Glenpark Harriers duo Simon Okiti and Josh Deegan shone at the recent Scottish Athletics National Track & Field Championships in Aberdeen.
Simon won a brilliant bronze in the senior men’s 200m final, making him one of the very few local sprinters to achieve such success in the national sprint finals. After a sticky start to the season, Simon exploded from the blocks in his heat and established himself within the race before speeding into the home straight ahead, crossing the line in first place in 22.26 seconds and comfortably securing automatic qualification for the final, almost two tenths ahead of his nearest competitor.
At final time, competing against Scotland’s fastest athletes, Simon was drawn in an outside lane and was the target for athletes inside him.
Undaunted by this, Simon powered around the bend, keeping him in contention for the top places. As the race flew toward the finish line four athletes were battling for three medals; only in the last 10 metres were the places decided, with Simon being awarded bronze in a time of 21.98 – his fastest of the season.
Meanwhile, Josh challenged himself in the under-18 boys’ 800m on the first day of the championships. Placed in heat one, Josh stuck to his race plan well during the first lap; as the race reached the 500m mark, he was working well, keeping himself in contention for a spot in the final. In the home straight a determined Josh dug deep, recording a lifetime best of 2:05.13 and a non-automatic final spot, which meant an anxious wait for the result of the second heat.
Still recovering from his exploits, it was clear that heat 2 tactics meant Josh would win a spot for the final. Having been ranked 14th going into the championships, a top eight finish was on the cards.
A very tactical first lap in the final saw all eight athletes going through the bell in a tight group. Josh, showing race maturity, decided he would make a bid to hit the front; sparking all his competitors to move into top gear and set out on a sprint for glory.
At the line, just two seconds separated the entire field; Josh was pushed back into eighth place, but his time of 2:08.56 was a lifetime best and earned him a top eight ranking at the biggest championship in Scotland.
The gold medal went to Ireland’s Noah Commins in 2:06.12, with Luke Sedman of Falkirk Victoria taking silver and Team East Lothian’s Joe Smith winning bronze – though the fact that Josh’s heat time was faster than the one recorded by Commins in the final suggests a bright future for the young Glenpark runner.