Nick is positive in track defeat
Last updated at 12:03, Monday, 13 August 2012
HEXHAM athlete Nick McCormick's involvement at London 2012 was brief – but he loved every single second of it.
The 30-year-old former Tynedale Harrier failed in his aim of reaching the final of the 5000m in his Olympic debut, a 12th place finish in his heat not enough to take him through.
However, he cannot be too disappointed in his display when you consider the circumstances of his race.
In an African dominated event, earning a place in the 5000m at an Olympic Games was a remarkable achievement in itself.
Nick was just three seconds off the required qualifying time as he ran his second best time ever of 13 minutes and 25.70 seconds. He would have qualified as an automatic top five finisher with that time had he been racing in the first heat.
All in all, it was a great experience for the runner now representing Morpeth Harriers.
He said: “It was absolutely amazing and everything I could have hoped for and more.
“I think I ran really well and it was the best performance I have ever done in a championships by a long way. I gave it all I could and just missed out.
“I wanted to make the final but I am really pleased with my performance and I haven’t got anything to be disappointed about.”
Since he started his running career seriously around 10 years ago, Nick has dreamed of appearing at an Olympic Games, and he could not have picked a better one to start with than London 2012.
“The atmosphere in London was absolutely fantastic and I loved the support from the crowd. The British are such a knowledgeable crowd.
“When you came into the stadium, there were flags and banners everywhere and the experience gives me the added motivation to appear at another Olympics.”
Following his exploits in London, Nick is confident he can build on the experience and improve performances in the near future. The Olympics have provided a vital learning curve for the Hexham-born lad, and he is targeting a good performance at next year’s world championships in Moscow.
After that, he has set his sights on the European championships in Zurich, Switzerland, before hoping to make it Olympics number two in Rio in four years time.
“The race in the Olympics was totally different to what I had been in before because it was a mixture of fast and tactical running. It doesn’t get any harder than that so I am now confident I can push on. I just want to keep on developing, I am still young enough and always learning.”
After watching a lad from Hexham compete on a global stage, Nick also hopes that he may inspire local youngsters to work towards their Olympic dream.
He said: “Success breeds success, and hopefully somebody from Hexham will come through in the next 10 years because anybody can do it if they put the effort in.”
First published at 09:07, Monday, 13 August 2012
Published by http://www.hexhamcourant.co.uk
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