by Stuart Weir
Eilidh Doyle, Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, photo by Martin Bateman
Eilidh Doyle, 2018 World Indoors Birmingham, photo by World Athletics
Eilidh Doyle a personal memory, by Stuart Weir
Eilidh Doyle has decided to hang up her spikes. It is a sad day for Scottish and British Athletics.
Not only has she been a superb athlete whose medal collection speaks for itself – she is one of the nicest people you are ever likely to meet. Going back to that medal collection: one Olympic, three World outdoor, two World indoor, four European outdoor, four European indoor, and three Commonwealth. I missed the 2016 European Championship relay medal but was privileged to be in the stadium for all the others. I think I watched her run about 150 times.
Eilidh Doyle, Glasgow 2019 European Indoor Champs, photo by British Athletics
Ten championship relay medals are quite an achievement. Some might say that she was fortunate to run in an era when Britain was strong. I would say, rather, that so many of those medals came about because of the excellent, strong first leg running which was her trademark.
Hurdles races that I remember would include the three silver medals on three continents at Commonwealth level – especially that magical 2014 summer when she followed silver in the Glasgow Games a couple of weeks later with gold in Zurich at the Europeans.
Eilidh Doyle, London 2012, photo by Martin Bateman
Then there were those indoor 400 flat medals that she really had no right to win! Silver in Gothenburg in 2013 and bronze at the 2018 Birmingham World Indoor Championships. On each occasion, a brilliant tactical run enabled her to get in a position ahead of potentially faster runners and hold it.
Eilidh Doyle, 4x400m, 2018 European Indoor Champs, photo by British Athletics
Thanks for all the memories, thanks for all the conversations over the years. Enjoy retirement and this new chapter of your life!
British 4×400, Beijing 2015 WC, photo by World Athletics
The tweet sent out by Eilidh Doyle on her retirement:
Eilidh Doyle, photo via Eilidh’s twitter account
