Glasgow heroes vie for top Scottish athlete award

FIVE Scots who won medals at Hampden and Zurich last summer will contest this year’s title for KUKRI Scottish Athlete of the Year.

The shortlist features Eilidh Child, Libby Clegg, Mark Dry, Chris O’Hare and Lynsey Sharp.

Child and Sharp won medals at both the Commonwealth Games and the European Championships; Clegg won gold at Hampden at Glasgow 2014, with hammer thrower Dry collecting bronze the same night, and 1,500m runner O’Hare took bronze in Zurich.

The winner will be announced at the scottishathletics Annual Dinner on Saturday 22 November. Hampden has been chosen for the occasion with Glasgow 2014 fresh in the memory but the scottishathletics awards reflect the full spectrum of the sport from track and field to Para athletics to youngsters to road running and cross country as well as ultra and hill running.

And, as is usual in a Commonwealth Games Year, there is an additional award for 2014 for what is deemed the best performance at the Games by a Scot at Glasgow 2014.

Scottishathletics chief executive Nigel Holl: “I think the shortlists fully reflect our sport and some really terrific performances by some of our top athletes. It has taken winning a medal at either the Commonwealth Games or the European Championship, or both, to make the top five for the main award.

“Hampden was special for the Games and a lot of memories are going to be evoked at this time of year as people look back on the Commonwealths.

“Winning four medals for track and field was a success for Team Scotland – the best medal haul since 1994.”

Shortlists:

KUKRI Athlete of the Year: Eilidh Child, Libby Clegg, Mark Dry, Chris O’Hare, Lynsey Sharp.

Commonwealth Games Athlete of the Year: Eilidh Child, Libby Clegg, Mark Dry, Lynsey Sharp.

U20 Athlete of the Year: Catriona Graves, Sammi Kinghorn, Andrew Lawler, Kimberley Reed, Shaun Wyllie.

U17 Athlete of the Year: George Evans, Josh Kerr, Maria Lyle, Lewis McGuire, Alisha Rees.

Masters Athlete of the Year: Jo Butterfield, Hayley Haining, John Thomson, Joasia Zakrzewski.

Para Athlete of the Year: Libby Clegg, Meggan Dawson-Farrell, Sammi Kinghorn, Maria Lyle, Stef Reid.