Published: Thursday, 25th June, 2009 1:45pm

Hurdler caps great start to new season

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Pitreavie athlete Eilidh Child gained her first British senior cap in the inaugural European Team Championships in Leira, Portugal, at the weekend.

Competing over the 400m hurdles, she rose to the occasion with an excellent fourth place in a time of 55.48 seconds, which is only 0.02secs outside her lifetime best.

The time also meant she has run inside the World Championships A standard, which is 55.50, for the second time this season.

Child then teamed up with fellow Scot Lee McConnell, along with Vicky Barr and Jenny Meadows, to come third in the 4x400m with a time of 3:29.29.

A host of club athletes were in action at Pitreavie athletics centre as it hosted the Scottish Senior Track & Field and Junior Relay Championships for 2009.

With a few guest athletes brought in to spice things up, along with some local favourites, the crowd were treated to an excellent weekend of athletics.

Star guest athlete was Paralympian and world record holder for his disability, Oscar Pistorius, who ran in the 200m but it was Pitreavie"s Ryan Oswald who stole the show.

Oswald ran a storming first 100m to lead into the straight, knowing that Pistorius had a strong finish, but Oswald had a lot of strength himself and held off the advancing Pistorius to win the title in a time of 21.94. Oswald also picked up a silver medal in the 100m with a time of 10.93.

Francis Smith had an impressive championships, winning both hurdle events. He won his main event, the 400m hurdles, in a time of 52.25 then took the 110m hurdles in a time of 14.87.

Stacey Downie also picked up two medals. She won the bronze in the 100m in 12.47 then won the 200m title in a time of 24.42. Another double medallist was Mhairi Porterfield, who won the shot putt with a best throw of 13.43 metres and took the bronze medal in the hammer with 53.93m.

Jackie Tindal ran a good race to pick up the silver medal in her comeback season in the 100m hurdles with a time of 14.98. Stephanie Walker won the bronze medal in the 400m hurdles with 62.26.

In the Junior 4x100m relays the club"s athletes did well, winning two medals. The boys" under-15 team won the bronze medal with a time of 48.90 and the women"s under-17 team also won the bronze medal in a time of 50.88.

The under-13 girls just missed the medals, finishing fourth, and the under-13 boys finished fifth.