14 October 2021.  VICTORIA PARK CITY OF GLASGOW AC were again triumphant in the Under-15 SATS Challenge Club of the Year, retaining their title from 2019. They can be thankful to their girls who piled on the points to ensure VPG were runaway winners.

Edinburgh AC, also stronger on the girls' side, retained their second position, with third place going to Dunfermline Track & Field Club. Dunfermline were sixth in the Under-13 age-group two years ago and tenth in the under-15s. 

A word too for Law & District AC who moved up three places from two years ago to fifth, but were the top scorers in the boys' events.

See the results here: Club of the Year

13 October 2021. Our annual SATS Challenge moves on to the under-15 age-group and this year's winner is 1500 metres runner Oliver Patton of Kilbarchan AAC. Oliver won the Scottish title and recorded an excellent mile time of 4:27.40 to head off the challenges of the other leading athletes. Two years ago, Oliver placed 4th in the Under 13 Challenge and he breaks a run of four female winners.

In second place was Central AC's Aaliyah McCloud who led the way in the 300m rankings and set a new championship best of 40.13 at the Scottish Championships. Third place went to Aberdeen's Rhys Crawford who led the way at 800 metres.

The effects of the pandemic this year - no indoor season, no schools championships and less top level competitive action - had an impact on the scoring this year. Only the top five scored highly enough to have placed in the 2019 top 20.

You can see the full top 20 on our SATS Challenge page . Previous winners: 2014 Emma Rae, 2015 Joel McFarlane, 2016 Kirsty Costello, 2017 Kirsty Costello, 2018 Anna Hedley, 2019 Rebecca Grieve.

The following changes of club have been approved by scottishathletics with effect from 1 October 2021: 

Lorna Baird, Ron's Runners to Kilmarnock H∾ Hannah Cameron, Edinburgh AC to Aberdeen AAC; Matthew Connolly, Dunbar RC to Team East Lothian; Alan Cunningham, Lothian RC to Corstorphine AAC; Elizabeth Dawson, Annan & Dist AC to Garscube Harriers; Eilidh de Klerk, Dundee Hawkhill Harriers to Edinburgh AC; Emily Jackson, Bellahouston Harriers to Bellahouston Road Runners; Thomas Gornall, Dunbar RC to Team East Lothian; Ed Guccione, Sheffield Triathlon Club to Westerlands XC Club; Christine Irvine, Bellahouston RR to VP Glasgow AC; Fraser Kelly, Team East Lothian to Dundee Hawkhill Harriers; Rebecca Kerr, Haddington RC to Team East Lothian; Fraser Lupton, Haddington RC to Team East Lothian; Matthew Lynch, Law & Dist AC to Cumbernauld AAC; Kirstin Maxwell, Gala Harriers to Corstorphine AAC; Alistair McLachlan, Giffnock North AC to Cambuslang Harriers; Fatoumata Ndure, Harmeny AC to Edinburgh AC; Liam Nolan, Falkirk Victoria Harriers to Law & District AC; Peace Oriabure, Harmeny AC to Edinburgh AC; Robbie Paterson, Moray RR to Highland Hill Runners; Kirstie Rogan, Moray RR to Highland Hill Runners; Sula Russell, Dunbar RC to Team East Lothian; Elspeth  Scroop-Reid, Garscube Harriers  to VP Glasgow AC; Steven Stone,  Falkirk Victoria Harriers to Forth Valley Flyers; Aimee Tawse, Ellon AC to Aberdeen AAC; Hannah Taylor, Ellon AAC to Aberdeen AAC; Grace Whelan, Moray RR to Aberdeen AAC.

GLASGOW, 9 October 2021: At the 4J Studios annual awards dinner held by scottishathletics in Glasgow's Hilton Hotel, Laura Muir was named Athlete of the Year and Owen Miller Para Athlete of the Year, Other athlete awards went to Kane Elliott (Under-20), Katie Johnson (Under-17) and Stefanie Reid (Masters). Josh Kerr was awarded the George Dallas Memorial Award  and the Tom Stillie Award went to Gerry Gaffney for his important involvement in health & safety enabling the return to competition this year. The Eddie Campbell award for hill running went to Fife AC's Isla Hedley.

