- Scottish athlete Jemma Reekie admitted she was ‘in a terrible place’ a year ago
- She separated from her coach Andy Young and suffered a bout of glandular fever
- She will want to emulate compatriot Josh Kerr, who won gold on Saturday
A year ago, Jemma Reekie was devastated. Last night she finally broke her medal duck.
What a turnaround it has been for the Scottish runner. And what a sensation she gave her home crowd here in Glasgow, even if she couldn’t quite match her compatriot Josh Kerr’s gold the night before.
Ahead of this meeting, Reekie opened up about her struggles last season, when a bout of glandular fever and a rift with her coach Andy Young left her ‘broken’, ‘terrified’ and ‘mentally exhausted’.
Reekie was lying on the ground. But at the Emirates Arena she stood proud on the podium after winning a silver medal in the 800 meters – her first gong in a career of near misses.
Yes, the 25-year-old would have wanted the gold in Glasgow, especially after qualifying fastest for the final. But while she ultimately never came close to meeting the challenge of Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma, Reekie’s silver lining came with a run of 2 minutes and 2.72 seconds.
Jemma Reekie won silver in the 800m at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow on Sunday
The Scot qualified fastest for the final, but ultimately did not come close to Ethiopian Tsige Duguma
“This time last year I was in a terrible place,” Reekie admitted. “So if you had told me 12 months ago that I would walk away with a silver, I would have been very happy.
‘It’s not good enough for me. I just wanted the gold and I made some big mistakes. But I have to consider it my first medal. I’m not buzzing right now, but when I see my coach I’m sure he’ll tell me to buzz.”
It was Reekie’s best result since her fourth-place finish at the 2021 Olympics, when she was defeated by her younger British teammate Keely Hodgkinson. She has since finished fifth in the European, Commonwealth and World finals.
After her turbulent time off the circuit, Reekie has spent the past twelve months rebuilding her career and moving to Brighton to work under Jon Bigg and his wife Sally Gunnell.
The move reignited her love for the sport and she felt the love from the Scottish crowd on Sunday night.
“This is a big stepping stone into the summer,” Reekie added. “Last year I was a completely different athlete and the work Jon and Sally did behind the scenes was incredible.
“It took an army to get me back to where I am today, and I can’t thank them enough.”
Reekie claimed Britain’s second medal of the evening – and their fourth of these championships – after Laviai and Lina Nielsen, Ama Pipi and Jessie Knight won bronze in the women’s 4x400m relay with a national record, helped by Jamaica dropping the baton to the third stage.
However, Reekie insisted she made ‘big mistakes’ during the race by missing out on the gold she so desperately wanted
Britain’s Georgia Bell, who works full-time in cyber security, missed out on a podium finish on her international debut when she finished fourth in the 1500 meters.
Sprint sensation Noah Lyles was a surprise pick in the US men’s 4x400m team, but could only claim a second silver of his weekend as Belgian Alexander Doom edged Christopher Bailey.
Swedish superstar Mondo Duplantis survived the scare to defend his world indoor pole vault title, while Deynne Charlton of the Bahamas improved her own world record by winning the women’s 60m hurdles.