Eilish McColgan believes she has a chance of winning a medal at the Paris Olympics as she looks to bounce back from a challenging 2023.
The Scottish distance runner was forced to miss the London Marathon with a knee injury suffered in training, which also kept her out of the World Championships in Budapest.
She is also grieving the sudden death of her stepdad John Nuttall in November but is stepping up her recovery and hopes to do enough to be on Team GB’s plane to France in the summer.
The 33-year-old, who will most likely compete in the 10,000m and decide on the 5,000m, says adding a gold medal to her 2022 Commonwealth Games title is “outside my realm” but believes she can get on the podium.
Asked by the PA news agency if she is confident she will be in Paris, she said: “I would like to think so. I am professional athlete so I am always going to back myself.
“I have come back from a hell of a lot worse than this. So I am still here and I still think that even though I had a challenging 2023 I still think I have the capabilities of making the team.
“I have the qualifying time so that is the hardest part out of the way so I just need to show I am not injured and I am on the right path towards the Olympics. I feel confident.
“I am not sure how realistic a medal is at this point, making the team will be a big enough challenge at this point considering the amount of time I have been off and coming from where I have been but I would never write myself off.
“I need to get into the same shape that I got into last March and April then I will definitely be setting my sights on sneaking an outside medal.
“Winning might be outside my realm but there’s no reason I can’t be looking for one of those outside medals but I have to get myself back into shape.”
Nuttall, a former Commonwealth Games medallist, died from a heart attack before Christmas and McColgan wants to make her family, especially her mum Liz, proud.
“I feel like I have had some tough times so I need to try and turn it around and make it worthwhile,” she aded.
“And also make my family proud, after what we have all gone through it would be a nice way to round off 2024, making my fourth Olympic Games.
“I would be the first Scottish athlete to do that so that is a big goal.”
Much will depend on McColgan’s training over the next few months, something which the Scot places a lot of importance on.
Often training on her own and in unfamiliar places, McColgan is able to feel safe by using Shokz headphones.
“I have been wearing them for several years, for me it is really important to be able to hear surrounding sounds whilst I am training,” she said.
“Certainly if I am on my own, going for runs in the evening, or in woodland areas or places I haven’t been before, it just gives me a little bit of added safety, being able to hear what’s around me.
“That is important for me. I enjoy running with music so I suppose it is good to have that motivation but at the same time it is not completely in my ear.”
:: Eilish McColgan is an ambassador for leading electronics brand, Shokz (uk.shokz.com)