Elgin Amateur Athletics Club get ready for summer season on back of national indoor success

MORAY athletes spurred on by indoor success are getting ready for the summer track and field season.

Elgin AAC took part in the National Indoor Championships over a range of events and age categories earlier this year at Glasgow's Emirates Arena.

Club highlights included a Scottish gold medal success for Lexi Grant in the girls' under-15 triple jump, giving beyond 10 metres.

Winning silver for the club were Lauren Abbott in the 300 metres with a personal best of 43.36, and Eilidh Neillie Rutherford in the high jump, another PB of 1.35m.

Holly Whittaker claimed bronze in the long jump and 60 metres hurdles, with under-13 Gemma Forgie also a bronze medallist in the hurdles with a personal best of 10.65 seconds.

A total of 12 athletes from the club claimed the six medals across seven events, breaking two club records and achieving seven personal bests.

Georgia Grant, Niamh Scott and Alexander Hendry took part in the U17 national champs, grabbing two PBs with some strong performances.

In the National Indoor Relay and Combined Events Championships, Tom Palmer and Dean Murdoch took part for the first time in the seven-event heptathlon.

Both finished a creditable sixth, each broke a club record in the process as well as four PBs between them.

Ava Cruickshank, Evie Collins , Lauren Abbott and Lexi Grant also travelled to the Emirates Arena to race together in the 4x200m relay.

Club head coach Scott Hamilton said: "Despite running really well and breaking a club record set in the early 2000s, with a time of 1:55.29 they were just half a second short of making the final."

He added: "Overall this winter not only are we seeing an increase in medal haul but also the increase number of athletes taking part in training and competition, and their improvement is really impressive.

"We are all really proud of them and look forward to an exciting and busy season."

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