Awesome Eilish makes it FOUR medals in a fortnight as Neil places eighth

Friday 19th August 2022

Photo via European Athletics

Magnificent Eilish McColgan took bronze in the Women’s 5000m final at the European Championships – to complete a stunning distance ‘double double’.

Gold and silver medals at the Commonwealth Games for Team Scotland were followed on Monday evening by silver for GB and NI in the 10,000m final in Munich.

Now McColgan has added medal No 4 in just over a fortnight as German home favourite, Konstanz Klosterhalfen, took the title with Turkey’s 10,000m champion Yasemin Can having to settle for silver this time.

Eilish, who clocked 14:59.34, dropped to the track in exhaustion as she closed out her seventh race at three major champs from Oregon to Birmingham to Munich – a mere 125 laps of the tack, in fact.

Klosterhalfen won it in 14:50.47 after moving ahead of Can in the last couple of laps, to the delight of the Munich crowd.

Bronze takes Eilish’s personal medal haul to half a dozen and we send our warm congratulations to mum/coach Liz, all her family, partner Michael Rimmer and all at Dundee Hawkhill Harriers who helped shape her development a number of years ago.

‘Everyone thought I was mad wanting to do the double or three, but I’ve got four medals and four medals more than I did at the start of the year and I’m just so proud,’ said Eilish, with fellow Brits Amy-Eloise Markovic in fifth and Calli Thackeray in sixth.

‘Of course I’d love to win a European title but it was always going to be a tough ask after the Commonwealth Games.

‘We have another two years until the Europeans and I’m sure there’ll be another gold there one day, but a silver and a bronze, I had nothing else today.

‘I was looking around thinking ‘I just need to get to the line and not lose this medal‘. I’m very tired but proud.’

BBC Sport website coverage

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Earlier in the evening programme, Neil Gourley came home in eighth place in the Men’s 1500m final after a run of 3:38.40.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen added the title to his 5000m gold with a strong front run and there was a fine silver for Welsh athlete, Jake Heyward, behind the Norwegian.

‘It was far from my best,’ said Neil.

‘I envisioned that I would attack this race today but it’s clear that I didn’t. It wasn’t a particularly tough race and I could have lived with it earlier this season . . . but not today.’

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Earlier on Thursday, there was safe passage to the semi-finals of the 800m events for Jake Wightman and Jemma Reekie.

Both delivered race wins in their heats with Jake at 1:45.94 and Jemma at 2:02.36.

Jake said: ‘Doing the 800 is a new lease of life for me. I’m not as fresh as I was in Eugene but I only have to run half the distance for this so I’m enjoying it.

‘I enjoy them more because there is less decision making, they are a bit more straightforward than a 1500m which tend to have a lot more variation. Pressure is off for the 800, so I feel like I’ve got a much freer run at that distance.’

Jemma said: ‘I think I ran that quite well and got through safely. I just ran the way I know I can do, so it really made me feel confident out there.

‘I’m probably one of the only people who is happy that the summer keeps going. I’m getting better with every race; so I’m really excited at what the end of the season can bring.’

*Unfortunately, Beth Dobbin fell victim to a false start decision in her Women’s 200m semi-final. It was the first disqualification of Beth’s career.