Team GB runner Neil Gourley wasn’t expecting much of a fuss. Sure, he had progressed to the finals of the 1500 metre race in Paris, but he hadn’t won a medal. So you can imagine the surprise when the native Glaswegian returned home to find a crowd of well wishers in his front garden.
Festooned with yellow and blue balloons, more than one hundred athletes and coaches from Giffnock North Athletic Club, where Gourley trained as a teen, gathered to celebrate the local track star.
Gourley told The Herald: “I was pretty shocked. I’d gone straight to train after my flight home.
“I wasn’t anticipating anyone else would be home other than my parents.”
Indeed, Gourley’s proud parents Ronnie and Wilma were on hand, helping to secure cake and refreshments for the crowd of friends and fans, including Gourley’s first running coach Claire Stevenson.
Olympian athlete Neil Gourley with parents Ronnie and Wilma (Image: Colin Mearns)
Once the initial surprise wore off, Gourley plunged into the crowd, chatting to club members and signing scores of autographs.
Gourley, 29, began last year on top of the running world. In February 2023, he set the British indoor record in the 1500 metres. Less than a month later, Gourley won silver at the European Indoor Championships in Istanbul, nearly upsetting two time Olympic gold medalist Jakob Ingebrigtsen.
But his journey to the Olympics wouldn't be so easy. Gourley suffered a series of stress reaction injuries over the winter and spring of 2023/24. The injuries were severe enough to leave him unable to get out of bed in February, just four months before the Team GB Olympic qualifiers. It seemed his Olympic dreams would not be realised for the second consecutive cycle, having missed the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with a tear in his calf.
Yet, Gourley refused to go down without a fight, clawing his way into the qualifying meet in June, where he placed first in the 1500 metres and secured his place on the Paris squad.
Reflecting on his comeback, Gourley said: “It took a tremendous amount of crossing training, and a lot of work done on the bike.”
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He managed to keep sharp by running virtually against other competitors during his recovery period, quipping: “There were lots of people that humbled me pretty quickly, but it kept me going.”
Despite his busy running and training schedule, Gourley takes time to visit Giffnock North whenever he is in Glasgow. In 2023, fresh from his success in Istanbul, Gourley stopped by two local training facilities; signing autographs, chatting to athletes, and letting youngsters try on his medals.
And the Giffnock North faithful are fully on board, championing Gourley as ‘our Olympic finalist.’ On August 6th, the day of the 1500 metre final, the club’s official X account tweeted:
“Absolutely nothing but immense pride to see Neil Gourley line up in the amazing Olympic Final today. All our members have been inspired by your resilience and efforts over the years. We can’t wait to hear all about your adventure in person.”
Gourley, who finished tenth with a time of 3:30.88, told the BBC that he had ‘no regrets’ about his performance. Reflecting on his time at the Olympics a week later, he expressed similar thoughts.
“[I felt] an overwhelming sense of relief… and a combination of work over a long, long time; and paying back a lot of people who [spent time helping me].”
Gourley hopes that his story will inspire the next generation of young runners. Thinking back to his years coming up in the club, he said: “I would have relished an opportunity to meet anyone competing at that level.”
100 fellow members of Giffnock North Athletics Club surprised Neil as he arrived home. (Image: Colin Mearns)
Even when he did encounter a track star, “it was never anyone from Glasgow, from the Southside.”
Gourley added that he hopes young runners will look at his story and think “maybe I can do that if I apply myself.”
Taking time to thank his former coaches, Gourley noted that they “cultivated my love for the sport.”
“Seeing those people yesterday,” he added, “that was the ‘It was all worth it’ moment.”
There’s more to come for Gourley this year, as he ramps up for the remainder of the Diamond League track season. If all goes well, he’s set to run in Zurich on the 5th of September.
You can be sure the kids in Giffnock North will be cheering him on.
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