SCOTLAND and Team GB sprinter Zoey Clark is now setting her sights on selection for this year’s Tokyo Olympics after taking home a silver medal with GB and NI in the Women’s 4x400m Relay at the European Indoors in Poland.
The 26-year-old from Aberdeen, is training six days per week at the world-class Aberdeen Sports Village, squeezing in double sessions some days to ensure she is in optimum condition for the British Championships at the end of June.
Subscribe to our daily newsletter
Why? Free to subscribe, no paywall, daily business news digest.
The goal is to qualify for the individual 400m and also the mixed and women’s 4×4 relay and her coach, Eddie McKenna, is cautiously optimistic that she has a good chance though admits that nothing is certain in sport.
Zoey, has been given full access to ASV’s indoor and outdoor track and gym facilities throughout the second lockdown since December to ensure that she can continue her full training schedule ahead of Olympic selection.
She said: “The first lockdown was tough but ASV let me back in as soon as they could, and I will never take the track for granted again. There’s been no disruption to training during this second lockdown which gave us uninterrupted access throughout winter which has helped me to get track fit. I certainly wouldn’t be in the position I am now in terms of preparation and fitness level without the support of the team at ASV.
“Since I didn’t race last year, it’s put me in a really good mind set as I have that race excitement back. I’ve been opening up with some of my fastest ever times, and I feel I have unfinished business. I’m confident I’m in good shape so I hope I have to chance to show it.”
Chief executive of ASV, Duncan Sinclair, said: “One of our main priorities throughout the past year has been to support ASV’s performance athletes in any way that restrictions would allow. We are fully committed to supporting our home grown talent to achieve their potential in competitive sport. ASV facilities are world-class and offer a home and training base for North-east athletes to prepare and compete against the best in the world. It’s been an incredibly challenging period for us all, including our athletes so I’m delighted ASV was able to offer its support in this way”
The Aberdeen AAC sprinter started competing in 2010 and ran for Scotland in the 2014 Commonwealth Games, securing her first place on Team GB’s senior team in 2017, winning gold in the 400m at the British Championships and silver in the 4x400m at the World Championships.
Training consists of a mix of track sessions on ASV’s outdoor 400m track and indoor 135m straight track, along with strength and conditioning gym training and yoga. The athlete, who was initially encouraged to try athletics by a school teacher, trains at least two hours a day, six days per week.
Eddie McKenna has coached Zoey throughout her career and feels the break from competitive racing in 2020 due to the pandemic has been beneficial.
He said: “This allowed us time to get back to the fundamentals and fine tune training and speed and there is no doubt that Zoey’s performance in Poland demonstrated that. However, we are under no illusion of the scale of training for the Olympics and we now have our focus fully on delivering strong performances at the British Championships in the hope that Zoey secures Olympic selection.
“Zoey is a funded athlete, so we have been very fortunate to have access to ASV since July allowing us to consistently train on the track. Getting Zoey to the highest possible place in her career requires a joint coaching team, support network and facilities and ASV is very much a part of that team and the leadership within the sports village is included in that partnership to help Zoey achieve her very best.”
Zoey has medalled in five out of six competitive performances for the GB relay team and has been a constant member, so Eddie is hopeful that she at least makes the GB Olympics relay team but agrees she has the capacity to secure both relay and individual positions.
This is the first time the sprinter has tried to qualify for the Olympics team and Eddie has been planning to get her to Tokyo throughout their coaching journey.
He added: “The Olympics are the biggest show on earth and it’s an extraordinary achievement for any athlete to reach it. We have between now and June to qualify and going by Zoey’s past record, she delivers when it matters but the level of intensity gets higher as expectations get higher. I have coached her to be at her peak aged 27, 28, 29, so she will not be at her very best until the Paris Olympics.”
If Zoey does qualify, she will have just a month after the British Championships to prepare for Tokyo which is due to run from 23 July – 8 August.
Asked if she’s confident of qualifying, the athlete refused to be drawn to speculate but she is certain she is in good shape and, after focusing on training rather than competition the past year, she has newly peaked drive and determination to bring home some more medals and reach the peak of her career.
