Neil Gourley ‘pretty excited’ by Glasgow 2026 mile events

Gourley is hoping the Games “is third time lucky” in terms of achieving his dream of competing at a major championships in his home city.

He missed the 2019 European Indoor Athletics Championships through illness, before injury ended his hopes of competing at last year’s world indoor event at the Emirates Arena.

“I have twice now tried to compete in a championship in Glasgow and it hasn’t worked for the best,” he said.

“It is a really big deal for me. I feel it is something in my career that I have been missing and one I need to put right.

“I would like the opportunity to compete in Glasgow in front of my people – my family, my friends, people that were going to be at the world indoors last year before I had to give all those tickets away.”

Injury hampered Gourley’s dreams of glory last year, with the Scot admitting it was a tough time.

Last February, he was barely able to walk because of a back injury but recovered enough to qualify for his first Olympics, finishing 10th in the 1500m final.

Now he is focused on next month’s European Indoor Athletics Championships in the Netherlands.

The US-based Scot won his first major international medal – a 1500m silver – at the event two years ago. And, after his bid to repeat that, he will turn his attention to September’s World Championships in Tokyo.

“I would like to win a global medal,” Gourley said. “That is something I haven’t done yet, so that’s the overarching goal this year.

“The European Indoors is a building block to that. It goes hand in hand with how high the level is in Europe right now, so I would like to win a medal there. I know it is something I am capable of.”