Westhill Academy pupil Robbie Farquhar showed his preparations for next month’s Scottish heptathlon championships are going well by posting the fastest 60m hurdles time of the day in the Aberdeen Sports Village open graded meeting.
The Scotland junior international was just a little short of his personal best of 8.62sec when clocking 8.70 on a day when temperatures at the indoor venue seemed barely higher than outside.
Farquhar was reasonably happy with his track performance but was less than delighted shortly afterwards when he cleared 9.90m in the shot.
He said: “I felt really good in the warm-up for the run but when it came to the race I ended up not being as fast as I wanted to be between the hurdles. The track here isn’t too fast and it was cold so, although it’s not my best time, I’m satisfied.
“However, the shot didn’t go too well. I was well outside my best but I’ll learn from my mistakes.”
Earlier in the month the 17-year-old sixth-year pupil, who has recently moved into the under-20 age group, returned from the English combined events championships at Sheffield where he finished a creditable sixth in the heptathlon with a score of 4,674 points.
He set personal best times in the 60m hurdles, pole vault and 1,000m.
Now Farquhar has his sights set on the Scottish heptathlon championships in Glasgow next month.
He said: “I was very happy with my performances at Sheffield. I messed up my high jump but otherwise it was fine and I got a few personal bests.
“The Scottish championships are my next target.”
David Irvine warmed up for next weekend’s Scottish senior indoor championships by setting the fastest 60m time of the day.
The Aberdeen AAC sprinter clocked 7.14sec in his opening heat, just .1sec outside his fastest, before going on to achieve a new lifetime best of 7.06 to finish ahead of his clubmate Robbie Shaw, who was timed at 7.20.
There was also a personal best for Banchory Stonehaven AC teenager Craig Strachan, whose 7.30 was the third fastest of the day.
Stephen MacKenzie (Inverness Harriers), who last summer won the Eric Liddell memorial Trophy for breaking the Scottish schools championship triple jump record, which had stood since 1996, was also in fine form. The 16-year-old Ullapool athlete set a personal best of 7.44 in the 60m then won the triple jump with 13.99.
Fergus Rule (Aberdeen AAC) set his fastest time of 7.41 in the first 60m heat then matched that performance in heat two.
Alister Mackay (Ross County), 14, achieved his quickest 60m hurdles time of10.29 when finishing second in his heat behind North Ayrshire’s Aiden Brindley, 9.71.