Elgin Amateur Athletics Club star Holly Whittaker claims silver medal on international debut at SIAB (Schools International Athletics Board) Combines Events competition at Cardiff Met and wins best Scottish athlete award
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A podium performance on her international debut showed off the all-round athletics talent of Moray schoolgirl champion hurdler Holly Whittaker.
Already a Scottish and English Championships title holder at her preferred event of 60 metres hurdles, the 15-year-old Elgin High pupil was called up to represent Scotland at the SIAB (Schools International Athletics Board) Combined Events competition at the Cardiff Met indoor stadium.
Pitting her wits against the best English, Welsh and Irish athletes in the five-discipline pentathlon event, Whittaker was on top form as she won an individual and team silver, and was awarded the best Scottish athlete in the competition.
She achieved a personal best in both the hurdles and shot putt, and missed out by tiny margins on a PB in the long jump, high jump and 800 metres.
Her performance was enough to secure the individual silver medal, beaten only by Welsh girl Olivia Schrimshaw in an elite field of both under and over 16 year-olds.
The Elgin Amateur Athletics Club star said: “It was really good, but really scary as well. Being up against all the other countries it felt like a different level.
“Most of my events I felt really good about. The high jump I was really nervous for because it wasn’t going well in training but I managed to pull off a really good jump (1.50 metres) and I was so happy.”
Whittaker excelled in the shot putt, throwing a 50cm personal best of 10.07m. She ran her best-ever hurdles but still had to settle for second place, beaten by 0.01 seconds by the eventual champion in a thrilling race.
"I ran 8.85 seconds, my best yet and I was really happy with the time - but I still got beat."
Schrimshaw, who Whittaker has built up a friendship with - they were even born on the very same day - could be one of Whittaker's biggest rivals on the combined events scene next season.
"Our race was really close. I raced her once before in Manchester and beat her by quite a bit so I was not expecting this. But it has made me even more determined to beat her again.
"It was by 0.01 of a second, she got off to a really good start and she just beat me."
Whittaker assumed that being presented with the individual and team silver medals would be her last visit to the podium, until she landed the best Scottish athlete prize.
"I didn't know what was going on. I was over getting pictures with the other athletes and they asked me to go over to the podium - and there was an announcement that I was getting a special award.
"I went on top of the podium but I didn't know what it was for. My team was all cheering me on and it just felt great."
The Scottish champ, who now moves up to under-17 level, was thrilled to be part of the Team Scotland experience for the first time.
“There were 16 of us and we were all rooting for each other. It was my first international appearance and it ranks pretty high in everything I’ve done so far.
“Most of the girls, I’ve competed against them before in the hurdles at the English Championships.
“It was really good being part of the Scottish set-up. We are all really close now and it was so much fun to be a part of.”
Whittaker has to travel to Aberdeen several times a week with her parents for indoor training, with no suitable facilities in Moray.
She hopes to stay in the international scene by competing in both the hurdles and long jump at next year’s outdoor SIAB international.
