It was another busy weekend for Shettleston Harriers athletes, with strong performances across the UK and further recognition for the club’s work both on and off the track.
Bennett Strengthens Commonwealth Games Selection Hopes
Chris Bennett has put himself into a strong position for selection for the Commonwealth Games later this year. With an excellent third-place finish at the UK Championships in Birmingham and a throw of 70.12m, he once again achieved the Commonwealth Games qualifying standard.
We all look forward to the team announcement in the near future. If selected, Chris will join Ellie Stone (Commonwealth Games) and Weynay Ghebresilasie (European Championships) in representing the club at major championships this summer.
Livingston Open Graded Meeting
All roads led to Livingston and Pollok Park on Friday night as the popular Livingston Open Graded Meetings and the Brian Goodwin 10km took place.
With the final UK YDL match taking place on Sunday, only Zoe Roberts (U17) travelled to Livingston to sharpen her basic speed and was rewarded with a personal best over 200m, running 26.52 (-0.7).
Other Livingston results were:
200m
- Emmanuel Nyamekye (Senior) – 23.03 (-0.7)
800m
- Sam Lesley (Senior) – 1:58.73
- Calum Butterworth – 2:09.06 PB
Brian Goodwin 10km
The popular Brian Goodwin 10km, held around Pollok Park, saw the return of Scottish internationalist Brogan Wallace following her fantastic run at the London Marathon.
Brogan took victory in the women’s race with a time of 34:17 as she begins preparations for her next marathon in Valencia later this year.
New member Calum Stevenson continued his excellent form, running 33:42 to finish 16th overall.
Other 10km races also took place over the weekend:
Greenock 10km
- Nico Jutten – 33rd
Loch Lomond 10km
- Joanne Harkins – 26th Female 40
Final UK YDL Match of the Season
On Sunday our young athletes travelled to Grangemouth for the final UK Youth Development League match of the season. Perfect weather greeted our athletes and they made the best possible use of it.
The statistics from the day speak for themselves:
- 3 club debuts
- 26 personal bests
- 14 first places (A or B string)
Congratulations to everyone involved. These achievements reflect the hard work and commitment of our athletes, coaches, team managers, officials and parents.
The team finished second overall, a vast improvement on last year and clear evidence of the progress being made throughout the club.
A full set of results can be viewed in the results spreadsheet.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1DkILLHO7W9ggbgUSLoqUR_vWlZlRSAAY3yGY5mtVaq4/edit?usp=sharing
Busy Weeks Ahead
Next weekend sees two teams from the club competing in the SuperTeams Finals, while on Sunday we will have multiple teams competing at the Scottish Relay Championships in Kilmarnock.
Further south, several athletes will travel to Wales to compete in the Welsh Championships.
There are still two league matches remaining this season:
- National League – Aberdeen (5 July)
- CSSAL – Grangemouth (12 July)
Following those fixtures, there will be a short break during the Commonwealth Games before attention turns to the National Championships in late August.
Recognition in the House of Commons
It is not every day that Shettleston Harriers receives a mention in the House of Commons, but local MP John Grady recently paid tribute to the club and the work we do within the community.
Speaking in support of Team Scotland ahead of this summer’s Commonwealth Games, he highlighted the achievements of former Commonwealth Games gold medallist Lachie Stewart and recognised the positive impact Shettleston Harriers continues to have on young people across the constituency.
A video clip of the tribute can be viewed below.
John Grady MP on X: “We’ll all be rooting for @Team_Scotland at the Commonwealth Games this summer. In the 1970 Games in Edinburgh, Lachie Stewart from @ShettlestonHarr won Gold. He is one of many fantastic athletes part of the Harriers, who do wonderful work with young people in my seat. https://t.co/0SaQAKwlzr” / X
