Law and District AAC ace James Gillon wins Scottish Schools steeplechase

James Gillon on his way to steeplechase glory (Submitted pic)

Law and District AAC ace James (16) comfortably saw off his rivals in Grangemouth at the weekend, finishing 15m ahead of his nearest challenger.

“What James has done is right up there with the very best achievements,” said Law and District AAC secretary Lesley McNicol.

“He was over the moon to win. It’s incredible, as he only started doing the steeplechase two weeks ago when the correct facilities were set up at John Cumming Stadium.

“Before that he had just been jumping over a barrier into a sand pit, which is not the same as jumping into water.

“It is not pleasant getting your feet wet after jumping over the high barriers .

“But James has worked really hard on it in training and is getting the reward for this hard work and dedication.”

James’s sensational victory lifted him into top spot in the Scottish under-17 steeplechase rankings and has also earned him automatic qualification for an International Schools event in Dublin next month.

And James’s success when representing Carluke High wasn’t the only medal success for Law and District members in Grangemouth.

His clubmates Leah Keisler, Katie Foss, May Venerus and Hannah Montgomery teamed up superbly to land silver medals in the under-15 girls 4 x 100m relay.

“Second place was fantastic for the girls,” Lesley added. “They produced a PB of 51.57 seconds which was only just behind the winners.”