A WEST FIFE athletics club is celebrating after being feted with an accolade at a national awards ceremony.

Pitreavie AAC were shortlisted for recognition at the annual Scottish Women in Sport Awards for 2022, which were held in Glasgow last Friday.

The club, which counts athletes such as Moscow 1980 and Rio de Janeiro 4x400 metres Olympic bronze-medallists Linsey MacDonald and Eilidh Doyle, and 1996 Olympic 100m sprinter Ian Mackie, among its alumni, was shortlisted for the MG ALBA ‘Sporting Champion Award’ – and it was named as the winner.

Pitreavie were put forward for the prize alongside Forfar Farmington Football Club, and Glasgow Gals Cycling Club, for an award that is “presented to a team or club at junior and/or senior level for the excellent work carried out in their community”.

The athletics club was named as the winners, with the awards’ organisers noting: “The club has increased engagement and membership of women and girls, including through their Run, Jump and Throw recreational initiative for pre-school and primary-aged children, which has grown to over 200 children per week (50 per cent female).

Nicola Moriarty, a Job Scotland leader and coach at Pitreavie, collected the award on behalf of the club, describing it as an “absolute honour”, while adding: “Promoting the benefits of sport both on and off the track for physical and mental health is key.”

Pitreavie’s success at the Scottish Women in Sport awards comes after one of its Jog Scotland group members, Alison Miller-Duff, was named as an ‘Inspiration in Sport’ category finalist in last year’s awards, and with the club having been shortlisted for ‘Impact Club of the Year’ at this year’s scottishathletics 4J Studios Annual Awards.

Previously, club president Paul Allan said Pitreavie’s run, jump and throw programme had been recognised as a “leading light” by the sport’s governing body, adding: “The fact you’re talking over 200 kids that are part of this, that are there every week – it’s huge.”

Meanwhile, Team Scotland’s successful para bowlers at this year’s Commonwealth Games, which included director Sarah Jane Ewing, from Dunfermline, who won a gold medal, were shortlisted for ‘Team of the Year’ but lost out to Olympic champion curlers Team Muirhead.