Athletics: Young Learmonth takes on seniors in Sheffield

"I'LL be happy with a medal," said Scottish running hope Guy Learmonth (Lasswade) after his 800 metres heat win in the Aviva UK Indoor Athletics Championships and European trials at Sheffield - and he certainly was.

The 18-year-old Loughborough University student not only delivered the bronze medal yesterday but, in clocking 1 min 49.34secs, shaved .28 sec off his best and set his seventh Scottish Under-20 Indoor record for the distance in two seasons - and he still has another year in the age group.

This was no age group competition either but a top-quality senior event with the winner Joe Thomas (Cardiff), who represented Wales in Delhi last October, setting a personal best of 1:47.87 and the close runner-up, defending champion Andrew Osagie (Harlow) just .09 sec behind.

"I'm happy with it - to come away with a bronze from a senior champs as a junior is a great achievement for me and I also hit the qualifying time for the European Juniors in Estonia in July," said Learmonth.

"I had to leave it till the last 120 metres where I was in last place, but came through strongly in the home straight."

Eyemouth-based coach Henry Gray was delighted: "Guy got himself boxed in a bit but he came through like a train and may have earned himself a place in the GB team for the Grand Prix in Birmingham on Saturday."

Another exuberant Loughborough student was 22-year-old high jumper Jayne Nisbet (Edinburgh AC). In a competition dominated by Sheffield's heptathlon ace Jess Ennis, who withdrew as a precaution as her ankle was tight after clearing 1.88m, Nisbet cleared a season's best of 1.76 metres to finish fifth and then went close with three tries at 1.79m. "That felt really good and it's great to be back," said the former English Under-23 and Scottish outdoor champion, who has a best of 1.82m and who seemed a certainty to make the Scottish Commonwealth Games team for Delhi last year until hit by tendonitis in both knees.

"That was only my second competition today so by the time of the Scottish Championships (Feb 26) I'll be tip-top."

Her Capital clubmate and potential national title rival Emma Nuttall decided not to venture to Sheffield but will concentrate on the British Universities Championships in Sheffield next weekend.

Queen Margaret student Allan Hamilton (EAC) managed 7.07 metres in the last round of the long jump on Saturday for sixth place but would have needed a massive personal best for even a bronze.

Anglo Gemma Werrett (Rugby) was the second Scottish bronze medallist yesterday in the 60 metres hurdles where she was timed in a disappointing 8.41 secs after equalling Natalie Byer's 18-year-old Scottish record of 8.39 secs in winning her heat. Another Anglo Laura Kenney, now Mrs Whittle, had finished third in the 3000 metres on Saturday in 9:08.32 to claim Scotland's only other medal of the meeting behind the in-form veteran Helen Clitheroe (Preston) who added this title to her victory in last month's Glasgow International. The promising 19-year-old Beth Potter (Glasgow) was fourth in a personal best of 9:14.41.

Eilish McColgan (Dundee Hawkhill), daughter of Liz, could not quite get on the podium in the 1500m after winning her heat impressively on Saturday, finishing fourth in 4:26.16.

The biggest disappointment of the two days was probably Glaswegian Chris Baillie's seventh place in 7.94 secs in the 60 metres hurdles, an event won in style by his great rival Manchester's European outdoor champion Andy Turner in 7.61.

"Something's not quite working in my body at the moment - I've got no leg speed," said the 2006 Commonwealth Games silver medallist.