News / All smiles as Emma Leask wins gold
RUNNER Emma Leask gave Shetland’s final day at the NatWest Island Games a gold to cap off a successful week of competition in Bermudan sunshine.
Leask clinched the top spot by a mere 0.18 seconds, with a time of 2:11.37. To say the race was close is an understatement.
Leask broke her own record set in the Isle of Wight in 2011 as well as retaining the medal she has now won for three games in a row.
Gareth Robertson, Sean Smith, Haydn Thomason and Alan Williamson clinched a very respectable fifth place in the men’s 4 x 400m men’s relay event, nearly beating the Shetland record which dates back to the Gibraltar island games in 1995.
Meanwhile, Karl Simpson (1:28:16) and Peter Fenwick (1:28:40) finished the half marathon in 14th and 15th place respectively. In the intense Bermudan heat Bonar Barclay completed the 13.1 mile race in 22nd place with a time of 1:39:41.
Elsewhere on the final day of competition, sailor Maggie Adamson came 14th in the laser radial rig event after the nine races were up, beating her score of 107 from the last island games with 100.
On the squash courts, the Shetland team were unfortunate to lose out in the team event, placing sixth after five games.
A close encounter with Gibraltar finished 2-2 but Gibraltar got the win by walkover – meaning the amount of games won in other matches being higher than Shetland’s – before Bermuda defeated Shetland in their last piece of action for the games.
In total, local athletes won five gold, eight silver and three bronze medals, placing them ninth in the medal table.
The closing ceremony on Friday night rounded off the games for Shetland’s 45 strong squad after a tough but enjoyable week, which will surely prove to be a shaping experience for many young competitors.
Iwan MacBride
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