LEE McConnell was Scotland's sole athlete in the Great Britain squad announced yesterday for next month's Olympic Games, but she has not given up hope that other compatriots could still join her on the plane to Beijing.
It is Scotland's smallest representation in a British team in recent times, four fewer than what was felt to be disappointing at the Athens games in 2004.
The team now consists of 53 athletes, but there are spaces still to be finalised on
Saturday, and Susan Scott is heading to Paris for the Golden League meeting on Friday night hoping to again dip under the qualifying mark of 4:07.00, which would likely secure her place alongside Ashford's Lisa Dobriskey in the 1500m.
Allan Scott, the 110m hurdler, and steeplechaser Andrew Lemoncello are similarly aiming to compete in meetings this week in a last-ditch effort to claim the qualifying 'A' mark, while Hayley Haining waits, anxiously, to hear if Paula Radcliffe is deemed fit enough to compete in the marathon and attempt to make up for her demoralising exit three miles from the end of the Athens event.
She has been selected as reserve for the marathon and can do no more.
Radcliffe has been desperate to return to the one stage where she has failed to grasp victory, but a stress fracture in her left thigh has put that in serious doubt.
McConnell, the 29-year-old from Glasgow remains Scottish athletics' golden girl and role model for a sport struggling to keep in touch with the international stage. She guaranteed herself a place in the women's 400 metres and 4x400m relay by winning the one-lap race at the British trials in Birmingham at the weekend, having already run inside the 'A' standard qualifying time, but admitted yesterday that she was still nervous waiting for the team announcement.
She competed in the Olympic Games in Athens, but failed to make the 400m final and despite a strong home leg finished fourth in the 4x400m relay.
"It's always nerve-racking just waiting for the team to be announced," she said, "so I was glad my name was there today and I can concentrate now on preparing for the event.
"This isn't just about the race at the weekend. It is down to the planning, training and development – the runs on the wet nights in Coatbridge - since 2001-02. It's six years working hard to get to Beijing."
McConnell will now be keeping her fingers crossed other Scots make it this weekend. "It is disappointing for Scottish athletics that I'm the only one so far. Susan and Andrew Lemoncello both got the A standard, so have the ability. Susan has really moved on a lot in the 1500m this year and I'm hopeful she'll make it."
Chief executive Geoff Wightman, chief executive at Scottish Athletics, hailed McConnell's achievement, and insisted: "If I was to bet on it, I'd say there will be three Scots in the GB team by the weekend.
"I think Hayley has a good chance, and Susan (Scott] is in a strong position because she had a good European Cup run and leads Debriskey 3-1 in head-to-heads, and she could do it in Paris. It's tough. Susan is the No 1 1500m runner in Britain and Andrew (Lemoncello] is No 1 steeplechaser.
"It is going to be a small GB team and the Scottish proportion smaller than we'd hoped for, but that is where we are at the moment in Scottish athletics.
"Lee has to be congratulated on reaching eight consecutive major championships, and performing, which is a great tribute to her professionalism and coaching support, and the positive at the weekend was that we saw a great age-group and juniors medal count, so there are signs there that the 2014 generation of Scots are stepping up."
The full article contains 659 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
