The polishing process largely having been completed the queen of Scottish athletics believes that the jewels that have been unearthed in recent years are ready to shine ever more brightly on the world stage this season.
Liz McColgan-Nuttall played her own part in stimulating what amounts to the revival of her sport in her homeland last weekend when joining with the masses in the Stirling Scottish Marathon, giving many the thrill of a lifetime as they ran alongside her for stages of the race.
This fiercest of competitors in her heyday even seemed undismayed by the fact that more than a few took the chance to say that they had beaten her, the former London Marathon winner simply revelling in having managed to complete the course.
“It was really enjoyable in a funny sort of way,” said the woman who was also a 10,000m world champion and Olympic silver medallist.
“I was really pleased to run round and not have any problems, I was really comfortable. My legs stood up to the distance, so I’m just pleased to have finished. I’ve had a lot of problems since I retired so I never thought I’d be able to run a marathon again, so I’m chuffed.”
She knows better than most the value of such events since the only way to be successful as an athlete is to get out and run and it is no coincidence that the renewed engagement of the masses is happening alongside the emergence of the finest batch of Scottish talent since she, Yvonne Murray and Tom McKean were leading the way in the eighties and nineties.
Her enthusiasm is also piqued, of course, by the presence of her own daughter Eilish among this current generation of Scots who are taking on the world and along with Laura Muir, Andrew Butchart, Chris O’Hare and Lynsey Sharp, she is among five of them competing in high class fields in the Prefontaine Classic meeting in Eugene this weekend which is also part of the Diamond League.
Famed for doing things the hard way the product of a tough Dundee housing scheme who used sheer guts and determination to take on and beat the world’s best reckons they have now served their athletics apprenticeships.
“What's happening at the moment really is exciting,” said McColgan-Nuttall.
“There's a very strong group there and we can't refer to them now as youngsters because they are in their mid-20s, some aged 26, 27.
“They have matured well as they have come through the age groups to seniors and international level. We have athletes now we can truly label as world class and that's great for the sport.
“Some of them have come 'through the other side' in terms of one of two things if you look back at their experiences down recent years.
“Athletics is a tough sport. It is a learning curve and I always think that the success you get out of it comes hand in hand with disappointments. Injuries are part of it and, often, it is how you manage your way through it and try and maintain your balance to keep on going and progressing.
“Laura, Eilish, Chris O'Hare, and one or two others like Steph, have been through the mill at times, but persistence and stubborness can pay off. It is hard work but we've found out what some people are made of through their various issues.
“When the likes of Laura and Eilish bounce back, they come back stronger people and better athletes for that.”
On which note McColgan-Nuttall, who was both the top athletics representative and top female competitor in HeraldSport’s '100 Greatest Scottish Sports Icons' series earlier this year, reckons the girl she brought into the world just eight months before her World Championship win in 1991 and now coaches still has the capacity to eclipse her achievements in the sport.
“Doing well in Rio last year has given Eilish more confidence,” she told scottishathletics.org.uk.
“She shied away from changing events from the steeplechase for a while but now she knows what she can do on the flat. She knows she can be a world class 5000m and 10,000m runner. She has had a wee injury just there but still managed 15.22 off pretty much nothing so we are hopeful for later in the season.
“She has run close to a couple of my PBs in certain distances, but I have always said she can be a better athlete than me. She will be better over 10,000m one day, believe me. Eilish has more tools in her box than I did. Over the next few years and steps up the distance I am convinced she will do some pretty fast times.
“I purposely didn't have her doing too many miles and held her back. Eilish loved doing the steeplechase and held on there longer than I would have liked. She was a bit reluctant to leave it. Sometimes you have to listen to your athlete and it is not always about what the coach says.
“She has had some tough things happen to her but she has stuck at it. She knows now she is a better athlete at 10,00m. Watch this space!”
McColgan runs in the 5000m on the opening day of the meet, while Muir (1500m), Butchart ((5000m) O’Hare (Mile) and Sharp (800m) are all in action on Sunday.
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