Team England long-distance runner Emelia Gorecka has insisted that she wanted to compete for medals at the Commonwealth Games, rather than use the trip to Glasgow as a way of gaining experience.
The 20-year-old featured in her first senior championship in Scotland, failing to reach the podium in the women's 5,000m final at Hampden Park.
Gorecka finished the race in a time of 15:40.03, while Kenyan duo Mercy Cherono and Janet Kisa took gold and silver respectively, leaving 40-year-old Jo Pavey to collect bronze for England.
Moments after the race, Sports Mole grabbed a quick chat with Gorecka to assess her performance.
It looked like a tough race out there - how do you feel that you did?
"Yeah, it was pretty tough, the way it was ran was tough, but I think it was a good experience. When I've been in the junior ranks, I've been able to control the race a lot and have a bit of it my own way, so that was a bit of a difference. The change of pace was unreal - the time they won it in was my PB, so I'm so gutted - it's just the way they ran it, and I need to now know how to run the right way. I'm 20 so it was never going to be easy, but I thought I'd find it more easier."
Was it as much about experience as competing?
"Yeah, definitely. I wanted to come here as a competitor - I know it was my first time and I'm 20, but I still wanted to compete and I wasn't going to come in and because I'm 20, just go for experience. I wanted to compete and that's why I put myself out there. I genuinely thought that I had a chance of being up there, at least in the top five, and when they made that change of pace I was still thinking, 'well, they'll come back because that's ridiculous', but that's just Championship running and I need to get on board with that rather than sit back, and I need to get more involved. Just learn from it - it all happened so quickly as well and it was really tactical and something that I'm not used to, not having my own way I'm afraid. It was definitely a learning curve."
Tactically do you think you can learn from what they did in that race?
"Yeah, definitely. Strength-wise, I'm not strong enough to go with it, otherwise I probably would have given it more of a go, and then obviously I spent the rest of the race on my own and that's tough enough in itself, but I need to be more tactically aware of that fact that they're going to put in. I don't know how quick that lap was, but it was a very quick lap which I just couldn't go with and that did a lot of damage. I need to get stronger and I need to be more tactically aware of how the other girls are going to race and be strong enough to go with it rather than let it affect me, and I think it affected me a lot today."
How about the conditions out there, did they play a part?
"Actually when we came out there I was so happy with the conditions - it wasn't really that windy, really good fresh air because it had been raining. I don't mind the rain, but it was nice, I thought it was really good actually. Very pushy and shovvy down the track."
Word for Jo Pavey?
"Amazing! I know I shouldn't have been, but I was looking up at the screen thinking, 'I'd love to be up there right now'. Especially with how I performed at the trials - that was a completely different me. I felt more comfortable at the trials and looking back at that race, I wanted to be where Jo was. If not medal, be up there at least, give it a go and with the gap there, it wasn't even a race, and that's why I'm annoyed, I wasn't part of the race - I was looking and watching on the big screen and that isn't what I came here to do."
Performances like that at the age of 40 - does that inspire you?
"Definitely, I've got 20 years ahead of me hopefully! It's crazy to think that I'm just starting to be a senior really and it's a good experience - the transition is ridiculous. I think the British Championships is a good experience for me, but the Commonwealth Games are completely different. It was my first Games championship and my first senior championships, so it's just a big shove up the backside really."
Gorecka headed into the race with a personal best time of 15:07.45.
Barney Corkhill
