Jemma Reekie delivered a fitting finale at the World Athletics Indoor Championships with a thrilling 800m silver on Sunday night in Glasgow.
Reekie started as the pre-race favourite but she was edged out for gold by Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma, who led from start to finish in a time of 2:01.90.
Reekie was simply unable to get past and she could not match Duguma’s burst of speed down the final straight.
The Renfrewshire runner ran considerably faster in both her heat and semi-final, with her time of 1:58.28 on Saturday the fastest qualifying time in the field.
But Duguma was able to dictate a slower pace and, despite the roar of the home crowd, Reekie was made to settle for silver.
“It was a bit of a weird race,” said Reekie. “I should be happy with a silver but I stood on the track wanting gold and put up a hard fight for it.
“I knew those girls were going to throw something at me, that they were confident and they were just better than me today.
“She [Duguma] was really strong and it gives me something to look at for the summer. It will keep me working hard and keep those eyes on those Olympic medals.
“I stood on that track and didn’t want anything other than the win but a first senior [world] medal, I have made some mistakes and I will learn something from it.
“It’s unpredictable but that is what is going to happen with all these girls running so fast and more coming through, they are going to make it unpredictable and it’s a good lesson to learn.
“I really wanted to walk away with a gold medal in front of this home crowd but it’s my first senior medal and I’ll take it.”
Despite her slight disappointment after running so well leading up to the final, Reekie remains in a good position for this summer’s Olympics, where she will hope to upgrade her heartbreaking fourth-place finish from the last games in Tokyo.
Fellow Brit Keely Hodgkinson has taken much of the focus in the women’s 800m, which promises to be one of the events of the games with Olympic champion Athing Mu and world champion Mary Moraa also strong contenders.
But Reekie will be confident she can challenge that trio after an impressive indoor season that also saw her claim the British title in a championship record time of one minute 58.24 seconds.
“I have got one [senior medal] now and I definitely want one of those Olympic ones. This is a stepping stone.
“I will have a bit of a down week this week but then it is all eyes on Paris. I will head out to Portugal where I do my training and get that work done.
“I think I needed some more experience with racing and we saw that today, I made some mistakes, but every race I am learning and getting so much better. Everyone can see that.
“I am not afraid to shy away from that I wanted gold today and that showed how far I’ve come.”
Reekie grew up just 15 miles away in Kilbarchan and felt the full force of the home crowd as they cheered her round the track she is so familiar with.
“It’s so nice to be back in Glasgow,” she said. “I am someone who just loves racing and everyday everyone was laughing at me in the hotel because I was so excited to get back out on the track.
“I have loved every single minute of it. It is so refreshing to be back here, running every day, really happy and in really good shape.
“My grandpa is here and he doesn’t come to many races unless they’re in the Emirates [Arena] so it is going to be so special being on that podium.
“It has taken an army to get me here and I am so grateful for my family and close friends.”
Twin sisters Laviai and Lina Nielsen held back the tears as they celebrated a first-ever senior medal together with 4x400m relay bronze.
The pair teamed up with Ama Pipi and Jessie Knight to set a new national record of 3 minutes 26.36 seconds, finishing third behind a Femke Bol-inspired Netherlands who took gold and USA in second.
The quartet broke the existing record that was set only on Sunday morning in qualifying and Lina admitted it was a special moment for the sisters.
She said: “I had a little cry, it is something we have dreamed of our whole careers. To finally be in a healthy place, injury free, illness free, it is really special. It is Olympic year and I hope we can continue this in the summer.
“It is not about us, it is about the whole team, we are British record holders and [world] medallists.”
The quartet were pushed around the track by the home crowd, with a huge third leg from Pipi securing all-but securing a medal before Knight brought the baton home.
“You have to use the crowd but you also don’t want to over-cook your leg and then burn up. It is about having control and belief in yourself that you know what you’re doing,” said Knight.
“It was absolutely amazing, these moments you’ll never forget as an athlete and the home crowd just tops it off. These are really special moments.”
The world’s best athletes head to Scotland for the World Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow 24 from 1-3 March and you can keep up to date with the latest on the World Athletics website, its associated platforms and via broadcasters around the world.