The presence of two Scots in the 1500m final at America’s prestigious NCAA college final serves to demonstrate the growing strength of Scottish middle distance running according to a former leading light in the sport.
Graham Williamson, one of Scotland’s greatest ever middle distance runners, has a vested interest in what is happening with his 19-year-old son Jamie having emerged as part of a gifted and motivated generation who look poised to take Scottish athletics to new heights and is hugely impressed by what he is seeing.
“When I was running there would be about four or five (Scottish) athletes maximum in the Great Britain squad, but Scots are now the first names on the team sheet and expectations over medals are high,” he has told PB magazine, which is being distributed to 12,500 Scottish Athletics members this week.
“These high-profile successes bring others through on their heels. The squad will grow in strength and depth because kids identify with success and want to be part of it.
“In Jamie’s event (1500m), there is Jake Wightman, Josh Kerr and Chris O’Hare. So Jamie really has his work cut out to make the Scottish team.”
Kerr has already won the mile event at the NCAA indoor championships this year and the European under-10 1500m champion who represents both Edinburgh Athletics Club and New Mexico University, has been joined in the final of the 1500m in Eugene this weekend by compatriot Neil Gourley of Tulsa University.
A contributory factor is the way in which some of the Scottish athletes are co-operating with one another while feeding off friendly rivalry, as Kerr has acknowledged in an article he has submitted to the same edition of PB, paying tribute to the help he received from Edinburgh clubmate O’Hare when finalising his move to the USA.
“Chris was extremely helpful to me in the application process for moving to the States,” Kerr noted.
“He gave me his in-depth opinion on each of the different universities and coaches that I was interested in. This advice was invaluable and I totally appreciated that help when moving to New Mexico.”
Wightman, Gourley, Kerr and O’Hare are now set to contest places at this summer’s World Championships in London at the British trials in Birmingham on July 1 and 2. All four have already achieved the required standard, so it is set to be a straight race.
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