Eilish McColgan says winning gold at this summer’s World Championships is a “pipe dream” and she is instead focusing on breaking the 30-minute barrier in the 10,000 metres.
The 32-year-old Scot is recovering from the knee injury which forced her to pull out of the London Marathon last month just days before the race.
She returned to light training at the weekend with the August event in Budapest in her sights but admits that her time on the sidelines has severely hampered her chances of topping the podium.
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McColgan has had incredible success in the 10,000 metres over recent years, winning gold in the European Championships in 2021 and then at the Commonwealth Games 12 months later before creating history in March of this year by setting a new British record of 30:00.86.
And now she wants to become the first non-African-born woman to go under 30 minutes.
On her chances of winning gold in Budapest she told the PA news agency: “That would exceed my goals right now because of the setbacks I have had. I think it would be a pipe dream right now, but I am not going to set myself any real limits.
“To be in Budapest and be at the start and healthy would be a big achievement to be honest.
“But my big thing this year would be to break the 30 minutes in the 10k. I think there are only 12 women in the world who have done that, it would be a big achievement for me.
“Earlier in the year I had no doubt I could break 30 minutes, now there is a little bit of a doubt because I haven’t been able to train for the last so many weeks.
“It does put a little bit of a question mark over whether I can do it and perhaps that is one for next season, but it would be really nice to be in Budapest and be competitive.
“To be in the top six fastest women in the world… that would be a great achievement.”
It has been a frustrating few weeks for McColgan, having to rehab her knee problem, which fortunately did not need surgery.
And she cites recovering from injuries as one of the main triggers of stress in her job, especially as she says that her method of dealing with it is to go out and run.
“It’s a very privileged job that I have, it is not quite the same pressures as other people may have but we are still humans, we are not robots at the end of the day, so we do have pressures,” McColgan added.
“The biggest pressure is coming back from injury but we go through the same stresses as everyone else because with regards injury and illness, if we don’t race or compete that is how we pay our bills.
“It is the biggest pressure, coming back from injury and making sure you’re healthy.
“It is maybe more challenging for myself, running is ultimately what can cause my stress but it is what I use as a stress release. That is difficult if I am injured and I can’t do the thing I love.
“You train hard for years of your career for months and months on end to race. That lends itself to pressure, you build yourself up to that one event.
“Usually it’s the World Championships or Olympic Games because it is one day every four years where you have to be ready. It is quite big stakes when it is one day in four years.
“You think, ‘s***, that is not easy’. It is challenging to get the right balance of really enjoying your sport without it becoming too intense.”
A recent study has revealed that 85 per cent of people say sweating can increase stress levels, even though it is proven to have health benefits.
McColgan is part of deodorant brand Bionsen’s ‘Don’t sweat the small stuff’ campaign, which aims to remove the stigma of sweating and offer tips on how to manage stress.
McColgan added: “I don’t think people should be afraid to sweat. A few years ago it was almost like women didn’t want to be seen to be sweating, but now it is more of a confidence thing. Being active and keeping fit and being afraid to sweat is hard work, but that is what it takes.”
:: Bionsen’s full deodorant range is available from £2.69 at a variety of retailers including Boots, Amazon and Bionsen’s website: https://bionsen.uk/
Record-breaking Pryce is SEC Track Athlete of the Year, Chris Johnson, Coach of the Year
The University of Arkansas celebrated a stellar year in track and field with significant South Central Region honours for the 2024 outdoor season. Senior sprinter Nickisha Pryce was named Track Athlete of the Year, while first-year head coach Chris Johnson was recognized as Coach of the Year, capping off an extraordinary season for the NCAA Division 1 Women's Champions.
Pryce, a standout athlete from St. Mary, Jamaica, entered the outdoor season with a personal best of 50.21 in the 400m. She made remarkable improvements, culminating in a collegiate and Jamaican record of 48.89 seconds, which she set while winning the NCAA 400m title. Pryce's victory spearheaded an unprecedented Arkansas sweep of the top four spots in the event, earning the Razorbacks a crucial 29 points towards their team total.
Throughout the season, Pryce demonstrated consistent progress, achieving career-best marks of 50.13, 49.72, 49.32, and finally 48.89. Her extraordinary performances were pivotal as Arkansas amassed 61 of its 63 championship points on the final day of the NCAA Championships. This remarkable achievement allowed Coach Johnson and his team to complete a sweep of the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor team championships in his debut season as head coach.
