The Jan Kjellstrom International Festival returns to Scotland
All roads will lead to Perthshire this Easter weekend, as the largest event in the UK, the Jan Kjellstrom International Festival returns to Scotland for the first time in 14 years
Although the festival moves around the twelve regions of the UK on rotation, Scotland had its slot moved by two years to accommodate the World Championships in 2024, and today’s JK Sprint in Perth City Centre was a welcome return to big-time competition for the largest region in terms of overall membership.
Scottish athletes were prominent across the races, as they came away with no fewer than 35 Sprint medals, including 11 titles. Grace and Peter Molloy made a small piece of history, as they became the first siblings to win the JK Sprint in the same year, and also the first pair from the same club (FVO) to simultaneously hold the titles.
Grace was first on the mark, as she stomped out an impressive time of 14.01, which featured all but the first two and last two quickest legs to take the title by one minute from EUOC’s Imogen Pieters, and there was a tie for the bronze medal between Isobel Howard (EUOC) and Niamh Hunter (AROS) who were home in 15.03.
15 minutes later, it was a Molloy double on top of the podium; Peter was slower off the mark, but went to the front on the 6th leg of 28, just as the heavens opened and the streets became a skating rink, and held on to return to the arena at Perth Concert Hall in 14.53. Former EUOC star Boyan Ivandjikov was just nine seconds back in silver, and SLOW’s Simon Harden, who had led for more than 90 minutes off an early start, had to settle for the bronze (15.04).
James Hammond (EUOC) won the M20 class by almost two minutes (14.55), which would have been good enough for M21 silver, as Edinburgh team-mate Michael Bishenden (16.42) won his first-ever major championship medal in 2nd.
RR’s Ian Maxwell won M65 in 12.03, and there was an M55 silver for MOR’s Andrew Campbell (13.35) and bronzes in M40 (15.31) for Murray Strain (INT) and M80 (14.41) for Ian Pyrah (ESOC), while there are two under 18 medals, as ELO’s Emily Atkinson topped her field in 15.58 and TAY’s Finn Selmer Duguid came away with silver in 16.15.
The Scottish-based women made hay on the day, as they claimed medals in every class from W10 through to W75, with the exception of W65. ESOC’s Ingrid Edenbrant won W10 in 10.33, and STAG’s Erinna Heron was 3rd (17.30). Freya Carter (INVOC) took the W12 bronze (15.12) while the entire W14 podium is made up of Scots, s Hannah Inman (FVO – 15.17) led from Laura Kitchin (INT – 15.53) and Esme Finch (FVO – 16.24).
W16 saw Lucy Ward (INT) in 2nd (13.52) ahead of Cora Comisso (INVOC) (13.57), while in W35, STAG’s Alison Campbell celebrated her first year in the class with the title in 14.31.
The medals kept on coming, and Anna Edenbrant (ESOC) won W40 in 12.54, and there was a real push in the veteran classes, where Claire Ward (INT) took the W45 silver in 13.34 ahead of ESOC’s Jo Stevenson (13.58) who comes away with bronze.
There are two more champions from FVO, as Sarah Rollins won W50 in 11.46 and Rachel Kirkland topped W55 in 14.02. The W60 class is also all-Scottish, where Alison Cunningham (FVO) headed the field in 13.54, and Helena Nolan (ESOC – 14.34) and Heather Fellbaum (FVO – 15.18) were also on the podium.
Sally Lindsay (ESOC) claimed the W70 bronze in 15.07, and there was still time for the third all-Scot podium of the day, in W75, which was won by KFO’s Heather Smithard (15.46) from Liz Godfree (FVO – 15.53) and Sheila Strain (ELO – 15.55).Full results of all classes are here –
Results – Day 1 – Sprint – 03 Apr 2026
Photo Credit: Wendy Carlyle