EILISH QUEEN OF THE DESERT
McColgan swaps Dundee for Doha but will still boast local fan club cheering her on
EILISH McCOLGAN would have to run almost 14,000 laps of the track to cover the distance between Dundee and Doha.
But she will still be a local hero when the World Athletics Championships get underway tonight thanks to her own personal fan club.
Qatar’s capital has been a second home for the double European medallist since her track legend mum moved there to coach five years ago.
With Liz coaching her daughter too, it has meant regular trips to the Middle East and training sessions at the city’s athletics club, which is run by the 1991 10,000 metres world champion.
That has turned the Dundonian, who yesterday pulled out of the 10,000m to conserve her energy for the 5000m, into a familiar face in these parts.
Which means there will be a Team Eilish in the stand at the Khalifa International Stadium ready to roar the 28-year-old on. Speaking to
RecordSport, she said: “I remember going to the Diamond League there last year and they were all in their Doha Athletic Club T-shirts.
“There must have been about 30 kids who leapt up and were cheering for me when I was doing my warm-up and during the race. That was really cool. “I had a few athletes asking, ‘Who are all these
little kids cheering for you?’ But it has been really cool to know that all these months in advance, this lot have been excited to see me compete.
“But it’s not only me. There’s also Laura Muir, Dina Asher-Smith. The athletes in my mum’s club have come from all over the world as well, so they all have different athletes they want to see.”
With ticket sales flopping it should not be too hard to
metropolis that has been carved out of the sands overlooking the Persian Gulf is out of this world.
The oil cash that has rebuilt PSG and been splashed out on Harrods hasn’t been stashed in the bank. But Eilish insists that despite the flak, taking the Championships to Qatar will change perceptions of what it is like on the ground.
She said: “A lot of people will be excited once they see it and explore it because it is a different corner of the world. It’s been quite funny when a few people messaged me asking, ‘Can I wear a T-shirt? Can I wear shorts? Is it OK if I go for a walk in the park on my own?’
“I’m telling them, ‘Of course it is!’ You’ve got to respect the culture.
“You have to make sure your shoulders are covered or your knees are covered. You can’t wander around in little skimpy clothes.
“It’s small things to ensure that you’re respectful. But when it comes to the field of play you’ll be wearing your race kit and that is OK.
“It’s just really outside when you have to be careful and respectful.”
Eilish will be dressed for success when she lines up in Wednesday’s heats. But Doha’s adopted daughter admits the X-factor of the heat could shake up her rivals. She added: “You really don’t know just how good a shape they’re in, if they’re having a good day or a bad day. “So I’ll just try to focus on running as fast as I possibly can.”