Dry hopes to top return from ban with Commonwealth Games spot

MARK DRY will be disappointed if he fails to make the Commonwealth Games, but he will still be proud that he has come back from a lengthy ban from the sport to earn a call-up to Scotland’s team for this month’s Loughborough International.

The double Commonwealth hammer bronze medallist, 34, is returning from 28 months in exile for what many felt was an unfair punishment for initially lying about his whereabouts when drugs testers arrived at his home in October 2018.

“It’s been a living hell at times,” admitted the Highlander who went into debt to fight his case which earned a reduction from a four-year suspension. He has already achieved the qualifying mark twice for this summer’s Commonwealths, and said: “No matter what happens, I can’t go wrong here. So that’s the only peace of mind I’ve already got. It’s not like, if I don’t make it, this is going to be a failure for me and I’ve let everyone down.

“I feel like the fact that I’ve stayed the course and gone through this much time and been able to persevere and get to the position I’m already in by getting those two standards is already more than enough. And whatever happens, happens.

“I would love to be selected. And I would like to throw further and put myself in a more secure spot for selection. But I am in a dream scenario. I would be disappointed if I wasn’t selected. I would be disappointed in various scenarios. But bottom line is when I’m finished, I will be proud I didn’t give up on it and I’ve come this far.”

GB&NI international Nick Percy will throw the discus at the Loughborough meeting after extending his own Scottish record last night with a throw of 64.35 metres at the Cyprus International meeting.