TWO youngsters from Central AC achieved podium finishes after competing for Scotland at the Schools International competition in Ireland at the weekend, writes Mark Connor.

Joel McFarlane and Matt Chandler, both 16, got bronze medals at the Morton Stadium in Dublin in what was a strong showing for Central with two more young athletes turning out for their country from the club.

Despite far-from-perfect weather conditions, with strong winds disrupting many performances, Joel managed to get his medal in the long jump, with Matt’s pole vault attempt securing his medal.

Katie Sharkey and Emma Mailer, also both 16, made their international debuts in front of a healthy crowd in the Irish capital.

Both girls, while not managing to get a medal, gained invaluable experience by competing at this level with some strong competition in both of their fields.

Katie competed in the 80 metres hurdles and Emma took part in the 300m hurdles.

Both girls competed together in the 4x300m relay and finished in a respectable fourth place, agonisingly missing out on a podium finish on their first try at this level.

A spokesman for Central AC told Advertiser Sport: “Everyone at the club is so pleased for all four of them. To have four represent the kids at that stage delights us all.

“There wasn’t a lot of PBs but the weather wasn’t great and it is such a pressured environment, especially with all the English kids being there, too.

“It is always such a strong field at these competitions and the English obviously get to pull from so many more areas than we do, so you expect them to win everything,” he added.

“With that in mind, it’s great for the boys to get medals.”

With all of the young athletes at an age where they will be considering their futures after school, Central remain focused on keeping the kids in athletics.

He continued: “It’s really very tough to go through school and university and still remain focused on athletics. It’s a challenge for us.

“The boys are wonderful multi-event competitors and all four have wonderful futures ahead of them so the club will continue to support them regardless of where they go to university to make sure they stay focused.”

With Central’s very own Olympic star, Andrew Butchart, set to become the UK’s official No 1 athlete following the retirement of Sir Mo Farah, could any of these kids follow in his footsteps?

“There’s definitely the talent there to do so. It will be very tough but with the right attitude and focus it could happen,” he continued.