Athletics: City’s young athletes set new records

Drummond schoolboy Morro Bajo and Stockbridge primary pupil Kingsley Cunningham both broke Scottish age groups records for Edinburgh AC as the Capital club jousted with the top English teams at the National Young Athletes League final at Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium yesterday.

In perfect conditions Bajo clipped 0.1 seconds off clubmate Kieran Kivlin’s National Under-15 100 metres best with a time of 11.17 secs and Cunningham improved the National Under-13 100m record by 0.4 secs to 12.06.

Another Scottish record in victory came in the Under-13 4x100m relay where Cunningham anchored Michael Olsen, Mchael Dennis and Cal McLennan to a time of 52.03 secs to take a record previously held by Lasswade.

But overall Edinburgh, without stars Kimberley Reed (Drummond) and Seumas Thomson (Watsons) who were representing Scotland in the UK School Games at Sheffield, and despite 62 medals, 46 individual personal bests and four relay season’s bests, struggled to match their combined total of previous years and eventually finished fifth behind Enfield (832pts), Windsor (757.5), Sale (728.5 and Rugby (691).

Borderer John Glen even dashed south from Sheffield to compete in the Under-17 200m, 400m and both relays after representing Scotland on the first day of the School Games where he won a bronze in the 4x100m relay in 42.94 secs.

As predicted, the Under-13 age group proved most fruitful for Edinburgh at Birmingham with Natalie Robbins scoring a splendid individual treble, winning the 75m, 150m and shot, and also helping EAC win the sprint relay.

Kirsten Peters was another Capital winner taking the Under-17 800m.

Reed meanwhile, whose competition was yesterday at Sheffield, added the UK School Games title to her growing collection with one of her best ever hammer throws, reaching 55.00m, a welcome form boost ahead of this week’s Commonwealth Youth Games in the Isle of Man. EAC’s Olivia O’Hare took silver in the 800m in 2:11.98 as well as a bronze in the 4x300m relay.