One of Scotland's most promising athletes has revealed he is on the brink of moving to the United States, claiming he has been let down by the people who run the sport.
Jax Thoirs, the pole-vault prospect, admits he is disillusioned with the support network available on home soil following the departure of his mentor Steve Rippon, who quit earlier this year after being left in limbo by Scottish Athletics for several months over its head coaching job.
Thoirs, a 19-year-old from Glasgow who set a national junior record of 5.11 metres earlier this year, has already received scholarship offers from two universities in the States, with promises to provide ample backing for his ambitions. He says the coaching and facilities available there, and the loss of Rippon, could force him to make the transatlantic move.
"Steve left for Finland," he said. "I still do his programme but it's important to have a full-time coach and I'm not getting that here in Glasgow but I will do if I get away.
"It was disappointing that Steve left. I couldn't believe it when I found out he was coming to Glasgow. I never expected him to end up here and it was a dream come true when he came. He saved me from having serious back problems and I don't think I'd be pole vaulting otherwise."
Thoirs' prospective departure is just another issue to resolve for Stephen Maguire, the incoming director of coaching, when he arrives to take up his post at Scottish Athletics later this year.
The failures in the system are troubling and numerous. Last week, Thoirs missed out on the chance to compete in the Olympic Stadium, claiming Glasgow University, where he currently studies film, failed to send off his entry for the BUCS Championships that served as the test event for London 2012. "It's just a ridiculous thing to happen," he said. "The least they should be doing to getting you into the competitions you want. I was gutted; there was a packed crowd in there.
"I'll now have to try and get there for the 2017 World Championships. The world juniors in Barcelona this year are in the Olympic Stadium there, as well, so I'd like to be at it."
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