6 October 2021. We have the result of our first category in the SATS Challenge for 2021, the Under 13 Athlete of the Year. There were three very strong candidates at the top of the leaderboard with Giffnock North’s Calum Dick who has dominated the 800 metres this year placing third. In second was the multi-talented Elgin athlete Holly Whittaker, who set new Scottish records in the 70 metres hurdles. But our winner of the Under 13 SATS Challenge, and the first sprinter to win the title, is Larkhall YMCA Harrier Emma Clark. Emma won the Scottish 100m and 200m titles by huge margins, winning the 100m by 0.69 seconds and the 200m by 1.40 seconds.

Emma takes her place alongside previous winners Owen Ashall (2014), Kirsty Costello (2015), Emma Johnson (2016), Meghan Porterfield (2017 and 2018) and Courtney Fraser (2019). Four of the titles have gone to throwers, but in this strange athletics year, not one thrower appeared in our top 20.

You can see the full top 20 here

The following changes of club have been approved by scottishathletics with effect from 1 September 2021:

Jennifer Allan, Fife AC to Pitreavie AAC; Lisa Christy, VP Glasgow AC to Corstorphine AC; Chris Earl, Dundee Road Runners to Dundee Hawkhill Harriers; Josie-Wren Golder, Perth Strathtay Harriers to Corstorphine AAC; Jonathan Kennedy, Law & District AC to Harmeny AC; Stephen Leek, Livingston AC to Edinburgh AC; Gabriel  McFarlane, Ross County AC to Elgin AAC; Harris McNicol, North Ayrshire AAC to Kilmarnock H∾ Innes McNicol, North Ayrshire AAC to Kilmarnock H∾ Roy Obaisiuwa, Kilbarchan AAC to VP Glasgow AC; Millie O'Neill, Springburn Harriers to Central AC; Robert Turner, Edinburgh AC to Musselburgh & District AC.

Sad to report the passing of George Sinclair, seen receiving Honorary Life Membership of scottishathletics from Menzies Campbell (photo: Bobby Gavin). 

Here is a link to the tribute on the Edinburgh AC website.

8 August 2021. The 2020 Olympic Games are over. For the Scottish track and field athletes, this was a major success. The first medals in individual events for 33 years, the largest Scottish contingent to compete in Olympic finals (double figures for the first time).

Pride of place goes to our medal winners, both achieving their glory with personal bests and national records. For Laura Muir, the greatest satisfaction. The hard work paying off. This was her 8th attempt at a medal on the world outdoor stage: From 16th in the 3000m at the 2012 World Juniors, SF World 2013, 5th World 2015, 7th Olympic 2016, 4th 1500 World 2017, 6th 5000 World 2017, 5th World 2019 and now the silver medal in a superbly run race in a new British record of 3:54.50, bettering her own record set five years ago. She has now run over 3 seconds faster at the event than any other British athlete.

The men's 1500m provided 2 Scottish athletes in the final for the first time in Olympic history. Both, on their day, are capable of medals. This time it was Josh Kerr in a majestic Scottish record of 3:29.05. Only Mo Farah has run faster amongst British athletes. The Scottish record had been held by John Robson at 3:33.83 for 38 years until Chris O'Hare then Jake Wightman bettered it. Jake reduced it below 3:30 to 3:29.47 in 2020. Now Josh holds the record and the bronze medal, the first 1500m medal won by a Scot since John McGough in 1906. Jake, 5th in the World 1500m final in 2019, will be disappointed with 10th in his first Olympics, but he can come back stronger.

Jemma Reekie was so close to joining them on the podium. 0.09 seconds - time it, that was the fine margin between success and an outstanding run. A personal best of 1:56.90 in the Olympic 800m final, but finding herself behind one of the most surprising of British medal-winners, an inspired Keely Hodgkinson. 

Eilish McColgan produced a top ten finish in an excellent time, although not in the event in which she was most experienced. She came from the disappointment of a jostling 5000m heat to produce her highest-placed finish in her 3rd Olympic Games, the first time she had run 10000 metres in a major championship. Andrew Butchart was never in contention for a medal but after missing the entire 2020 track year, he was over ten seconds faster than anything else he had produced this year. On paper, he was 14th fastest this year of the 16 finalists so to finish in eleventh position was an excellent performance.

