Zoey Clark aims to help Great Britain secure automatic qualification for the 2022 world championships when she competes in Poland this weekend.
The Aberdeen AAC runner is part of the national 4x400m squad taking part in the world relays which open in Chorzow tomorrow.
The Brits made sure of their place at the Tokyo Olympics by taking fourth position at the 2019 world championships in Doha but need to reach the final this weekend to secure a place at next year’s world event in Eugene, Oregon.
Clark said: “It’s all about getting that qualification and also gaining more experience ahead of Tokyo. We’ll be focusing more on getting the technicalities right, such as working on our changeover zones, as much as getting a placing. But, obviously, we still want to do well.
“We could also qualify for the 2022 world championships when we compete in Tokyo but the GB management have said it’s important for us to do the job this weekend, to get it done and out of the way in case anything was to go wrong in Japan.”
MEDIA COVERAGE@_ZoeyClark is ready for return trip to Poland to represent @BritAthletics at @WorldAthletics Relays early next month as @clynerunning reports for @PandJSport https://t.co/NAJXy9waGx#SALachieve@AberdeenAAC @NeilDrysdale @Tyrone_M_Smith
— scottishathletics (@scotathletics) April 16, 2021
Clark, who has won silver and bronze medals at world and European level with the successful relay squad over the past four years, is also keen to use the Polish event to sharpen her own form.
She tackled her first outdoor track races for 18 months last weekend, finishing third in a 400m at Coventry behind GB team-mate Emily Diamond in 53.02s, then winning at Loughborough in 52.92 where she also took second position behind Hannah Williams in the 200m.
Clark said: “I felt fine about these performances given it has been so long since I’ve competed outdoors. Obviously you always want to run amazing times from the get-go, so it would have been nice to run quicker.
“But I needed these races to remind myself how to run outdoors again. Tactically, in the first race I went out too hard and died a bit at the end. Then in my second 400 I maybe set off a bit too conservatively and had too much to make up.
“So, this weekend provides another opportunity for me to work on my pacing and try to get things right.”
Many of the big hitters on the world stage have decided to give Poland a miss, primarily over concerns about travelling during the pandemic. USA, Trinidad and Tobago, Canada and Australia are among those to have withdrawn.
After the European indoor championships in February, also held in Poland – at Torun – 30 athletes tested positive and many more, including Clark and the entire British team, had to self-isolate after returning home.
Clark has previously indicated she’s reasonably comfortable about taking part but can understand why other nations have decided against it.
She said: “I’m not surprised as many of the countries which have pulled out have a long way to travel. But it’ll still be very competitive as many European countries will be strong.”
