Cameron Tindle aiming high after Games call-up

Cameron Tindle will fly the flag for Scotland at the Commonwealth Youth Games. Picture: Lisa Ferguson

That is about to change over the next couple of months with long-haul trips to Colombia and Samoa on his agenda as he continues his progress in the world of international athletics.

The latter trip to the South Pacific will be for the fifth Commonwealth Youth Games and Tindle was in Stirling yesterday as the 28-strong Scotland team was announced.

The Berwick speedster is viewed as the country’s best sprinting prospect for some time and already has two senior Scotland caps to his name, as well as winning the 146th New Year Sprint at the start of the year at Musselburgh.

As yesterday’s press conference was taking place, Tindle discovered that he had been named in the Great Britain and Northern Ireland team for the IAAF World Youth Championships, which will take place in Cali, Colombia from 15-19 July.

After that, the 200 metres specialist will wear the blue vest of Scotland in Samoa from 5-11 September at the Commonwealth Youth Games and he said yesterday he couldn’t wait.

He may speak with the slight Northumberland lilt of a Berwicker, but Tindle was born on the Scottish side at Borders General Hospital.

He said: “I’m very excited. Ever since I knew there was such a thing as these Youth Games, I’ve had my eyes set on it.”

One of the few disappointments from last year’s magnificent Commonwealth Games in Glasgow was the fact that the host nation didn’t field a single able-bodied male or female athlete in the individual sprint events.

Seasoned track and field observers have been purring over Tindle’s potential, but the youngster is taking one thing at a time, adding: “I’m not focusing too much on the future and aiming for senior Games and the like. I just want to keep getting quicker and see what happens.”

Tindle has been abroad once on a school ski trip, but that was on a ferry, so he is looking forward to clocking up some serious air miles in the coming months.

He only focused seriously on athletics a couple of years ago and said: “I started playing rugby, on the wing for Berwick, but I picked up a serious injury, tearing my cartilage in my knee and it got to a point that everyone had got so much bigger and it wasn’t really going to work.

“I knew, being a winger, that I was quick, so I thought I’d give athletics a shot, ended up joining Edinburgh AC and it’s paid off.”

Trained by Henry Gray, Tindle will be joined in the GB team for Colombia by another member of the Scotland Commonwealth Youth Gamers, Ben Greenwood, of Perth, who has been selected for the 800m.

The concept of the Youth Games was designed by Scotland in 2000 and the event has a proven track record, with 66 athletes progressing to the senior Games, including the likes of Glasgow 2014 medallists Hannah Miley, Robbie Renwick, Josh Taylor, Charlie Flynn and Lynsey Sharp.