Yates begins year with PB in shot putt

Published on 08/02/2013 00:00

Kirsty Yates is the latest member of the Scottishathletics Commonwealth Squad to open 2013 in terrific form, delivering a shot putt personal-best at Grangemouth this week in her first meeting of the indoor season.

Yates threw 15.87m to move into third place in Scotland’s all-time indoor list for the event and become our best at under-23 level. It was a superb effort by the teenager who lives near Dumfries and is coached by Joyce Rammell.

Yates’s throw was beyond the 15.50m being asked for the Commonwealth Games by Team Scotland, although that qualification standard period does not open until April 1 this year.

The Scot, only 19, also moved into second in the 2013 British rankings and now looks in good form for the weekend UK Championships and European Indoor trials in Sheffield over the weekend where she could be in contention for a medal.

With Allan Smith and Eilidh Child having set Scottish Native Records in recent weeks and other athletes having made impressions on the all-time lists, it seems Glasgow 2014 is proving a big motivation.

Child, Laura Muir and Guy Learmonth have already set 
European Indoor qualifying standards and top-two finishes at Sheffield this weekend should book their places for Gothenburg early in March.