A PROUD mum watched her daughter win a prestigious 400m run – 27 years after she won the same event.
Kirsten McAslan, 19, was able to shave 0.32 of a second of her mum Fiona’s time at the British University Championships at the weekend.
Kirsten, from Edinburgh, won the title with a time of 53.02, and hopes to follow in her mother’s footsteps by being selected for the Scotland team at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Fiona, 50, represented Scotland at the 1986 Commonwealth Games and won the same race as Kirsten in 1986.
Kirsten, who beat her own personal best by 0.8 of a second, said: “It was quite nice to beat her personal best but she walways tels me she would have run faster if she had kept it up.
“I was really pleased with my time, I thought I would break my personal best (PB) this season but I didn’t think it would be in the first competition.
“Mum ran in the Edinburgh games and it would be great to follow in her footsteps in Glasgow.
“Hopefully I can continued to improve and get the qualifying time needed.”
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Kirsten won her heats and semi-final before dominating the race in Bedford.
The biochemistry student at Bath University has recently recovered from stress-related leg injuries.
But she just missed out on the European Under23 Championships qualifying time of 53.00 seconds.
She is coached by Trevor Painter, husband of British 800m star Jenny Meadows.
Her dad Ewan is a successful 400m hurdler and long-jumper and her grandad Jim jumped high hurdles for Scotland.
Her mother Fiona gave up running aged 24 to focus on her medical studies, and she is now a GP.
She said: “It was really exciting to watch her. Mt husband and I were stood at the back of the stand to get a good view.
“I was trying to time her but I must have stopped because I got too excited.
“I think it was quite similar to my win in a way. I think I came into the home straight in front as well but I was slower than her, I didn’t have to run as fast as her time.
“Running is something I have enjoyed all of my life.
“It’s really exciting that she’s having the same pleasure from it.”
Fiona and Kirsten are not the only mother-daughter running pair from Edinburgh to find success, Liz McColgan’s daughter Eilish, 22, have both competed in the Olmypics.
Eilish, specialises in the 3000m steeplechase.
