David jumps to it to win Scottish title

Jan 28 2009 by Andrew Weston, Wishaw Press

MOTHERWELL athlete David Martin jumped a lifetime best to win the long jump title at the DM Hall Scottish Closed Senior Championships at the Kelvin Hall in Glasgow.

The event was very emotional for David, a marketing student at Central College in Glasgow, as it took place on the third anniversary of the death of his grandmother.

He wore a black ribbon on his vest as he leapt to victory by one centimetre with a last-round jump of 7.16, an improvement of 2cm.

David trains in Grangemouth but now represents a Channel Islands club as it allows him entry into the British Athletics League.

His main aim is to reach 7.50 this season which is the qualifying mark for next year’s Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

Next up for the talented long jumper is the Scottish Open at the Kelvin Hall on February 1. Opponents there will include England’s Chris Kirk, who has jumped 7.90m, and a number of leading athletes from Norway.

In other news, St Aidan’s High School pupil Julie Dobbin is celebrating after winning her first major medal at the West District Indoor Championships recently.

Julie was placed second in the under-17 800 metres event. As she is only 14 years old, this was a great achievement.

The runner knocked one second off her previous personal best time to complete the race in 2 mins 29.14 secs.

Julie had held her previous personal best for two years and is delighted to have at last broken the 2 mins 30 secs barrier.

Her next big meeting is the Scottish Schools Indoor Championships in February.