Lisburn shotput champion steps back into the competitive field in Singapore
Lisburn man Iain McMullan, a former Irish and Northern Irish shot put champion, has returned to the athletic arena and once again taken up the shot put, this time representing Singapore.
Iain, a former student at Wallace High School, stopped throwing over 20 years ago when he moved from Lisburn to Singapore.
However, he recently decided to take up the sport again in his new home and is now set to compete in the Asian Masters' Athletics Championships in Chennai, India.
Iain developed his passion for the sport at school and reached great heights before his retirement.
“I was the Ulster Schools champion in the shot put, as well as Under 17 record holder at the time,” Iain explained.
"When I was 14 my coach gave me a piece of paper on which I was to write my long-term goals. I added that I wanted to be Irish champion, Northern Ireland record holder and represent GB in the shot put.
"And by the time I stopped throwing in 2003 I had achieved all of these. I also was indoor and outdoor Scottish champion, British Universities champion and broke the Northern Ireland record five times.”
Iain stepped away from the sport but over 20 years later decided to dip his toe back in the water again.
"I turned 47 in June and I took up throwing last year again thanks to a random conversation at a beach rugby tournament in Singapore,” he continued.
"One of my team-mates revealed that he competed for the Singapore Masters Track and Field club and mentioned that the Singapore Masters Championships were the following month in June 2024.
"So I entered and having not trained for the shot in more than 20 years I somehow managed to win on my final throw against other throwers from Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, India and the Philippines.”
Spurred on by this success, Iain is looking forward to competing in the Asian Masters Athletics Championships in November.
"it's been like a light going on again where the previous 13 years I was stumbling around in the dark,” he continued.
“My training isn't that different to when I was 23, but obviously I've adapted things to an older body such as more mobility and flexibility, with less pure strength work.
"The key at this point is quality and not quantity and there is so much I wish I had known to do when I was younger and competing at a higher absolute level.
"It's surprisingly complex, as what looks like a simple hop or spin has dozens of different elements, all of which need to fire in the right order and the right ways within less than a second and from a static start.
"And the only way to improve at this is across many thousands of reps across dozens of drills.
"I don't intend to be gingerly shuffling around when I am 70, if I make it that far, and so this effort and drive is at least in part to ensure that I extend my healthspan as much as possible,” he added.