Beth Dobbin equalled her season's best of 22.78 in qualifying from her heat but the semi-final was the most that could have been expected, with 22.26 as the slowest of the non-automatic qualifiers for the final. Nicole Yeargin was unfortunate to be disqualified for a lane infringement when she had otherwise qualified from her 400m heat but she produced three solid relay runs of 50.69, 50.59 and 50.44 and raced in both the 4x400m finals. Zoey Clark was unfortunate not to compete in either the mixed or women's 4x400 finals after her runs of 50.49 and 50.94 from leg 2 in the heats. 

Our marathon runners struggled in the heat and humidity of Sapporo, although for Callum Hawkins it appears it was injury that affected his run. Stephanie Davis, in her first international championship, came through strongly for her 39th placing, having been 65th at the halfway point. For Steph Twell that must have been a tough gig with no respite from the heat and humidity. Its not the way she would have wanted her 3rd Olympics to end but it speaks volumes that she stuck in and completed the course when the race was not going the way she would have planned.

For a complete record of Scottish athletes at all the Olympic Games, follow this link. And for a record of Scots at all the major international championships, click here.

The following changes of club have been approved by scottishathletics with effect from 1 August 2021:

Adom Akuoko, Dunfermline T&F AC to Pitreavie AAC; Matthew Flynn, Shettleston Harriers to Giffnock North AC; Robin Howie, Wharfdale Runners to Highland Hill Runners; Hannah Little, Edinburgh AC to Lasswade AC; Cara-Jay Murdoch, Larkhall YMCA Harriers to Law & District AC; Monica Padilla, Wharfdale Runners to Highland Hill Runners; Lucy Somerville  Cumbernauld AAC to Shettleston Harriers; Andrew Thomson, PH Racing Club to Fife AC; Angus Wlkinson, Calderglen Harriers to East Kilbride AC.

MONACO, 9 July 2021. Just after announcing her withdrawal from the 800 metres at the Olympic Games to focus solely on the 1500 metres, Laura Muir bettered Lynsey Sharp's Scottish record of 1:57.69 by 0.96 seconds with victory at the Herculis Diamond League meeting in 1:56.73. Jemma Reekie was also under 1:57 racing to 1:56.96 for a Scots 1-2. 

The pacemaker Sahily Diago Mesa took the field through a rapid 54.80 with Reekie 5th in 56.4 and Muir two places back in 56.7 but as they hit 600 metres, the two Scots had moved up two places. Muir produced a final 200 metres of 30.0 seconds to break the field as the first three all recorded personal bests.

An elated Muir said: "I just thought "just run as fast as you can! This is Monaco, I know I am in great shape". This is my last race before Tokyo, so I just wanted to give it my best and put on paper the sort of shape that I know I am in and I am just so happy with that.

Running 1:56 is giving me huge confidence for Tokyo. I will only be running the 1500m now, I decided that only a couple of days ago, but yes, I couldn't have asked for a better performance today ahead of the 1500 in Tokyo.

Having a training partner like Jemma is huge, Jemma has made me a much faster 800m runner. We push each other so much and we've both run 1:56, so I have definitely become faster because of her.

I am going to go home tomorrow, have a week at home before flying out to Tokyo and just train as hard as I can, so I am in even better shape in Tokyo. I want to win a medal, that is all I am focusing on."

The Olympic 1500 metres has all the makings of a great race, as Faith Kipyegon sped to an impressive 3:51.07 victory this evening ahead of Sifan Hassan.

1 July 2021, OSLO: With an improvement of almost 18 seconds on her own Scottish record of 14:46.17 at the Oslo Bislett Games and Diamond League meeting at Oslo, Eilish McColgan also bettered Paula Radcliffe's British record of 14:29.11.  *subject to usual ratification procedures

29 June 2021. 12 Scots are included in the Great Britain & Northern Ireland team of 72 athletes nominated to the British Olympic Association today. The 12 consist of 8 women and 4 men and all are either track or road athletes, with no Scottish representatives in the field events.

