Over 360 pupils from secondary schools compete in first North of Scotland School Athletics competition since 2019
More 360 pupils attended and competed in the first North of Scotland Schools Athletics Championships to be held since 2019.
Formerly a fixture on the school sports calendar, it had not been held since the Covid-19 pandemic, but returned after a six-year absence with the hundreds of pupils descending on Inverness Leisure.
Featuring schools from across the north, a teachers’ committee consisting of Millburn Academy’s Hannah Mackenzie, Dingwall Academy’s Ruari Rogan, Fortrose Academy’s Connie Campbell and Elgin Academy’s Ross Wilson worked to bring the event back.
First, second and third-year pupils competed across a range of events, namely the 100m, 200m, 800m, 1500m, 4x100m mixed relay, shot put, javelin throw, high jump, long jump and triple jump.
In the end, it was Millburn Academy who claimed victory across most of the age groups, winning in five of the six overall categories.
In the S1 girls’ standings they were followed by Inverness Royal Academy and Grantown Grammar School.
The S1 boys’ standings saw Millburn trailed by Fortrose Academy and Inverness Royal Academy.
The S2 girls was the one category where Millburn did not triumph, with joint-winners in the form of Charleston Academy and Grantown Grammar and Fortrose Academy in third.
Millburn did come out on top in the S2 boys’ group through, with Tain Royal Academy runners-up and Dingwall Academy in third.
It was another sweep of the third year groups for Millburn, with Dingwall Academy second in both the boys’ and girls’ categories and Forres Academy’s girls third, with Charleston Academy’s boys third.
Individual stand-out performances from the day included Freya Lawnin (S2, Millburn Academy) and Isla Burns (S3, Culloden Academy) who both won three gold medals across the 100m, 200m and high jump.
Dingwall Academy also saw Crawford Grandson win golds in the javelin throw and triple jump, as well as claiming a bronze in the 100m.
Millburn Academy teacher Hannah Mackenzie said: “There were some excellent performances throughout the day. It was so good to see all the pupils competing to such a high level with smiles on their faces and in such nice weather.
“On behalf of North of Scotland Athletics, I’d like to thank the staff and pupils that helped the day run smoothly, 3 Little Bakers for catering, Phil McCones for providing ice cream and Willie at Inverness Leisure.”
Dingwall Academy’s Ruari Rogan added: “It was amazing to see so many pupils from so many schools competing against each other and testing themselves at a higher level than they are used to.
“It was a great experience for pupils competing against club competitors and seeing them realise they might have a talent for athletics.
“Many kids didn’t realise they were so good until they came away with a medal against all these strong competitors.
“None of these pupils were in school the last time this competition was on, so it was a new experience for all of them.
“Being the first competition back, we just had S1-3 pupils, and schools will bring more in the future now that they know what to expect, so it will be great to see it go from strength to strength in the coming years.”