Inside Track: Holligan comes through his latest Turkey travails

The organisers of the European Youth Olympics in Trabzon, Turkey, seem to have been having some technical problems, not least in deciding whether to have semi-finals in some events or not.

Capital sprinter Tom Holligan (Edinburgh AC) was actually warming up for what he believed was a semi-final of the 200 metres when he found out that it had been cancelled and he was through to today's 200 metres final.

So Holligan was in fact the second fastest qualifier after finishing second in his first-round heat in a personal best of 21.59 secs.

The 17-year-old Firrhill High School pupil is also through to today's 4 x 100 metres relay final, to be held some 90 minutes after the 200m, after the British team qualified in their heat in 41.72 secs, the third fastest time overall. Holligan is one of only two Scots in the British team in Turkey and hopes to clinch his place in the Scottish team for the Commonwealth Youth Games in the Isle of Man in September.

He is one of eight athletes to have made the Scottish qualifying standard but not all eight will go as there is a limit on the number of places open to athletics.

The Scottish athletics selectors are due to finalise their nominations to the Commonwealth Games Scotland Board after the Scottish Under-18 Championships at Scotstoun tomorrow.

Drummond pupil Kimberley Reed (EAC), Scotland's only winner in the British Schools International in Cardiff recently and a winner again at the Northern Premier Division of the National Junior League at Gateshead (53.51m), will certainly be one of the favourites to make the trip across the Irish Sea and will be back in action at Scotstoun tomorrow.

Another hammer-thrower, Myra Perkins, will be keen to make amends in the under-20 age group on Sunday for her failure to qualify for the last eight in the European Under-20 Championships in Tallinn last week.

Track highlight on Sunday could be the 400 metres clash between Lasswade's Greg Louden, also just back from Tallinn, and New Year Sprint winner Martyn Paterson (Central). Louden ran a brisk 46.8 seconds relay leg for GB in the 4 x 400 team in Estonia and should be ready for a sub-48 secs if the conditions are kind in Glasgow.

The British Under-20 women's brilliant 4 x 400m relay anchor runner Kirsten McAslan, meanwhile, will not run either in Glasgow or at the UK senior event in Birmingham this weekend. The 17-year-old Manchester schoolgirl, who stormed to the gold with a 52.42 final leg, is going on holiday to France.

Guy Learmonth (Lasswade) is another talented teenager sensibly taking a break after competing in the 800 metres in Tallinn. The 19-year-old Loughborough student will, however, be heading north next week to compete at Tweedbank.