It was three in a row for Cumnock Academy at the recent East Ayrshire Giant Heptathlon as the local school took top honours in the sports event against other local schools!

East Ayrshire Secondary School Giant Heptathlon was held at the new Stewarton Sports Centre last week with all secondary schools competing for the team prize and for the opportunity to qualify for the West of Scotland Regional Final to be held next month.

The Giant Heptathlon encourages schools to participate in multi-event athletics, with pupils competing in seven events – 60m hurdle, 60m sprints, shot putt, long jump, triple jump, endurance run and step up challenge.

For the third year running Cumnock Academy pupils won the event, demonstrating an admirable team effort and athletic ability. They now have the opportunity to go forward to the regional final, where they finished a close second last year, and compete against schools from South Lanarkshire, North Lanarkshire, Dumfries and Galloway, West Dunbartonshire and Inverclyde at the Ravencraigs Regional Sports Centre.

Councillor Kathy Morrice, Spokesperson for Improving Community Health and Wellbeing said: “It is a great achievement for the team to have won the East Ayrshire Giant Heptathlon and another great achievement for Cumnock Academy. The young people demonstrated a wide range of skills competing in seven different events and they should be very proud of themselves.

Officiating on the day of the East Ayrshire Giant Heptathlon was Jim Young, President of the Kilmarnock Harrier and Athletics Club who commented on the overall achievements of the pupils that competed in the event. He said: “It was tremendous to see so many secondary school pupils taking part in this multi- event. Many of the pupils have real potential to become excellent athletes and I would like to see them at the Kilmarnock Harriers. They have the option of training with the Cumnock squad on a Wednesday night at Broomfield Athletics Track or on a Tuesday and Thursday at Kilmarnock Academy, 7pm-8pm.”