With the dust from Scotland's most successful overseas Commonwealth Games ever still settling, it has been revealed that Scottish Athletics' Performance Director, Rodger Harkins, will step down from his role.

Harkins has been in position for three-and-a-half years and has overseen one of the sport’s most successful periods, with a record number of Scottish track and field athletes being selected for the Rio Olympics and the London 2017 World Championships.

Harkins also led the Team Scotland track, field and marathon team at the recently concluded Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games in his role as head coach, where the squad collected five medals, their best medal haul since the 1990 Commonwealth Games.

The medal winners included a silver from flag-bearer and 400m hurdler Eilidh Doyle, bronze from hammer thrower Mark Dry and a silver from para-sprinter Maria Lyle.

Harkins is a former coach to Olympian Lee McConnell and has said he would like to spend more time with his family, who live in Cheshire.
“‘I feel I have played a key role in supporting and developing the athletes and programmes during a period of great success for the organisation, but in particular, for Scottish athletes and coaches,” said Harkins.

“I am leaving behind a strong staff team and a strong platform on which my successor can build upon. I wish everyone within athletics in Scotland all the best for the future and will no doubt continue to be visible at events across the UK.”

Tributes to the job Harkins did have already begun to flow in, with Scottish Athletics chief executive Mark Munroe saying: "We would like to thank Rodger for his time at scottishathletics.

“He and the Performance Team did well to prepare Scottish athletes and coaches for the Commonwealth Games in Australia, which has been a main focus for him since he’s been in post from the autumn of 2014.

“During his period as Performance Director, Scottish athletes (and coaches) have delivered strong performances on the world stage and that has been capped by five medals at the Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast.

“We can now look forward to further success under the leadership of a new Performance Director as we will make the next step to further develop programmes of support for athletes and coaches in Scotland to ensure continued success on the world stage.

“It’s a vital role for the coming years and our aspiration has to be to maintain and enhance performance levels by Scottish athletes and give guidance and leadership to their coaches.”