We talk to a promising young Scot about seizing opportunities, breaking records and getting a message from Mo Farah

It has been an eventful year for Angus Wilkinson. During the Monument Mile in Stirling in August, the East Kilbride athlete created history when he broke the UK under-15 record for the distance by 10 seconds with 4:11.20. The previous best had been Glen Stewarts 4:21.9 from 1985.

Wilkinsons split of 3:53.70 during that race also broke the 1500m mark of 3:54.36 which had been set by Evan Grime earlier this year. Wilkinson now has the world best for the mile, British 3000m best (8:35.47), British 1500m best and Scottish 800m best (1:55.80).

How did you get into athletics?

I started running at primary school, around primary six, and I took part in a couple of cross country races. There was one where I felt I did fairly well and I quite enjoyed it so then I joined Calderglen Harriers in 2018. After Covid and the clubs started to come back, my friends were talking about going to East Kilbride AC so I tried a few of their sessions and then joined with them in 2021. Ive enjoyed it ever since.

What was it that you enjoyed the most about the sport?

I didnt know what to expect, because it was my first time doing actual [track] races. I enjoyed the training side of things, building up to the races and seeing yourself making progress, getting better and feeling your fitness improve. And then when you get to races your time is coming down, youre beating people you woudnt normally be. Its addictive and you want to get better, constantly.

How does it feel when youre beating people who are older?

Its surprising. I just try to do the best that I can, and then see what Im capable of.

When did you first realise you might be quite good at this?

Id played a lot of football, enjoyed my sport and I was always decent at running but never the best But then when I joined a club and as I progressed, I just got better and better. It wasnt long after I started with East Kilbride that they asked me to enter the Scottish Championships, which were up in Aberdeen, and I won U13 silver in the 1500m.

Who do you work with at your club?

Im part of the group coached by Niall Walker, which has a number of U17 and U15 athletes in it. Hes very flexible to work with and will always offer you different options of things to do during training. You might have a race coming up and if theres something more race specific that youd like to be doing then hell listen. Hell also adjust things if youre feeling tired. Hes very smart and he knows what hes doing he definitely wont overwork you.

There was a guy I was aware of in England last year and he was absolutely brilliant out of everyones league but he ended up with a stress fracture and was out for a long time. Were careful not to end up with that happening.

Do you have to be held back from doing too much?

Im better at that this year than I was last year! I was supposed to take 10 days off recently but managed seven and did easy jogs on the other days. That was disgraceful!

How much do you get out of being part of your club?

They have given me all of my opportunities. When I first joined I had no clue about the races that you could get involved with and theyve opened my eyes to a lot of things. Niall is full of advice for me, too, not just when it comes to training but also with when and where I should be thinking about racing.

Who have been the biggest influences on your career so far?

Watching the World Championships this year and last year, and seeing Jake Wightman and Josh Kerr winning the 1500m is a really big thing. Two people who come from the same country as me, race the same distance as me. I think thats pretty amazing.

I also got a video message from Mo Farah. With one of my records, I was seven seconds faster than Mo had been at the same age and his agent arranged for him to send me a message saying congratulations and that I should keep doing what Im doing and to keep listening to my coaches. It was absolutely fantastic.

Which of your record-breaking runs have given you the most satisfaction this summer?

The mile, definitely. I knew the world record wasnt too far out of reach but, when I ran it, it blew me away. My 1500m split from during that race was also much faster than Id run before. I was in shock with that, too.

How did that race feel?

With the guys I was up against, I knew what times they had been running and I was pretty much staying as close to them as possible, just trying to be in the mix. It was just like a championship race just trying to get into the best position.

Because I was going faster than Id ever done before it did hurt but I really was blown away. I had been looking [at those records]. I want to see how fast I can go and hopefully I can go beyond that again. I do like having certain targets to shoot for.

Have you started to think about any ambitions you might have in the sport?

Id love to compete at the European U18 or U20 championships. My hope is that I can stay at a really high level in Britain, then hopefully the world so that I can go the big events in my age groups as I move along. The higher the age group, the more competitive it gets, so hopefully I can stay at the top of each group and then just see where that goes.