Andrew sets his sights on Rio

Aug 24 2012 By Andrew Burns

Andrew Amos

DUMFRIES teenager Andrew  Amos is gunning for athletics  glory.
The 17-year-old, of Heathhall,  joined Dumfries Harriers last  year and has already established  himself as a regular podium contender.
And with Rio de Janeiro shining  brightly  ahead in four years time,  Andrew knows exactly what is  required to reach the top.
The Dumfries High pupil said:  My dream is to make Rio 2016.
The ultimate goal for any athlete is to run at the Olympics and  that is my dream.
I certainly dont think its impossible if I work hard enough.
I am constantly training and  my level of training is only going  to improve over the next few  years.
I need to get my track time  down but with plenty of hard work  theres nothing stopping me  reaching the highest level.
Andrew has been running competitively since he was 15  and is now coached by the Harriers Steve Head.
He is training hard at least five times per week while  enjoying success at the Edinburgh Marathon Festival 10k  and the Bupa Great North 10k in Gateshead.
Andrew said: I started running a few years ago just as  a way to keep fit for playing football. When I was younger  I entered the Junior Great Edinburgh Run with absolutely no training and finished seventh.
A few races later I quickly realised that this was  something that I was good at and enjoyed. Since then I  have been working a lot with Steve to improve my fitness  and speed. This involves two sessions on track, two on the  road and one or two sessions in the gym every week.
Its hard work and very time-consuming but I love it  and I know how important it is to train as often as  possible. I have achieved a new personal best in a lot of  races recently which is very encouraging for the future.  This is my first full year with winter training and already  it has paid off.
Recently Andrew finished an impressive 10th at the  Edinburgh Marathon Festival 10k. He set a personal best  (PB) at 37.52 and was by far the youngest competitor in  the top 50. Earlier this month he cracked another PB in  elite company at Gateshead, where Olympic athlete Scott  Overall was in the field. Andrew came in 32nd at 37.44   a full two minutes quicker than his 2011 time.
Just last weekend he won his first senior mens 10k  on  the Isle of Coll, again wiping almost two minutes from last  years time.
And now he is eyeing home town success at the  Dumfries 10k next month.
The sixth year pupil said: I take my running very  seriously and have big hopes for the future. I know this  wont happen without a lot of hard work but I want to  reach that level and I will do what I can.
I will be going to university after next summer and my  decision on where to go will depend a lot on the sporting  facilities. This can play a big role in your development as  an athlete and hopefully it will help me in the future.