Day four and three more medals for Team Shetland

A delighted Elaine Park with her silver medal in the hammer throw. Photo: Kevin Jones.

Day four of the island games and it is four medals for star swimmer Andrea Strachan and 16 for Team Shetland.

Strachan won gold in the 100 metres breaststroke with 1.08.33.

The Lerwick swimmer beat rival Kara Hanlon of the Western Isles who finished in 1.08.54.

It was a PB for Strachan, a new Shetland record and a new island games record.

“After the 50 metres breaststroke I didn’t how it was going to go because my 50 wasn’t good at all. I wasn’t where I wanted to be,” she said.

Facing Hanlon, she knew it was going to be tough.

“I turned on to the last length and she was slightly behind me. She comes back that well I knew I was going to have to hold on.”

Strachan then took silver in the 50 metres freestyle with 26.43, a new Shetland record despite not racing in the event for some time.

“I haven’t raced the freestyle in a while and I went into the final in fifth place”

“When I touched and looked up at the board it was quite a surprise but I was happy with the time.”

Tomorrow morning she is in the 100 metres individual medley, but the medal winner will see how she fares.

Meanwhile it was a very special day for Elaine Park who won her first island games medal in the hammer.

She has competed in nine games since Jersey 1997 and is the throws coach in Team Shetland.

Park was delighted to take to the podium, though admitted it seemed a bit surreal.

“I had seen the entry list before we came and knew there was one girl that was going to be out of everyone’s reach, she has medelled for the last three games.”

The other two competitors were under 20 athletes, and having done her research Park thought she might be in with a chance of a bronze.

Maurice Williamson, who won bronze in the hammer earlier this week, said Park should up her number of turns to get more distance.

And stepping it up to three turns paid off. Park’s first four throws did not go particularly well but her fifth was about 36 metres.

On her last throw she managed to “find something from somewhere” throwing 38.67.

That distance overshot the girl in bronze and silver to push Park into second place.

She said: “I’m used to medal ceremonies, because there’s a lot of them being a Shetland athletics person

“But this was the first one of mine so it was special, but a bit surreal.”