Moray hammer thrower shows games potential
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TALENTED teenage hammer thrower Emma Bowie has hit the top of the UK rankings.
Emma (14) is now the No.1 ranked thrower in the UK for her age group.
And Scotland’s top coaches have already earmarked her as a Commonwealth Games hopeful for 2018 or 2022.
The Speyside High School pupil smashed the schools and age group records at the recent Scottish Schools Championships in Grangemouth with a throw of 46.26m.
Her elevation to top ranked thrower comes less than a year after she took up the hammer.
Emma has been coached by Margery Swinton from Knockando since she was aged 11 and also excels in the discus.
The teenager also struck gold at the recent North Schools Championships in Inverness.
Swinton said: "Emma is an exceptional talent. She is so committed and dedicated.
"She trains five times a week at sprinting and throwing drills and three times a week at home doing circuits."
The teenager has outgrown the throwing facilities at Knockando and travels once a week to Elgin to train in the throwing cage at Morriston. Coach and thrower also travel once a week to Inverness to train.
"She probably does about 900 miles a month and that is without competitions," said Swinton.
In recent months, she has been to Inverness, Grangemouth and Fife to take part in events.
And all of that is done without any sponsorship or commercial backing, added Swinton, who has been a coach with Moray Roadrunners for 15 years.
She said Emma’s success and growing stature in the sport has also been achieved despite the chronic lack of decent athletic facilities in Moray which forces talented youngsters to travel to Inverness, Aberdeen or even further afield to train and compete.
The youngster will compete on a UK and international stage later this year too.
She is targeting gold at the English Schools Championships in August and is also heading to a competition in Germany in September.
Swinton praised the support she receives from Speyside High School in working with all its talented athletes.
Aside from Emma, the school achieved success at the North Schools when brothers Ben and Jack Mitchell also struck gold.
Jack (12), who is ranked at under-15 level in Scotland, won his hammer competition, while Ben (14), won gold in the high jump, 80m hurdles and 400m. He is ranked third in Scotland for high jump, ninth and eighth respectively in hurdles and 400m.
Swinton said this was the best ever result for Speyside High at an athletics meeting.
"I can’t thank the school enough for their support. They have always been 100% supportive," she said.
Anybody keen to find out more about coaching opportunities on Speyside and at Moray Roadrunners can contact Margery Swinton on 01340 810662.
Meanwhile, Milne’s High pupil Dionne Milne broke the discus record at the Scottish Schools meeting with a massive throw of 34.48 metres. She is currently ranked number one in Scotland and number four in the UK.
