EILIDH DOYLE admits that having not competed in Scotland since her glorious silver-medal winning appearance in the 400m hurdles at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, she cannot wait to race on home soil once again. Her long-awaited opportunity will come in just a few months time though, when she will be one of the star attractions at the Muller Indoor Grand Prix, which will take place at Glasgow’s Emirates Arena on the 25th of February.

With Doyle having been based south of the border, in Bath, for a number of years, and with her racing opportunities in Scotland severely limited, she admits that she cannot wait to race in front of her home crowd once again. “Any excuse to compete in Scotland is brilliant for me, but you have such a big event in Scotland and to be a part of it is just amazing,” the 30 year-old said.

“It’s been quite a while since I’ve competed in Scotland so to be able to do it again is great. It’s everything that comes with competing in Scotland that’s so fantastic – I get to be at home, my family get the opportunity to come and see me race and all the other things that go with being at home like the home crowd so I’m so excited.”

Doyle is not planning on using the Glasgow Grand Prix as merely an excuse for a trip home though. While she will not have the opportunity to do any hurdles races indoors, the competitive action in the 400m flat is vital to sharpen her up and ensure she is ready to perform at the Commonwealth games in April.

Doyle has not always done an indoor season but past experience has shown her that it is hugely significant in helping her produce her best when she tackles the hurdles in the outdoor season. “2013 was my first proper indoor season and that was one of my most successful outdoor seasons so if an indoor season can fit in, I’m really keen to do it,” she said.

“The last couple of years it’s not fitted in with my schedule just with seasons being later and I also got married but if it can work with my schedule, it’s always really beneficial. This year, with the Commonwealth Games being so early, it’s a great chance to get out there and compete and see what kind of shape I’m in.

“Even though I can’t do the 400m hurdles, my time over 400 flat will give me a very good idea of what kind of shape I’m in. It will also give me a great chance to get out there and be competitive so that I’m not going to the Commonwealth Games thinking that I’ve not raced since September so the indoors will be really important for me this year.”

If everything goes to plan, the Glasgow Grand Prix will be Doyle’s final event before the World Indoor Championships, which will take place in Berlin. Then she will be straight off to Australia tp prepare for her third Commonwealth Games appearance. It will be a full-on few months but rather than be daunted at that prospect, Doyle believes having multiple focuses will, in fact, benefit her hugely. “It will be a really busy spell but I’m really excited about that and I think it actually helps me because it means I’m not entirely focused on one championship,” she said.

“In 2014 I had the Commonwealth Games and then the European Championships very soon after and I think having back to back events like that can be a good thing because it means not everything is dependent on one championship. So I’m really looking forward to having so much on next year - there won’t be a lot of time to stop and think about things because I’ll be travelling here and there and so I think it will just be a really exciting time.”

This winter has been something of a change for Doyle as her husband, Brian, has taken over coaching duties from her long-term, and renowned, previous coach, Malcolm Arnold. The Englishman, who also coached Colin Jackson, hung up his whistle earlier this year but Doyle is optimistic that the change is doing her the world of good.

“My training has been going really well – I’m about nine weeks in now and so I’m starting to get to the stage where I’m feeling like everything is coming together,” she said.

“For the first few weeks, you always feel like you never be fit again but I’m starting to feel good now. It’s been great with Brian being in charge and he has brought a couple of different things so that’s made it more interesting for me and it’s increased my motivation because I’m not doing the same stuff as I always have.”

Doyle has been on the international scene for almost a decade now and in that time, she has become Scotland’s most decorated track and field athlete, accumulation 13 major championship medals.

While adding to that tally does not dominate her thoughts, she admits that, occasionally, she does dream about adding to that tally and she knows that 2018 will give her ample opportunity to do just that. “I don’t really think too much about adding to my medals, “ she said. “But I do occasionally think that it would be nice to add a few more to my collection.

“I’ve been going to schools in the last couple of weeks doing talks to kids and I’ve had the list up on a slide all of the the medals I’ve won.

“So when I look at it like that, I do think it’s pretty cool to have that many and it does cross my mind that it would be great to add a few more. “If I could add a few more, that would give me a little bit more security for a few more years but with the way Scottish athletics is going these days, I might not be there too long. So it is something I secretly think about occasionally.”

The Müller Indoor Grand Prix Glasgow takes place at Glasgow’s Emirates Arena on 25 February 2018. Tickets go on general sale from 2pm on Thursday 30th November at www.britishathletics.org.uk/events-and-tickets/