Adam record throws away the competition

Adam Boyle opened his 2017 season by winning his fourth consecutive national schools title with a new personal best of 54.4 metres in javelin throwing.

It was a fitting end to the seventeen-year-old’s school athletics career.

Adam said he would like to “give a big thanks to all of the staff at Our Lady’s High School for all of the tremendous support” he has had.

Following his victory at the Scottish Schools Adam stepped up a level and age group to take on the best young javelin throwers in the UK at the National under 20 Championships at Bedford .

For the first time in his javelin career he faced many throwers with superior performances in the competition and took time to adapt to the pressure of a higher level of competition.

And he responded as a true competitor does and hit a fantastic new personal best of 62.44 metres in the final round to snatch the bronze medal.

His coach, Karen Costello, who competed for Scotland in the javelin, said: “It was a fantastic measure of Adam’s ability.

“He is still in the first year of the age group and this performance clearly demonstrates he can compete under pressure and bodes well for the rest of the season.”

Adam is gradually building a formidable support team supported by his dad, Tommy, who coached world track stars Tom McKean and Yvonne Murray and works with talented athletes at Ravenscraig and Wishaw sports centre.

Tommy said: “It is essential in today’s world that Scottish athletes with potential are provided with the correct level of professional support to help them bridge the massive gap between club and international standard.”

Adam trains at a local sports facilities and competes for Victoria Park AC, who helped by funding the purchase of two high performance javelins for Adam, who lives in North Lodge, Motherwell.

Tommy added: “We are always seeking ways to broaden Adam’s knowledge of the sport. We travelled down to Suffolk with his coach, Karen, for specialised javelin coaching by Mike McNeil – one of the top javelin coaches in the UK.

“Mike is a fantastic motivator with a massive depth of knowledge ,having coached many international athletes including Goldie Sayers”

Karen Costello said: “This is part of a longer term strategy to ensure Adam is exposed to top class competitions and coaching knowledge which will ensure he has a fighting chance to be the best he can be in his sport and indeed his life.”

Among Adam’s long-term ambitions is to compete for Scotland in the Commonwealth Games.