British Olympian Eilish McColgan 'incredibly proud' after breaking Scottish record with new event eyed for LA
Eilish McColgan finished 15th in the 10,000m
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Eilish McColgan has spoken of her pride in becoming the first Scottish track and field athlete to compete in four Olympic Games - and has already set her sights on qualifying for LA 2028 in the marathon despite her lack of experience in the distance.
McColgan, 33, was touch and go on whether she would make the Paris squad a few months ago after undergoing knee surgery at the end of last year.
The operation stopped her from running for six months and she only returned just in time to qualify for Paris.
It also came at a time in McColgan's career when she was at the peak of her powers having become Commonwealth champion over 10,000m and set national records in multiple distances.
The Scottish runner was told at one point by a doctor that she 'would be lucky to ever run again' but she defied the odds by qualifying for her fourth consecutive Olympics.
Eilish McColgan finished 15th in the 10,000m
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A 15th-placed finish in the 10,000m in a season-best time left McColgan feeling 'disappointed'.
Her personal best in the event from two years ago would have been good enough to comfortably win gold in what proved to be a slow final.
But McColgan has now had time to reflect on her Scottish athletics record in reaching a fourth Olympics having made her debut in London 2012.
She told GBNews: "Of course, I'm disappointed with my own performance as I don't feel it's reflective of the training we've put in the last five weeks.
"But I must be realistic and take a bit of a step back to appreciate how far I've come since knee surgery!
"It was always going to be a real push for time to even make the team and looked unlikely for a long time - so I've had time to reflect and I'm incredibly proud to have made my fourth Games."
When asked about her record of qualifying for four consecutive Olympics, McColgan added: "It's something I'm incredibly proud of.
"There's a reason why it hasn't been done before - because athletics is a tough sport.
"It's really challenging to be on top form, on the world stage, over four Olympic cycles.
"So that's something I'm proud of. Despite the challenges I've faced - I did it."
McColgan has already switched her mindset to becoming a marathon runner by the time LA 2028 comes around.
Eilish McColgan made her Olympics debut back in London 2012
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However, the Dundee runner isn't prepared to walk away from the track for good just yet with Birmingham and Glasgow set to host the European Championships and Commonwealth Games in 2026.
"It won't be my final track race, but more just that my focus will be on the roads," she added.
"With Europeans and Commonwealth Games both potentially being in the UK in 2026 - I'd love to compete in both events - but I'll have to balance the marathon and 10,000m.
Eilish McColgan is the first Scottish track and field athlete to compete in four Olympic Games
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"I cannot do the marathon at everything - so there will be a balance between the two."
McColgan has had to delay making her competitive marathon debut for consecutive years due to injury setbacks.
Her half-marathon British record time of 1:05:43 is on par with some of the best long-distance runners in the world.
Eilish McColgan has her eyes set on reaching LA 2028
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That gives her confidence of being competitive over the full 26-mile distance for many years to come.
"I do believe I can be competitive but I'm yet to race a marathon so it's not something I can definitely say," McColgan said.
"I'm just going off what I'm naturally good at in training and off how well my half marathon racing has gone.
"But I will be four years older, so I'll have to take it year by year and see how I get on. I'm confident I still have a long career ahead."