Jemma Reekie says the “horrendous” disappointment of failing to reach last year’s Olympic 800m final is driving her on in the quest to win a major global outdoor medal.
The Scot was ranked in the world’s top three in the discipline going into the Paris Games, but failed to secure a shot at a podium finish after placing fifth in her semi-final.
“It still hurts now but I have had to turn it into a positive,” says the 27-year-old, eight months on.
“That experience pushed me to be more healthy physically and mentally. I think it will push me forward, but it was hard.
“It was horrendous at the time and it was bad for the whole team around me, for my family to see it happen, but we have used it to be like ‘what can we do better, what can we improve on from that situation?’
“It has really pushed me as a person, learning new skills to deal with things. These things do make us stronger, so hopefully I am out of the end of that and I can start getting those medals.”
The Kilbarchan runner has been focused on mindfulness and work-life balance because, as she says, “if I am happy, I run fast”.
“Probably the past six weeks I have been in the nicest mental happy space that I have been in and I think it is really showing in my training,” Reekie says.
Reekie, who won 800m silver at the World Indoor Championships last year, is working hard to ensure her life off the track is on point in order to help her performance on it.
“Physically, it has been consistent. I am really healthy, my recovery is really good and then mentally I have been doing some breath work,” she adds.
“I have really been prioritising myself outside of the sport and just looking after myself, because as athletes we just think ‘training, training, training’ and we don’t think of the things outside of the sport – how you can get those one per cents.
“I want to perform at training to my highest ability – every session I want it to be amazing and sometimes I get stuck in that loop.
“But actually having some things outside the sport and enjoying life outside the sport has brought my training on even more.”
The two-time Olympian will be building her season towards the World Championship in Tokyo in September, with Olympic and European champion Keely Hodgkinson very much the woman to beat over 800m.
“Keely is a great athlete and really strong,” adds Reekie.
“She is pushing us to learn new things about ourselves, to work harder, and it is great.
“I ran the second-quickest time in the world last year, so I am not a million miles away – and I know what I have got to do to get closer and closer.”
