OTC Elite’s Gourley set for European Indoor Championships
By Curtis Anderson | Feb 28, 2019
EUGENE, Ore. – Oregon Track Club Elite’s Neil Gourley will represent Great Britain in the 1,500 meters at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland this weekend.
The three-day meet begins Friday (March 1) and concludes Sunday at the Emirates Arena. An estimated 637 athletes from 49 countries are expected to compete.
Gourley, a first-year pro out of Virginia Tech, is in the first of three 1,500m qualifying heats on Friday. His personal best of 3 minutes, 38.32 seconds ranks fourth overall among the 28 entrants. Gourley set his PR two weeks ago at the Müller Birmingham Indoor Grand Prix.
Top competitors at the European Championships in the 1,500m include Jakob Ingebrigtsen (Norway, 3:36.02), Filip Ingebrigtsen (Norway, 3:38.62), Marcin Lewandowski (Poland, 3:36.50), and Simon Denissel (France, 3:37.70).
Gourley, a native of Glasgow, can’t wait to compete on his home track, a sentiment he shared after winning the British Athletics Indoor 1,500m title to qualify for the European Championships.
“It’s difficult to put into words how special it will be to compete in these Championships in Glasgow,” he said. “It will be my first time competing in a senior international championship, and I have the privilege of doing so on a track I have trained at countless times.
“I’ll also be running in front of many of my friends and family, so I’m determined to defend the house against Europe’s best milers.”