Dundee’s Eilish McColgan insists she has never been more relieved to crown herself a champion after fighting off the effects of food poisoning to take gold at the Sainsbury’s British Championships on Saturday.
The 23-year-old thought her chances of retaining her 3,000m steeplechase crown at Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium were slim just 48 hours before taking to the track, after eating a dodgy yoghurt.
But she shook it off in time to not only take her place on the start line, but to also shine, as she collected her third straight British title.
McColgan, who will represent Scotland in the steeplechase at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, came home in a season’s best time of 9:50.06 minutes, almost three seconds ahead of nearest challenger and summer team-mate Lennis Waite.
And while she is not in a hurry to eat another yoghurt anytime soon, McColgan admitted that the experience had made her third successive crown all the more special.
“I opened a yoghurt that must have been out of the fridge for about 12 days because I have been away quite a lot. I just saw it on the counter and just wanted it,” said McColgan.
“The boys that I live with, Mukhtar Mohammad and Michael Rimmer, were telling me not to eat it and they kept making a fuss, but I thought it would be fine.
“I took like a teaspoon of it and I thought it tasted alright even though it was obviously curdled. I said to them that it tasted fine and that they were just moaning.
“But about an hour later I was like the Exorcist I was sick everywhere,” she said.
“I couldn’t eat or drink anything, not even water. So I called the doctor because it was just two days before this race.
“The guys called me an idiot and my mum was saying I was stingy and should have just bought another yoghurt.
“But that was it and the next day and a half I couldn’t do anything and I have never been so relieved to win a championship and to run 9.50 and feel as good as I did I couldn’t believe it.”
Meanwhile, fellow Dundee Hawkhill Harrier Laura Muir had to settle for second best in the 1,500m as she lost out in a sprint to the line against eventual champion Laura Weightman.
But despite finishing just 0.19 seconds behind her rival, Muir wasn’t getting too downhearted.
“I didn’t want to give up, I just had to keep working to the line but Laura had a great sprint finish,” said Muir.
“She was just that bit better. It’s great we’re both running so well at the minute.
“The plan was to go for it with 600m to go and stay alert throughout, and stay with those at the front so it worked out well but I just couldn’t get that gold.”