The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Poor start costs Gourley in final
Neil Gourley admitted he blew his shot at European Indoor Athletics Championship glory last night after he slumped to 11th in the 1,500 metres final in Torun.
Poland’s Marcin Lewandowski defended the title he won two years ago in Glasgow after Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who landed silver then, was stripped of victory for stepping off the track.
But Gourley was left in a hopeless game of catch-up against the leaders following a nightmare start that he confessed was self-inflicted.
And he faded from fifth on the last lap as his hopes imploded.
“It wasn’t tactics,” said the 26-year-old Glaswegian who was robbed of a medal shot by illness in 2019 after reaching the final.
“I stumbled off the start line and it lost me a lot of ground. But these things happen in indoor 1,500m running, you need to be ready for that. I really worked hard to get back to the elite group.
“But I had to do too much because of a stupid error coming off the start line. I’ve ran in two many tactical 1,500m races to make that mistake. That was poor and there’s no one else to blame but me.
“I got within striking distance but I’d worked far too hard to do it. I was completely forcing it.
“I put myself in a position but truthfully I was spent by the time I got back to them after making that mistake at the start and the wheels came off. I didn’t have anything and there was still 200m to go.”
Now he will return to his base in the USA and get ready for his shot at making the Olympic team this summer in an event where at least four Brits will expect to hunt the three seats on offer on the plane.
He added: “I have blown this opportunity so I have to make the most of other ones this summer.”
Guy Learmonth insisted he won’t get distracted by the latest shoe controversy
after making a winning start in the 800 metres.
The Borderer surged clear of world indoor champion Adam Kszscot to dominate his opening heat in 1:49.66 and move into this evening’s semis along with British team-mate Jamie Webb.
Despite fears that the latest Nike spikes – that propelled the absent Elliot Giles to smash Seb Coe’s
UK record last month – will see the record books ripped up, Learmonth claims it’s noise he needs to block out.
He said: “I’m trying to really shut down things and focus. I’m in a really good place in my life at the moment.
“It is what it is with the shoes. I’m not going to worry about it, I’m just going to go and race. That’s the beauty of championship
racing – it’s not paced racing.
“It’s about who races the best. This is going to be true-run races with rounds and the final. It’s not about being the fastest, it’s about winning.”
Spain’s Alvaro de Arriba, who took gold in Glasgow, crashed out in the opening round.
Amy-eloise Markovc bagged the UK’S first gold by succeeding Laura Muir as champion in the women’s 3,000m.
The 25-year-old, who moved from Manchester to the USA at age two, held on in a sprint to clock 8:46.43 with Welshwoman Verity Ockenden nudged into bronze by France’s Alice Finot by just sixhundredths of a second.
Olympic heptathlon champion Nafi Thiam underlined the threat she will pose to the currentlyinjured Katarina Johnsonthompson in Tokyo by regaining the women’s pentathlon title in a Belgian record of 4,904 points.
TODAY FOOTBALL:
Premier League, Burnley v Arsenal – BT Sport 1 11.30am, Sheffield United v Southampton – Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League 2.45pm, Aston Villa v Wolves – Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League 5pm, Brighton v Leicester – Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League 7.45pm; Championship, Watford v Nottingham Forest – Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football noon; Bundesliga, Bayern Munich v Borussia Dortmund – BT Sport 2 5.15pm.
CRICKET: India v England, fourth Test – Channel 4 3.50am, Women’s T20, New Zealand v England – BT Sport 1 2.45am (Sun); Men’s T20, New Zealand v Australia – BT Sport 1 10.30pm.
RUGBY UNION: PRO14, Zebre v Glasgow – Premier Sports 2 and eir Sport 1 12.55pm, Ulster v Leinster – Premier Sports 1 and eir Sport 1 7pm, Ospreys v Dragons – S4C 7.15pm; Premiership, Bath v Exeter – BT Sport 2 2.30pm.
GOLF: PGA Tour, Arnold Palmer Invitational – Sky Sports Golf 1pm.
ATHLETICS: European Indoor Championships – BBC Two 8.45am and 5.15pm.
DARTS: UK Open – ITV4 12.30pm and 7pm.
SNOOKER: Gibraltar Open – Eurosport 1 5.45pm.
SAILING: America’s Cup – BBC Two 2am (Sun), Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Action 3am (Sun). HORSE RACING: From Kelso – ITV 12.55pm.
TOMORROW FOOTBALL:
Scottish Premiership, Dundee United v Celtic – Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football 11am Premier League, West Brom v Newcastle – Amazon Prime Video noon, Liverpool v Fulham – Sky Sports Premier League 1pm, Sky Sports Main Event 2pm, Manchester City v Manchester United – Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League 4pm, Tottenham v Crystal Palace – Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League 7pm.
CRICKET: India v England, fourth Test - Channel 4 3.50am.
RUGBY UNION: Premiership, Harlequins v Northampton – BT Sport 1 2pm; PRO14, Edinburgh v Benetton – Premier Sports 1 2.45pm.
GOLF: PGA Tour, Arnold Palmer Invitational – Sky Sports Golf 1pm, Sky Sports Main Event 10pm.
CYCLING: Paris-nice – Eurosport 1 2.10pm.
DARTS: UK Open – ITV4 12.45 and 7pm.
SNOOKER: Gibraltar Open – Eurosport 1 4pm and 6.55pm.
BASKETBALL: NBA, All-star Game – Sky Sports Main Event 1am (Mon).