Neil Gourley with Eric Liddell Trophy for Scottish Schools best male performance back in 2012 – and winning British title in Manchester last month
Gourley in best shape to challenge – BBC Scotland website
Seb Coe once spoke about the decade of hard work required for an athlete (and coach) to become an ‘overnight sensation’.
The double Olympic champion, now the boss of World Athletics, laid out those views to Scottish Athletics more than five years ago and, if anything, the global craving for instant success has multiplied and intensified.
Yet cast a glance through the nine Scots picked for GB and NI for the Olympics and there are a number of those selected whose careers fit the slow-burning narrative.
Megan Keith and arguably Jemma Reekie might be exceptions but the likes of Laura Muir, Josh Kerr, Jake Wightman and Eilish McColgan all paid their dues.
So too has Neil Gourley. The Giffnock North AC athlete is preparing for his first Olympics at the age of 29 – almost two decades since he first pulled on a club vest.
Of course there have been highlights along the way including finals at the World Champs and a precious silver medal at the European Indoors (as well as Euro U23 bronze back in 2015).
What’s clear though is Neil is thrilled to be part of a cohort which had the likes of Muir in the vanguard a decade ago.
‘I’m often asked for a reason why the middle distances in Scotland are so strong,’ he said.
‘There’s not one good answer, because they’re from different training backgrounds and have come about it in different ways to get to similar levels.
‘I’ve been inspired by people that pioneered it like Laura Muir. Laura went out an proved we can compete at world class levels.’
Muir only really started winning Scottish medals at U20 and Neil was in his late teens, too, when he made some podium visits.
Memorably in Olympic year of 2012, he collected the Eric Liddell Trophy for the best male performance at the Scottish Schools – after 800m gold.
Fully a dozen years later there is a full circle feel about him heading to Paris a century on from Liddell’s glory in France.
‘If you told me when I was a young kid wearing the yellow Giffnock North vest for the first couple of years . . . well, I would not have believed you.
‘I suppose I had dreams and hopes and aspirations but the truth is back then I…
CLICK HERE to Read the Full Original Article at Scottish Athletics…