The number has only been bettered at the 1908 London Olympics (17) and 2016 Rio Olympics (15). Eilish McColgan is selected for her third Olympics, equalling the record appearances by a Scot held by David Jenkins, Lee McConnell and, of course, Liz McColgan.

The Scots selected are:

Women

200 metres Beth Dobbin (Edinburgh AC)

400 metres Nicole Yeargin (Pitreavie AAC)

800 metres Jemma Reekie (Kilbarchan AAC) & Laura Muir (Dundee Hawkhill Harriers)

1500 metres Laura Muir (Dundee Hawkhill Harriers)

5000 metres Eilish McColgan (Dundee Hawkhill Harriers)

10000 metres Eilish McColgan (Dundee Hawkhill Harriers)

Marathon Stephanie Davis (Clapham Chasers) & Stephanie Twell (Aldershot Farnham & District AC)

4x100 metres relay Beth Dobbin (Edinburgh AC)

4x400 metres relay Zoey Clark (Thames Valley Harriers) & Nicole Yeargin (Pitreavie AAC)

Men

1500 metres Josh Kerr (Edinburgh AC) & Jake Wightman (Edinburgh AC)

5000 metres Andrew Butchart (Central AC)

Marathon Callum Hawkins (Kilbarchan AAC)

Also selected today was the team for the European Under-23 Championships to be held in Tallinn, Estonia on 8-11 July. Scots named in the 54-strong team are:

Women

100 metres Alisha Rees (Edinburgh AC)

200 metres Georgina Adam (Loughborough Students AC)

1500 metres Erin Wallace (Giffnock North AC)

3000 metres steeplechase Sarah Tait (Lasswade AAC)

4x100 metres relay Georgina Adam & Alisha Rees

Men

10000 metres David Melville (Harvard University)

The following changes of club have been approved by scottishathletics with effect from 1 July 2021:

Howie Allison, Musselburgh & Dist AC to Team East Lothian; Sophie Collins, Hunters Bog Trotters to Costorphine AAC; Ellie Douglas, Larkhall YMCA Harriers to Law & District AC; Tamsin Fowlie, Aberdeen AAC to Elgin AAC; Kieran Halliday, Central AC to Cumbernauld AAC; Murran Mackay, Red Star AC to Perth Strathtay Harriers; Alasdair McLeod, Shettleston Harriers to Ochill Hill Runners; Lucie Nicoll, Arbroath & Dist AC to Dundee Hawkhill Harriers; Daniel Nicoll, Arbroath & Dist AC to Dundee Hawkhill Harriers; Mark Nixon, Romsey RR to Edinburgh AC; Liam Nolan, Forth Valley Flyers to Falkirk Victoria Harriers; Kirsty Oliver, Linlithgow AC to Airdrie Harriers; Thomas Otton, Gala Harriers to Carnethy Hill Racing Club; Nicole Proudfoot, Annan & Dist AC to Kilbarchan AAC; Kieran Pugh, Ayr Seaforth AC to Law & Dist AAC; Arron Sparks, Westerlands CCC to Highland Hill Runners; Isla Steel, Pitreavie AAC to Dunfermline T&F AC; Charlotte Steele, VP Glasgow AC to Law & Dist AAC; Ryan Stewart, Shettleston Harriers to Scottish Dental Runners.

2 June. Eilidh Doyle, Scotland's most medalled athlete on the international stage, has announced her retirement from competition today. In a sparkling career, Eilidh won 17 medals at major championships - 3 gold at European and European indoor championships, 8 silver (3 World, 2 European, 3 Commonwealth) and 6 bronze (Olympic, 3 World and 2 European). Her tally puts her top of Scotland's international  medal winners:

1. Eilidh CHILD/DOYLE 17

2. Angela MUDGE (Hill Running) 14

2= Yvonne MURRAY, John Suttie SMITH (Cross Country) & Lee MCCONNELL 11

In addition, Eilidh won four British titles at 400m hurdles and 3 at indoor 400m. She has 4 Scottish titles to her name and led the Scottish rankings at 400m hurdles for eleven straight years between 2008 and 2018.

