A Tayside cyclist en route to the Commonwealth Games has declared she would appear “in a bin liner” for the chance of a gold medal next month.
Gemma Neill from Inverkeilor has been selected for the six-strong Scottish women’s road race team which will compete in Glasgow on August 3 the last day of the Games.
And she says it will be a “great honour” to line up among 300 fellow athletes at the opening ceremony, dressed in a team uniform that has divided public opinion.
“At the end of the day it’s not something you wear on a night out it’s a costume,” she said.
“It’s going to stand out, and as we’ll be the last team to come out we want to be on show and we’re certainly being talked about.”
Team Scotland describes the male uniform as a “turquoise, fuchsia, navy blue and caramel” tartan kilt with a blue shirt, while the women will wear a “flowing wrap-around dress” inspired by a Saltire flag.
“They could put me in a bin liner and I wouldn’t care,” added Gemma.
“I’ll have a massive smile on my face and be thinking: ‘I’ve done it’.”
The athlete’s early hopes for selection were dashed after she was hit by a double-decker bus in 2012. She had begun training for the games and was turning into a junction in Muirdrum when disaster struck.
She broke her collar bone and the incident also delayed completion of Gemma’s nursing degree but the experience has made her more determined.
Gemma discovered a love for competitive cycling relatively late on but worked hard for the chance to show her progress on the European circuit.
“There was only one spot available and the routes in were by qualification or through merit,” she said.
“That was always the route I was going for because I was trying to do my degree.
“I came fourth in a national race and 12th in the British championships just two weeks ago.”
The former Arbroath High School pupil is being advised by top-level coach John Bremner from Dundee.
Bremner works with promising young cyclists at the Discovery Junior Cycling Club and believes his charge has “what it takes” to trouble a field of elite cyclists in Glasgow.
After the games, Gemma intends to continue cycling but will head off to start a career in nursing as Papworth Hospital have kept a position open for her.
Her progress can be followed on Twitter at @gneill55.