Jemma Reekie – ready for Glasgow

Jemma Reekie is the second preview interview written by Stuart Weir on the athletes of Crew GB. Stuart will probably be protecting the World Indoor Champs remotely from Oxford, England, on account of a latest surgical procedure that he had.

Jemma Reekie is in one of the aggressive occasions in all the World Indoor Champs this weekend, March 1-3, 2024, on the Emirates Area in Glasgow, Scotland. 

Jemma Reekie – prepared for Glasgow

In August 2021, when Jemma Reekie ran 1:56.90 within the Tokyo Olympic 800m ultimate, lacking the bronze medal by 0.09 seconds, aged 22, she appeared to have the world at her ft.  Since then, every part appears to have been a wrestle, however now she seems to have turned a nook. With 1:58.24 within the GB Indoor Championships earlier this month, she recorded the second-fastest time on this planet this yr.

Talking to a gaggle of UK athletics writers final week, she shared what a darkish place she had been in a yr in the past: “This time final yr, I used to be terrified. I used to be damaged as an athlete. And I had truly written down every part that I used to be battling on my laptop computer. And certainly one of them was I used to be by no means gonna be nearly as good as I was. And I used to be satisfied that I might by no means be the identical.  I believe I used to be simply frazzled mentally, and after having a glandular fever, I’d by no means let myself get well from it. And I didn’t respect what it could do to my physique and issues like that. And I believe everybody responds so in another way to issues like that. And I truly had glandular fever* after I was a toddler, and I’d been bed-bound for weeks and months, and I’ve missed a great deal of faculty and. I used to be so scared that that was the best way it was going to be, and I believe it took quite a bit out of me. I do know some individuals who have gone via glandular fever and been again operating effectively in a couple of months, however I simply hadn’t taken account of myself as a person. I used to be identical to, effectively, not desirous to make an excuse nearly. I used to be considering like, ‘Nicely if these folks have gotten over it and been fantastic, why am I not fantastic? Is it in my head?’ All of us simply must be handled as people and, like, give ourselves time. It’s so bizarre as a result of after I look again I used to be so damaged mentally as an athlete this time final yr. however not in the future did I get up and assume I couldn’t do it anymore. I simply believed. I’ve all the time thought I’m like nearly born to do it. By no means as soon as did I get up and assume I couldn’t do it, or I’m there have been instances that I assumed I used to be by no means gonna be nearly as good. However I used to be like, that is what I’m meant to be doing. I simply trusted myself, and I simply had this sense that that’s what I’m meant to be doing, and that’s what I like. And I trusted that the love of my sport would come again to me, and yeah, I simply needed to belief it. It was a tough time period”.

Within the midst of all this, Jemma and her good friend Laura Muir determined to depart the one coach both of them had ever had, Andy Younger, after an incident in a coaching camp. In addition to her psychological struggles, she was now with out a coach. She determined to work with Jon Bigg.  The issue was that Jon was primarily based within the south of England, some 500 miles from Scotland, the place Jemma had lived all her life. (500 miles is quite a bit additional for folks with a small-country UK mindset than it’s for People).  She acquired simply the response she wanted from Jon Bigg, who advised her: “You understand what, I don’t care the way you run this summer season. I simply need you to be again on the road having enjoyable”. She added of Jon, “I wanted to make that change and I wanted somebody to imagine in me and have that religion in me”. That Jon’s spouse, Sally Gunnell, was herself an Olympic gold medallist meant that Jemma had somebody who understood elite operating to assist her via this tough interval. Bigg additionally coaches Ellie Baker, who gave Jemma a coaching associate she knew effectively. Jemma additionally acknowledges the significance of the assist of UK Athletics throughout this tough interval.

Jemma described the best way her coaching had modified from Andy Younger to Jon Bigg: “Earlier than, I used to be doing like extra 1500/5K coaching, and it’s completed me so effectively thus far. It acquired me to a sure place, however deep down, I knew I used to be gonna must do one thing else after I was watching the highest 800 women. They’re so sturdy and quick. And I simply knew that I wanted one thing completely different and that I wanted that to occur sooner fairly than later as a result of I’m now coming into being 26 this yr, so I made that change, and I’ve been doing much more pace work, much more technical work to alter my operating. I don’t need to change my operating type a lot however to enhance it, and we’ve managed to do this shortly with some drills, energy work, and pace work. And I’m nonetheless doing longer classes and nonetheless tapping into that 1500 work, nevertheless it’s way more high quality work that I’m doing, which implies I’m in a position to observe operating higher for longer and actually taking a look at all these little particulars”.

Having gained the GB trials in 1:58.24 earlier this month, Jemma is in a superb place to make an affect in Glasgow.

*glandular fever (the frequent UK identify) can also be known as mononucleosis