GUY Learmonth will go for 800m glory in Glasgow with protective strapping on his right hand after he damaged it punching the track in frustration after he crashed out of the Muller Indoor Grand Prix on Saturday.
Drama is usually part of the package with the 26-year-old Borderer and so it was in Birmingham, when his attempt to break Tom McKean’s Scottish indoor record over the distance bit the dust early. There was nothing the Scot could do to avoid an early coming together involving Kenyans Evans Kipchumba and Cornelius Tuwei, even if injury to his hand was rather more self-inflicted. After a visit to the medics, he refused the offer of a cast on a hand which is believed to be broken, in order to give that record another attempt in Dusseldorf and give himself the best chance of getting a medal on home soil in a fortnight’s time.
“I punched the track and was hoping it isn’t broken,” said Learmonth, whose place in Glasgow was only rubber stamped after the disqualification of Jamie Webb for ‘track contact’ on him at the British trials. “But I can run with a broken hand. I’ve had many a break with the rugby.
“I refused a cast. It’ll be put on after Euros. Just gotta run with this stupid thing on now!
“I really don’t know happened, the guy went flying down in front of me, and I just went flying over the top of him,” he added. “I couldn’t avoid him, I couldn’t do anything. It has been a rough two weeks. A lot of stuff went on last week, and this was carnage as well.
“I really wanted to break Tom’s record this weekend, that is why I posted about it on Twitter and Instagram. I really wanted to attack it, and go for it. So I am really disappointed but I am racing in Dusseldorf on Wednesday and there is going to be something deadly going down there. I am even more determined to break this record now. I need a nice clean one in Dusseldorf then that will take me in nicely for Glasgow.
“I have only ever watched Tom on YouTube. 1990, I have watched it, studied it. He was tough as hell. I really want to do the business in Glasgow. I think he was the last winner. It is fate, isn’t it?”
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