Athletics: Habbies pick up medal haul

Feb 20 2009 by Paul Behan, Paisley Daily Express

THE hectic indoor season continued with the Scottish Age Group Championships at the Kelvin Hall.

And Kilbarchan Athletic Club’s young stars were once again in sizzling form.

On the day they performed exceptionally well.

The athletes returned home with two gold, three silver and four bonze medals for their efforts.

Andrew McLaughlan dominated the under 17 men’s shot.

He won the title with a fine effort of 14.56m.

There was also gold for Derek Colquhoun in the under 15 boys’ high jump.

Derek equalled his best with a clearance of 1.75m.

Scottish Schools High Jump Champion Hazel Ross just missed gold in the under 17 women’s events.

The top two jumpers both cleared 1.70m and Hazel lost out on count back.

Hazel also missed out on the gold medal by just 0.02secs in the 60m hurdles.

But she has still had a very successful indoor season.

The club is sure that her performances will give her confidence for the future.

There was also a silver medal for Cameron Clark in the under 20 men’s triple jump with 14.09m.

Cameron also picked up a bronze in the long jump with a 6.04m clearance.

Connor Henderson was a bronze medallist in the under 17 men’s 400m. His run was timed at a speedy 52.92secs.

There was also bronze medal success for Judith McNicol in the under 20 women’s 60m hurdles.

Adrian Mendez-McVeigh also picked up bronze in the under 15 boys 800m.

In other news Alison Rodger of Kilbarchan Athletic Club continued her 2009 winning streak with a victory in the women’s shot putt on day two of the Aviva UK Championships and European Trials at the English Institute of Sports in Sheffield.

It’s her fifth consecutive victory of the year to date.

And she set the standard for the Scots athletes on the day.

Rodger’s victory follows on the back of her win during the DM Hall Scottish Closed Senior and Senior Open Championships within the last month.

She won the shot putt event with her fifth effort of six.

This was an indoor personal best of 15.79m.

And it was only marginally short of her 15.88m outdoor best set in the UK Challenge Throws Fest in Birmingham last summer.

Alison also defeated GB Olympic heptathlete Kelly Sotherton, who set a season’s best, by over a metre, with a putt of 14.50m.