Sam Lyon once again played a key role as Aberdeen AAC swept to victory in yesterday’s Scottish men’s athletics league Division One match, a result which keeps his team well on course to lift the title for a fourth year in a row.
The 25-year-old has been a major scorer for his club throughout this long run of success and despite moving to London 18 months ago, he always makes time to fly back for national league competitions.
Lyon tackled four events at the Aberdeen Sports Village meeting, his best performance coming in the long jump, clearing a PB 7.09metres which looked good enough to win before Shettleston’s David Martin popped up with a final round 7.14.
Lyon won the triple jump with 14.45, finished fourth in the javelin with a throw of 43.66 and helped Aberdeen take second in the 4x100m relay.
He said: “I’ll do anything for the team as there’s a great spirit among us all.
“It has been a great achievement winning the league three years in a row and now it looks as though we’re heading for a fourth.
“I am pleased to get a personal best in the long jump as I haven’t done that for two years. I had serious back problems for a long time and although I seem to be over that, it still gets sore but I can push through it.
“My main focus is on the long jump and hopefully I can improve even more. I feel there are more big jumps in me and it’s just a case of making them happen.”
There was a one-two for Aberdeen AAC in the 5,000m with Will Mackay and James Hoad fighting it out over the closing stages and achieving personal best times. Mackay won in 14:44.02 with Hoad second in 14:45.60.
Former Aberdeen runner Stephen Dunlop (Kilbarchan AAC) won the 100m in 11.1 while Desmond Ojei (Aberdeen AAC) showed impressive form after returning from injury to win the B-string in 11.4.
Michael Ferguson (Aberdeen AAC) was pipped for first in the 800m by Pitreavie’s Ewan Dyer who won by 0.35 in 1:56.09.
Stewart Millar won the B-string race for the hosts in 1:58.99.
Ian Coghill cleared 3.80 to finish second in the pole vault, won the B-string 110m hurdles (20.26) and competed in the 4×400 to help Inverness Harriers consolidate in mid-table.
Former boxer Matty Papp contributed to the Inverness points tally by finishing third in the discus (40.74) and fourth in the shot (10.48). In the B-string he was second in the javelin (42.95) and fourth in the hammer (20.28), and he took part in the 4×100.