In addition to her NCAA title, Pryce also secured the SEC 400m title with a time of 49.32, which at the time ranked third on the collegiate all-time list. Her dominance in the 400m was instrumental in Arkansas's 1-2-3-5 finish at the SEC Championships, contributing 28 points to the team’s total.
Pryce's achievements have cemented her place in history as the first collegian and first Jamaican to run under 49 seconds in the 400m. She surpassed the 22-year-old Jamaican record of 49.30 set by Lorraine Fenton in 2002.
Her time of 48.89 also eclipsed the previous collegiate record of 49.13 set by fellow Razorback Britton Wilson in 2023. On the 2024 world list, Pryce ranks second behind Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who recorded a time of 48.75. Pryce’s time also ties her for 13th on the all-time world list alongside Mexico’s Ana Guevara from 2003.
The culmination of Arkansas's season was highlighted by an emphatic victory in the 4 x 400m relay at the NCAA Championships, where the Razorbacks set a collegiate record and world-leading time of 3:17.96. Pryce's impressive third-leg split of 49.19 was crucial in securing the title. This performance broke the previous collegiate record of 3:21.92 set by Arkansas at the NCAA West meet, narrowly surpassing Kentucky’s 3:21.93 from the 2022 SEC meet.
Coach Chris Johnson's leadership was instrumental in guiding the Razorbacks to these historic achievements. Under his guidance, Arkansas scored in eight different events to capture the NCAA outdoor team title, edging out Florida by four points. This victory followed their triumph at the NCAA Indoor meet, where they won by five points.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce opens season with 11.15 sprint at French Foray meeting
Three-time Olympic gold medallist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce made a triumphant return to the track with a controlled sprint of 11.15 seconds at the French Foray Meeting held at the National Stadium on Saturday night. This performance comes less than two weeks before the start of the Jamaica national championships, which will determine the team representing Jamaica at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The 38-year-old sprinting legend, who boasts a lifetime best of 10.60 seconds, was making an extraordinarily late start to her season. Despite this, Fraser-Pryce, running with her right knee and lower-thigh strapped with kenisio tape, demonstrated her enduring talent by shaking off the rust and securing victory against a competitive field. Jodean Smith, clocking in at 11.20 seconds, finished second, while schoolgirl Sabrina Dockery took third place with a time of 11.46 seconds.
In the men's sprints, Bouwahjgie Nkrumie emerged as the fastest athlete of the night with a time of 10.21 seconds. Sandray Davison was close behind, recording a time of 10.25 seconds, while De Andre Daley achieved a season-best of 10.26 seconds to finish third. Notably, Ackeem Blake, despite stumbling out of the blocks in Nkrumie's heat, managed to recover and post a respectable time of 10.30 seconds.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce to kick off final Olympic campaign at JAAA's French Foray meet on Saturday
Four-time Olympic 100m medallist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is set to open her 2024 season this Saturday at the JAAA's French Foray meet at the National Stadium in Kingston. The 38-year-old sprinting star will take on a relatively weak field of athletes as she tests her readiness to challenge for an unprecedented third Olympic 100m title in Paris this August.
Fraser-Pryce, who last competed in August 2023 when she ran 10.77 to win the bronze medal at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, is gearing up for the Jamaica National Championships, which begins in less than two weeks on June 27. To secure her place in the Olympic squad, Fraser-Pryce will need to finish in the top three at the national trials.
In an interview with Sportsmax.TV last October, Fraser-Pryce revealed plans to run more races leading up to the Olympics in 2024. However, for reasons unknown, she has not been able to compete before Saturday. As one of the most decorated sprinters in history, with five World Championships 100m titles to her name, Fraser-Pryce has faced a series of injuries since 2016. A toe injury in 2016 hampered her chances of winning a third consecutive Olympic 100m title, and she finished third.
After nearly two years off due to the birth of her son Zyon, Fraser-Pryce made a triumphant return by winning her fourth World 100m title in Doha in 2019. She followed this with a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics and a fifth world title in Oregon in 2022. During an injury-hit season in 2023, she followed up with a bronze at the World Championships in Budapest.
On Saturday, Fraser-Pryce will gauge her readiness for what she has indicated will be her final Olympic campaign. Fans and athletics enthusiasts will be watching closely as she begins her journey towards making history once again in Paris.
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