Neil Gourley saw a path clear towards a major championship debut in his home city and he gleefully galloped through the open gate. The 24-year-old is now based in Oregon but he will plot a route back to Glasgow next month for the European Indoor Championships after claiming the British 1500m title in Birmingham yesterday.
He did it in some style too, with the 24-year-old recording an indoor personal best of 3:44.76 to bolt clear, with his fellow Scot Sol Sweeney just nudged off the podium in fourth. The former European Under-23 medallist was highly unfortunate to miss out on selection for last summer’s outdoor Europeans but, in the absence of other established names here, he pushed himself to the fore.
“It’s my first major championship and it’s in Glasgow,” he said. “You can’t ask for more than that. That’s been the focus all winter. I couldn’t miss this and it means a lot because I didn’t get the chance in 2014 at the Commonwealths. I put pressure on myself to get this. If I’m going to do what I want to do at the Europeans, then I had to also be doing it here. Glasgow will be even tougher so the goal was to win here.”
He was among six Scottish athletes who guaranteed themselves a call to the Emirates Arena over two days which doubled as the European trials. Just one box ticked, he added. “I’m making no secret that I’m going for a medal in Glasgow.”
The Caledonian monopoly in the 1500m was completed when Jemma Reekie emphatically charged clear to win the women’s event in 4:17.08. Twenty-four hours earlier, her training partner Laura Muir had bolted to the 3000m title with an astonishing last two laps, with the latter revealing she will defend both her 1500 and 3000m titles at the Europeans.
Reekie, the former European junior champion, now looks unfazed among the company of her elders and the potential suggested by her trajectory is enticing. “If you’d told me last year, I’d be doing this, I wouldn’t have believed it,” she declared.
“Laura told me before the race that I’d come so far and that I could challenge the girls. We always have good talks but she just was confident for me. She knows that in every training session, I’m working so hard to keep up with her. Sometimes, I’ll die horrifically but I’ll keep trying until I can keep up with her.”
Chris O’Hare demonstrated a similarly ferocious acceleration to emerge at the head of the pack in the 3000m. The double European medallist, moving up in distance for indoors, was eventually unchallenged and although Charlie Grice edged Andy Butchart into third, all three can expect to be in Glasgow.
Zoey Clark will get an individual berth at the Europeans after taking the 400m title in 52.85 secs with Eilidh Doyle, who came fourth, awaiting word on whether she will need to settle for a relay spot. Guy Learmonth had to wait for the outcome of an appeal before his Glasgow appearance was confirmed, originally missing automatic qualification by coming third in the 800m then promoted into second when original victor Jamie Webb was disqualified.
Elsewhere, Nikki Manson was third behind Morgan Lake in the high jump while Lynsey Sharp faded to fifth in the 800m with Shelayna Oskan-Clarke retaining her title.
Meanwhile, Josh Kerr, forced to sit out the Europeans due to exams, was fourth in the Wanamaker Mile in New York in a personal best of 3:53.65, moving the 21-year-old up to third place in the all-time UK rankings.
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