Neil Gourley is a man on a mission. The Commonwealth Games in Glasgow loom large this summer and the 31-year-old Scot is determined to overcome months of injury frustration with a prominent role.
“I’ll be there if I have to crawl through the four laps of the track,” he told BBC Scotland.
Gourley, who has world and European silver medals in the indoor 1,500 meters under his belt, has already been selected for the mile event in his hometown after an “injury-plagued winter that was dominated by two different injuries.”
“I’m much better now than I was a few months ago,” Gourley added.
His winter began on the sidelines, dealing with a ruptured patellar tendon that had been troubling him last season.
After returning in February, a broken foot the following month relegated him to spending more weeks on the sidelines.
Not ideal preparation for your prayer to be a local hero.
However, he explained: “I’m starting to see some consistency now and thanks to the cross training I was doing, it doesn’t look like I’m too far away from fitness.
“The challenge is to convert all that into fitness in time for the Commonwealth Games, among other things, this summer.
“I will never shy away from the fact that I want to be at the top of the championships and I would love to win a medal in Glasgow, but it will be an incredible challenge.
“It’s been tougher for me to have some of the setbacks I’ve had this year. But if every day goes as planned between now and then, I think I’ll be really competitive in that final.”