- Lachlan Calder, 42:06
- John Oates, 43:25
- Robbie Porteous, 49:03
- Gerard Mason, 58:18
The completion of another successful Babcock Series also gives the club an opportunity to thank everyone involved. The series continues to demonstrate what can be achieved when clubs work together to deliver high quality events.
A special mention must go to Club Secretary Davie Murphy, who dealt with more than 500 emails relating to the series, and to the many volunteers who worked tirelessly behind the scenes throughout the season.
The club would also like to thank Kevin Johnson, who is stepping down as Chair of the Babcock Series after many years of dedicated service. Kevin was instrumental in bringing Shettleston Harriers into the series nine years ago and has played a huge role in its development and success. We wish him all the very best for the future.
SuperTeams Superstars!
Saturday saw our youngest athletes head to the Scottish Athletics SuperTeams competition in Cumbernauld, where they produced a fantastic set of performances.
Two Shettleston teams qualified for the national final in Kilmarnock later this month, an outstanding achievement for everyone involved.
Fynn Ferrie led the way with an excellent third place individual finish overall, while many athletes recorded personal best performances and several young athletes made their club debut.
One of the standout performances came from Emma Turner, who broke the club Under-12 Long Jump record with a jump of 3.22m. It was one of many excellent performances throughout the day and highlights the exciting talent emerging through the club’s youngest age groups.
A huge thank you goes to the 21 young athletes who represented the club- our biggest team so far- along with the coaches and parents who supported them throughout the day.
Team Results
3rd Place: SHETT-A (984 points)
- Fynn Ferrie (3rd)
- Henoch Woldeselassie (7th)
- Alba White (43rd)
- Judy Dodds (53rd)
8th Place: SHETT-B (917 points)
- Daniel McNair
- Thomas Kelly
- Olivia McGown
- Rebecca Lessells
14th Place: SHETT-C
- David Akintula
- Nathan Riddell
- Olivia McGown
- Rebecca Lessells
24th Place: SHETT-D
- Oliver Allen
- John Ewing
26th Place: SHETT-E
- Dominic Roy
- Joseph Paterson
27th Place: SHETT-F
- Lewis Ritchie
- Arran Murray
29th Place: SHETT-G
- Dante McDonald
- Finlay Horrocks
Several teams were forced to carry penalty scores due to a shortage of girls, making the performances achieved even more impressive.
Strong Performances Around the Country
While many athletes were competing in the club’s major fixtures, others were in action across Britain and Europe.
Livingston Open Graded Meeting
Victoria Tennant continued her excellent form by running a personal best of 12.87 for 100m despite a 2.0m/s headwind.
Birmingham BMC
Daniel Bradford produced another breakthrough performance, running a personal best of 3:50.71 for 1500m.
Philip Neilson also recorded a personal best, clocking 14:32.17 over 5000m.
Stockholm Marathon
Matthew Fancourt enjoyed an excellent run in Sweden, recording a marathon personal best of 3:01:42.
National League, Grangemouth
Club athletes were also in action representing the club in National League competition at Grangemouth, helping round off another busy and successful weekend.
With medals, team success, personal bests and national final qualifications spread across multiple events, it has been another outstanding week for Shettleston Harriers and further evidence of the strength and depth that currently exists throughout the club.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1DkILLHO7W9ggbgUSLoqUR_vWlZlRSAAY3yGY5mtVaq4/edit?usp=sharing Thank you to Paul Roberts for taking the time to collate all of the clubs results from this weekend