Eilidh announced her retirement as follows:

Henry Clarkson's move from Liverpool to Edinburgh and Joel McFarlane's return to Arbroath are among this month's club changes. The following changes of club have been approved by scottishathletics with effect from 1 June 2021:

Stephen Allen, Motherwell AC to Cumbernauld AAC; Katie Alexander, Musselburgh & Dist AC  to Team East Lothian; Ava Beaton, Greenock Glenpark Harriers to Inverclyde AC; Gillian Carr, Corstorphine AAC to Moorfoot Runners; Dean Carr, Corstorphine AAC to Moorfoot Runners; Theo Carter, Shettleston Harriers to Cambuslang Harriers; Henry Clarkson, Liverpool Harriers & AC to Edinburgh AC; Charlie Copp, Musselburgh & Dist AC  to Team East Lothian; Andrew Gibson, Shettleston Harriers to Dumfries RC; Jennifer Glass, Hunters Bog Trotters to Deeside Runners; Scott Hannaway, Greenock Glenpark Harriers to Dundee Hawkhill Harriers; Richard Masson, Metro Aberdeen RC to Peterhead AC; Joel McFarlane, Central AC to Arbroath & Dist AC; Sharon McNicol, Troon Tortoises to Kilmarnock Harriers; Ross Munro, Ross County AC to Inverness Harriers; Emma Pedrana, Inverness Harriers to Pitreavie AAC; Alan Risk,  Carnethy Hill RC to Portobello RC; Emily Strathdee, Bristol & West AC to Edinburgh AC; Mark Thistelthwaite, Garscube Harriers to Shettleston Harriers; Alison Wilson, Inverness Harriers AC to Highland Hill Runners .

LOS ANGELES, 16 May. The battle for Commonwealth Games spots is hotting up and USA-based Nicole Yeargin boosted her chances with a 200m/400m double at the PAC-12 Championships in Los Angeles. Having improved to 51.99 earlier this year - just 0.01 off the 51.98 standard - Yeargin took third place in the 400m with 51.39, moving her to 6th in the all-time lists. She followed that up later in the day with a 23.17 200m for 5th place, a time that puts her 5th all-time and his her second mark inside the Games qualifying mark of 23.24.  During the week, Beth Dobbin had opened her season with a 23.06 qualifier.

The following changes of club have been approved by scottishathletics with effect from 1 May 2021:

Nicole Cameron, Whitemoss AAC to VP-Glasgow AC; Coirilidh Cook, Central AC to Aberdeen AAC; Gracie Gray-Giles, Ellon AAC to Aberdeen AAC; Mark Hand, Motherwell AC to Law & District AC; Simone Imrie, Garscube Harriers to Dundee Hawkhill Harriers; Angela Mudge, Carnethy HRC to Ochil Hill Runners; Ross Macdonald, Motherwell AC to Law & District AC; Sophie Sinclair, VP Glasgow AC to Springburn Harriers; Emily Stratton, Fife AC to Falkirk Victoria Harriers; Emma Sutherland, Metro Aberdeen RC to JSK RC; James Waldie, Hunters Bog Trotters to Perth RR; Stephen Webb, Clapham Chasers to Linlithgow AC; Marianne Wilson, North Highland Harriers to Bellahouston Harriers.

The following changes of club have been approved by scottishathletics with effect from 1 April 2021:

Sophia Graham, Arbroath & Dist AC to Dundee Hawkhill Harriers; Mark Harris, Anster Haddies to Fife AC; Ella  Nicholson, Musselburgh & Dist AC to Team East Lothian; Iona  Robertson, Moray RR to Highland Hill Runners; Rory Voss, Dunfermline Track & Field AC to Pitreavie AAC; Gemma Wade, Arbroath & Dist AC to Dundee Hawkhill Harriers.

The following changes of club have been approved by scottishathletics with effect from 1 March 2021:

Lauren Abbott, Moray RR to Elgin AAC; Ethan Brown, Joshua Liddell, John Marshall and Anna Smart, Haddington RC to Team East Lothian; Matthew Chandler, Central AC to Kilbarchan AAC; Ben Krievs, Andrew Irvine and Sophie Rhodes, Dunbar RC to Team East Lothian; Max Rickis, Donald Ross, Eily Sinclair and Alva Taylor, Musselburgh & Dist AC to Team East Lothian; Alice Robertson  Edinburgh AC to VP Glasgow AC; Vicki White, Vegan Runners to Hunters Bog Trotters.

