Tough of the track
Hendry vows not to get pushed around at Worlds
MHAIRI HENDRY has vowed not to be bullied by the big guns at the world indoor athletics championships this week.
The 21-year-old Scot earned a shock debut for GB&NI in Birmingham after smashing her 800metres best at the British trials.
But Hendry claims her warm-up at last Sunday’s Grand Prix in Glasgow showed she needs to toughen up on the track.
She said: “I got pushed around a wee bit but I feel readier for this week.
“No matter how I ran, it was a learning experience as I wanted to try something before the proper big stage.
“It wasn’t a bad run but I was annoyed that I didn’t go for it enough.”
Hendry, who is studying at Strathclyde University, was singled out as one to watch when she came fifth at the 2015 European Junior Championships in Sweden.
But juggling study and training has left her diary crammed with this week spent in the library rather than resting up for the global showpiece.
She added: “I’ve not done anything differently. I’ve still been going to uni, doing the usual training, treating it like another race.
“But I was at the Sports Union awards on Saturday and saw some of my class- mates I hadn’t seen and they were so happy for me.”
Having missed out on the Commonwealth Games, Hendry will now join fellow Brit Shelayna Oskan-Clarke in the 800m in Saturday’s heats at Arena Birmingham with her target simply to be in the mix.
But her unexpected burst into the team has left her family scrambling to travel south to give their support.
She said: “It has all been so last-minute. My mum had a prior engagement as captain of the county golf team this weekend. They were all telling her to miss it and go to Birmingham.
“So I had to source tickets. She was saying she wasn’t going but I’m glad she is.”