The Heath's Darren Scott strikes gold at 2024 World Masters Athletics Championships and now sets his sights to be fastes

Veteran sprinter Darren Scott has struck gold in the 2024 World Masters Athletics Championships (WMA) in Gothenburg.

The 55-year-old ‘Flying Scott’, a fitness instructor in the gym at The Heath Business and Technical Park in Runcorn, scooped gold in the M55 200 metres in a time of 23.63 seconds after earlier winning a bronze medal in the M55 100 metres.

The Great Britain team were among 111 countries taking part in this year’s championships held in Sweden from August 13-25 where Masters Athletics was originally founded in 1977.

Darren’s gold run caps off a remarkable sequence. Masters athletes have to be 35 or over to compete with competitions bracketed in five year age spans. He won his first 200 metres gold medal in the WMA M35 category and went on to win the M40, M45 and M50. Darren’s victory in Gothenburg on Monday, August 19th, means he retains his World Champion status.

He’s now setting his sights on the M55 world record to become the fastest M55 200 metre runner on the planet.

Since he started competing in Masters Athletics 20 years ago Darren has won over 100 gold, silver and bronze medals at major championships around the world. Earlier this year he won gold in the M55 200 metres at the European Indoor Masters Athletics in Torun, Poland, breaking the European record with a time of 23.95. He also this year’s national M55 200 metres champion giving him a clean sweep of gold medals for 2024.

Celebrating with a beer with friends in a Gothenburg bar after his gold medal ceremony, Darren said: “I’m chuffed to bits particularly as I finished in front of two American athletes who had beaten me earlier in the 100 metres. The 200 metres is my speciality event but unfortunately the track conditions today with a head wind weren’t conducive to fast times. My goal now is to beat the M55 200 metres world record and there are several opportunities during the rest of the season when I hope to set a new record, if the weather conditions are right.

“I’d like to thank all my colleagues at The Heath and the members of The Heath gym for their fantastic support.”

Darren took up athletics when he was 21 and competed at international level for Scotland. But it was when he turned 35 and became eligible for Masters’ competitions that he took the world by storm, winning numerous gold medals and smashing records competing against athletes who, in their heyday, have graced Olympics’ tracks.

Not content with his amazing sprinting capabilities, Darren is also an accomplished Masters’ decathlete conquering endurance disciplines including 400 metre and 1500 metres races, hurdles, the javelin, pole vault, shot put, long jump, high jump and discus.

In addition to being a fitness expert and honorary member of his local athletics’ club, St Helens Sutton, Darren is a long-term supporter of the British Masters Athletics Federation which caters for adults of all abilities from the age of 35 up to 100 years of age who want to participate in track and field athletics. He says that age is no barrier.

Mark McGrath, Manager of The Heath Gym, says fellow instructors and gym members are all big supporters and admirers of Darren’s fitness and tenacity: “He’s an inspiration to our members, and we are all thrilled by his continued success.”

John Lewis MBE, the owner of The Heath Business and Technical Park, says: “Darren is not just a super-human athlete, he’s an inspiration to what can achieved by people as they get older. He’s also a superb ambassador for The Heath and the town of Runcorn, and we are all immensely proud of his remarkable achievements.”

About The Heath
The Heath Business and Technical Park is a phenomenal regeneration success story. Formed in 2000, its owner and operator, SOG Ltd, has transformed a once single occupancy corporate facility into a thriving independent business park. The Heath now provides office and laboratory accommodation for more than 120 individual organisations, ranging from business services and IT specialists to those at the cutting edge of science, research and advanced manufacturing. Around 2,000 people are employed at the site. For further information, telephone 01928 515988 or visit www.theheath.com

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PAUL SMITH ASSOCIATES
22nd August 2024