CELEBRA TE OUR SUPERSTARS

Doyle says it’s imperative we make most of a golden age

EILIDH DOYLE still isn’t quite sure which road she will travel down as she looks for opportunities in wake of hanging up her spikes earlier this year. One thing the Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth medallist is eager to work on, though, is raising the profile of track and field and engaging a whole, new generation of runners, jumpers and throwers.

Doyle, a board member at Scottish Athletics, admits she has deep concerns about the overall profile the sport enjoys. June’s Olympic trials in Manchester were not shown on TV for the first time this century and the days of a nation hanging on every moment of weekly battles between the likes of Seb Coe, Steve Ovett and Steve Cram seem a lifetime away.

Scotland is in a fantastic position to build interest thanks to having two Olympic medallists in Laura Muir and Josh Kerr along with another elite performer in Jemma Reekie — and Doyle believes we have to grasp the thistle at this unique time, particularly with all three set to compete in the World Championships and Commonwealth Games next year, to encourage new audiences.

‘The trouble is that athletics only seems to get the interest when it is a big event such as the Olympics,’ she said. ‘We have athletes such as Laura, Jemma and Josh, who are really putting it on the map, and it is about using them to keep promoting it.

‘There are big events every year that we can focus on to raise the profile. It just doesn’t seem to be portrayed as well any more.

‘I can’t remember the last time the British Championships weren’t on telly, but these were the Olympic trials. That used to be primetime viewing.

‘You need to be a Laura Muir, who has been around so long and won an Olympic medal, to be well known now. People wouldn’t have had a clue who Keely Hodgkinson was before she won gold in the 800metres.

‘That’s because they never saw her win at the trials. You need to invest in these athletes.

‘Part of the reason I got so emotional

when Laura won her silver was because you knew her journey and we are running the risk of not following the stories of young athletes.

‘Steve Cram, Seb Coe, Steve Ovett, Colin Jackson, Linford Christie. They are still well known and I do fear a bit for the sport and where it is going.’

Doyle is in talks with a number of organisations to figure out where her depth of experience could be used in sport — and admits she would love to have some involvement in bringing young, fresh talent through and helping protect their mental welfare in these times of social media pressure and pandemic-related challenges.

‘There are a variety of things I am interested in,’ she said. ‘I am really interested in the development of the athletes coming through at that age where athletes tend to fall out of the sport — when they are going to university and things like that.

‘I’d like to try to make sure athletes have the right surroundings to stay within the sport. The whole performance thing — the elite side — interests me as well as the mindset of athletes and mental wellbeing.

‘I think that is a massive thing right now, particularly with the pandemic.

‘I caught up with Laura Muir a few weeks ago and was asking her all sorts of questions. Of course, I am interested in the elite, but I am also fascinated by how everyday athletes get the best out of themselves.

‘I think lots of people feel that you must be happy if you are an Olympic gold medallist. That’s not the case, though. You have seen it with sportspeople such as Michael Jamieson and Callum Skinner, who have had their own battles.

‘That fascinates me. I always had the approach that I was only going to do something if it made me happy, but I can understand how you become trapped in that thing of telling yourself if you keep doing it, you will get happy.

‘A lot can be done there. The medals don’t change who you are as a person. I love listening to podcasts about that. When I spoke to Laura, she told me her biggest feeling was relief just to be on the start line in Tokyo because she thought she was going to get pinged for Covid.

‘That never even went through my head. I don’t know if there is a job in it, but it fascinates me.

‘I think it is only going to get worse with social media and all these visible pressures. Your mindset and mental health is equally as important as your physical health. If you are not in the right place, it can break you as an athlete and a person.

‘I am very passionate about sport and not just athletics. I have been having conversations with Scottish Athletics and Sportscotland and looking at what skills I have, what I have picked up in my career and where I can be useful.

‘I joined the board of Scottish Athletics because I want to have a connection to the sport. It was great watching the Olympics and being a fan, but you still want to have that inside knowledge, if you like, of what is going on.

‘It is just a case of trying to work out where I will be useful. It is not a case of going into a job just because I

need to get paid.’