Olympics: Absent Eilidh Child steals the show

The biggest cheers of the day at a sparsely attended Scottish Athletics Championships at Scotstoun, Glasgow, came when it was announced that Pitreavie’s Eilidh Child had beaten her own Scottish national 400 metres hurdles record with an Olympic A qualifying standard of 54.96 seconds – in Geneva.

She is only the third Scot so far to achieve an A standard. “I just feel a weight has been lifted off my shoulders,” said Child. Now she need only finish in the first two at the UK Trials in Birmingham in three weeks to clinch her Olympic place.

By contrast few reputations were enhanced at a bitterly cold Scotstoun.

Teenager Tom Holligan (Edinburgh AC) won the 100m in 11.08sec from Ryan Oswald (Pitreavie) and three teenagers impressed in the 400m heats, Jay Younger (EAC) winning his race in 48.14 from Martyn Patterson, with Scottish under-16 rugby cap Ben Robbins carving half a second off his best in third place (49.67). Not to be outdone Guy Learmonth (Lasswade) moved down from the 800 to win the next heat in 48.18, a personal best by 0.1sec.

Canada-based Emma Nuttall (EAC) won the high jump, beating teammate Jayne Nisbet with a third time leap of 1.80m while another clubmate, Susan McKelvie, retained her hammer title with a throw of 63.10m. Angus McInroy (Aberdeen) took the discus title for the fifth time with 53.21m. John Carr won the long jump, leaping 7.49m.