Athletics: No room for Scott at GB international

Capital hurdler Allan Scott has had his request turned down for a guest lane in the Aviva Great Britain Indoor International at Glasgow’s Kelvin Hall on Saturday.

Scott was hoping to get a chance to post a fast time after his encouraging return from the wilderness to win the Scottish Open 60 metres hurdles title in 7.85 seconds in Glasgow last Saturday. But the Scottish record holder, whose best is 7.52sec, has since been told by UK Athletics officials that there has been a change of policy and no guests are being allowed despite there apparently being a spare lane and one extra British runner.

World Championship bronze medallist Andy Turner is naturally named in the GB team, with British cap Lawrence Clarke also in the line-up, presumably taking the slot reserved for the Commonwealth Select in the match which also includes Germany, Russia and the United States.

Scott, 29, who had not raced for two years after retiring from the sport, will now accept an invitation to represent Scotland in a Celtic Nations Challenge in Cardiff this weekend.

Meanwhile, Capital miler Chris O’Hare (Edinburgh AC) has been invited to run in the prestigious Wanamaker Mile in the annual Millrose Games at Madison Square Gardens next month. The Tulsa University athlete, who finished runner-up in the NCAA Indoor Championship last March after setting a personal best of 3:56.48 at an earlier meeting, is one of five top US college athletes to be invited to the event to attempt to beat the American collegiate indoor record of 3:55.02. They include Miles Batty (Brigham Young), who beat O’Hare for the 2011 NCAA title and whose best is 3:55.79 and NIA Champion Silas Kisorio (Oklahoma Christian), whose best is 3:56.64.

O’Hare was delighted with his 800m win in 1:52.6 in Oklahoma last weekend: “It was a great confidence-builder even though the time wasn’t very fast,” he said.