FEBRUARY 13, NEW YORK: Jake Wightman set a new Scottish indoor 1500 metres record at the New Balance indoor grand prix meeting at New York's Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex.  Wightman set the pace in an attempt on Peter Elliott's long-standing British record of 3:34.20 set in 1990. Miawad (USA) set the pace going through 400m in 56.89 before Jake took over the lead, passing 800m in 1:54.40 and 1200m in 2:54.05, but he could not keep it going as his final 300m took 44.03 as he was overtaken by Australian Oliver Hoare's 41.67. Hoare won in 3:32.35 but Jake's time of 3:34.48, the second fastest time by a Briton, saw him break Josh Kerr's Scottish record of 3:35.72.

LIEVIN, FRA : 9 February 2021. Laura Muir bettered 4 minutes for the indoor 1500 metres for the first time indoors, setting British and Scottish records of 3:59.58, yet found herself over six seconds behind the Ethiopian Gudaf Tsegay, who set a new world record of 3:53.09. There was a swift early pace, 58.97 at 400 and 2:05.94 at 800 and with three laps to go Tsegay held a four-second lead over Muir, passing 1000m in 2:37.36. Tsegay, the world bronze medallist, held her pace and took more than two seconds off Dibaba's world indoor record. Muir, in her first race of the year, regained her British and Scottish records from Jemma Reekie. Reekie, meantime, was in fine form, opening her year with an 800m victory in 2:00.64.

The following changes of club have been approved by scottishathletics with effect from 1 February 2021: 

Allan Cameron, Motherwell AC to Cumbernauld AAC; Stephen Croft, Edinburgh AC to Carnethy Hill Racing Club; Oliver Elder, Shettleston Harriers to Airdrie Harriers; Bryan Mckenna, Buxton AC to Carnethy Hill Racing Club; Lauren McNair, Motherwell AC to Law & District AAC; Lesley Ross, Motherwell AC To Cumbernauld AAC.

News has reached me of the passing of Doris Tyndall, pictured here (no. 39) at the 1961 Scottish Championships. Doris was an extremely talented runner in her teens, representing Tayside AAC, and was a member of the Scottish Commonwealth Games team at Cardiff in 1958 at the age of 18, running in the 100 yards and 220 yards,  and a member of the sprint relay team which finished 5th in the 4 x 110 yards final.  She won the Scottish 100 yards championship in 1958 in 11.5 and took the 220y title that year (25.6) and the following year (25.8). She was a silver medallist on 5 occasions and bronze once.  She recorded a sprint double at the inaugural intermediate championships in 1955, defending her 220 yards title the following year.

Doris Millicent Tyndall, b.  Carnoustie, 31 March 1940; d. Dundee, 2020.

4 January 2021. As the Covid pandemic played havoc with the 2020 outdoor season, there is no SATS Athlete of the Year or Club of the Year tables for 2020.  World Athletics do maintain world ranking lists and Laura Muir is the highest placed Scot, 36th in the women's rankings. Jake Wightman is top Scot on the mem's side, ranked 150th.  Here are the leading Scottish athletes at the end of 2020 (2019 position in brackets):

4 January 2021. New lockdown measures have been introduced across mainland Scotland for the remainder of January. Here is an update on the athletics situation:

https://www.scottishathletics.org.uk/covid-19-update-our-advice-on-latest-lockdown-measures/

31 December 2020. 2020 has been a year like no other.  The SATS Athlete of the Year and Club of the Year have been cancelled but will hopefully resume in 2021. We do, however, have our annual rankings for 2020 which have less depth than previous years as the outdoor season was almost non-existent. You can find the rankings by following the rankings link above, or by clicking on the links below:

Senior Men  Senior Women

Junior Men  Junior Women

The following changes of club have been approved by scottishathletics with effect from 1 January 2021: 

Aaron Glendinning, Gala Harriers to Tweed Leader Jed Track; Gavin Morrison, Inverclyde AC to Greenock Glenpark Harriers; Sophie Wallwork, Pitreavie AAC to Dundee Hawkhill Harriers; Colin Whitby, Irvine RC to Garscube Harriers.