Learmonth back on track after long Covid nightmare
Berwick runner admits he nearly quit due to the effects of virus
THE whirring of the washing machine in the background tells the story of an athlete back out on the circuit, and Guy Learmonth couldn’t be happier.
Following the recent leg stretcher on Staten Island, the 800m specialist is on the track in Metz this weekend ahead of the British indoor championships later this month and beyond that a training camp in Australia with coach Justin Rinaldi and then a bumper summer of outdoor championships.
That packed calendar stands in stark contrast to last year, when the ravages of long
Covid took their toll, wrecking Learmonth’s hopes of going to the Olympics and leaving him so out of sorts that he began to wonder if it was going to spell the end of his athletics career. Mercifully, the man from Berwick-upon-Tweed appears to have put the worst behind him and declares himself fully fit again to tackle what lies ahead in 2022.
“It’s been such a rough year and I’ve worked so hard to get back to where I was beforehand,” he reveals. “The whole journey has just been insane with everything that went on and what I had to do with my rehab just to get back to normal first before I could think about returning to training. It just took ages.
“It was all Covid-related. My lungs were a total mess, my diaphragm was wrecked and my breathing was really shot. I had blocked airways and other issues.
“Being stubborn I refused to accept it was to do with getting the virus and thought maybe my race preparation had been wrong or I wasn’t training right or something. But once we ticked all those boxes off and I was still running horrendously we all agreed there was something wrong and we should get help.
“The doctors and the respiratory clinic turned me inside-out with all sorts of tests and finally we got to the root of the problem. I effectively had to learn to breathe again which was crazy.
“In hindsight if I could have taken two or three months off entirely, I would have. But with the Olympics just around the corner, no athlete was going to do that. So if I could give any advice to any athlete going through the same, it would be you have to take your time with your body and let it recover.
“There have been times last year when I wondered if I would ever be the same again. And I did worry that this was going to force me to retire early
if we didn’t get to the bottom of it. So I’m so relieved that we did as I didn’t want to quit at this point.
“That’s why I was so happy with the race in Staten Island. It was just great to finally feel completely normal again and I hope now that I can show that I’m back in business. It’s such a relief to have that all behind me now.”
Learmonth is keen to make an impression at the British championships on the 26th and 27th but will wait to see whether to also go for the world indoors in Serbia next month.
His focus this year, however, is on the big outdoors events, namely the world championships in Oregon and then the Commonwealth Games.
Should his scheduling and body allow it, the 29-yearold might also aim for the European Championships in Munich at the end of a hectic summer.
“I really want to do the British champs and that’s what we’re focusing on,” he confirms. “I want to run quick and win another British title.
“At the minute I’m not hugely fussed about the world indoors. If I’m running well it would be stupid to miss it but the big two for me this year are Oregon and the Commonwealth Games.
“So we’re mostly using the indoor season to get me back out there and feeling good again.
“I’ve not ruled out the Euros too although it actually looks harder to qualify for that than the worlds! But if I can do all three then I’ll definitely try for that.”
The Commonwealth Games, in particular, is an event Learmonth is already excited about. Sixth in Glasgow in 2014 and 17th on Gold Coast four years later, he’s hopeful another home games can inspire him to a place on the podium.
“Third time lucky for a medal eh?” he laughs. “I love racing for Scotland and it’s very rare that we get to do that. I can’t believe it’s almost four years since Gold Coast and eight since Glasgow but now another one is just around the corner. It’s a priority for me this summer and I’d love to really produce the goods.
“It’s another home games and it should be a brilliant atmosphere with crowds hopefully at full capacity so
I’m looking forward to pulling on the Scotland vest again.
The fire is still burning strong inside me.”
It was all Covid-related... I effectively had to learn to breathe again, which was crazy