Athletics: Learmonth determined to learn from mistakes

LASSWADE'S Guy Learmonth twice broke his own Scottish National 800 metres record in the UK Indoor athletics championships and World Trials at Sheffield and he is hungry for more.

The 17-year-old schoolboy clocked one minute 50.98 seconds in third place in his heat on Saturday to clip 0.31 seconds off the time he set in winning the Sottish Inter-Regional title in Glasgow last month. He went on to improve this to 1:50.75 in yesterday's final. The fact that he missed out on a medal may have stemmed from his inexperience of running indoors at this level, for he was twice blocked before settling for fifth.

"I got pushed around a lot early on and then sat third for most of the way till the top bend of the last lap when I tried to attack but got checked," explained Learmonth. "I should have got at least the bronze but I'm happy I broke my Scottish record again.

"I'll smash it again next weekend for Scotland in the Celtic International (in Cardiff]", he promised.

The two young Capital Scots Patrick Swan and Scott Hughson (both Edinburgh AC), who made it through to the 400 metres final, also finished out of the medals though they took great credit for their performances.

Swan, who was at 16 the youngest-ever winner of the New Year Sprint five years ago, is now a student at Loughborough and broke 48 seconds for the first time in his semi-final (47.97) behind Berlin World Championship star Richard Buck, while Edinburgh University student Hughson in third place was only fractionally outside his best of 48.00 with 48.14 to qualify.

In the final, Swan overcooked things and paid the price, fading to fourth in 48.44, while Hughson was sixth in 48.85, still good running considering their hectic three-race schedule.

Nick Smith from Aberdour reached the final of the 60 metres sprint but just could not find the spark which lifted him to a Scots Native record of 6.63sec last year. That time would have sufficed for the bronze but he too had to be content with fifth in a disappointing 6.72sec in the wake of Dwain Chambers, fastest in the world this year with 6.50sec and Harry Akines Ayreetey, with a personal best of 6.55sec.

Laura Dunn (EAC) was fifth in the women's 1500m in a personal best time of 4:28.92 while clubmate Lauren Peffers set a European record for the deaf of 57.85sec in the 400m.

Kirsty Maguire (EAC) cleared 3.80m in the pole vault and went out at a season's best of 3.95m, while Anglo Scot Hen Paxton attempted a new Scottish record of 4.32m after clearing 4.21 for second place for one of only two Scottish medals in the meeting.

Glasgow's Alison Rodger took the other when she won the shot put with 16.02m.

Former EAC hurdler and jumper Ali Strange again cleared 5.16m in the men's vault before failing at a new best of 5.26m.