Liberated from the shackles of school, Tom Holligan has been taking the typical teenage approach to savouring his new-found freedom..
A midnight movie trip to catch Prometheus at the earliest opportunity. A spot of planning for the forthcoming prom night. A touch of lounging around Edinburgh without discernible intent.
Today at Scotstoun, the 18-year-old will be rather more active when he competes over 100 metres at the Scottish Athletics Championships. It will not, he promises, be a case of a boy among men. Having won the European and Commonwealth youth titles over 200 metres last year, he is already shouldering the pressure of comparisons with Allan Wells.
Native city apart, the two share the same self-confidence, bordering on the impudence. Holligan, in his senior debut, wants to depart Glasgow with both sprint titles. "That's my aim," he says. "My coach believes I can do that as well. It won't be a comfortable race. I will be pushed. But I feel I have the speed."
Not enough yet to be giving Usain Bolt immediate concern. But his mentor, Keith Ridley, has laid out a path of incremental improvement for his young charge over a critical two-year spell that will conclude with the Commonwealth Games.
"I want to be under 10.40 seconds by August," says Holligan, whose current best is 10.68. "That was my aim at the start of the year and getting into the low 21 seconds at 200m. If I'm hitting that by the end of the year, then by 2014, I can see a clear path to a medal."
School festivities apart, the primary goal for this summer is a place in Great Britain's team for the world junior championships. Given the wealth of competition at the age group, a relay spot may be the most realistic target, though. "There are a couple of boys ahead of me who are very quick already," he says. In truth, Holligan says he has yet to properly test his limits.
Unusually, he will remain in Scotland when he starts university in the autumn, eschewing the well-worn path to the likes of Loughborough and Bath in favour of a place at Aberdeen to study politics. In what could become a norm rather than the exception, financial concerns forced his hand.
"I was looking at going down south but I was put off by the tuition fees," he says. "I didn't really want to get in £36,000 debt for three years at university. And Aberdeen has outstanding facilities and a great set-up. So I'm happy to go there and try something different."
Elsewhere at Scotstoun, Susan Partridge will bid for the 5000m title today after setting a new best of 9:22.43 in Manchester last weekend, while Olympic hopeful Mark Dry is to square off with Andy Frost in an intriguing hammer contest tomorrow.
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