Eilidh Child

Read on to find out more on Eildh and her athletics career:

Q How did you first become involved in your sport? My sister won the Scottish Schools Primary Cross Country and was spotted by an athletics coach and was then asked to join Pitreavie Athletics Club. So I went along with her to the club when I was 9.

Q When did you first realize you had the potential to make it as an athlete? When I was in the U17 age group and ran 300m Hurdles. I won the Scottish and British Championships, got a new Scottish and British record and was unbeaten over the distance for 2 years.

Q Did you ever play any other sport? If so, what made you change to your current sport? I used to swim and was the Scottish Schools Champion for 2 years for the 50m Butterfly. I decided to stop when I was about 15 as I was struggling to train for both athletics and swimming and I enjoyed athletics more.

Q What are your best results so far (please list any records held)? 5th in U23 European Championships in 2007 / Scottish U23 Champion and record holder 2008
Scottish Senior Champion and record holder 2008 / British U23 Champion 2008 /
British Universities Champion and Record Holder 2008 / 3rd in Olympic Trials 2008.

Q What has been the highlight of your career? Finishing 5th at my first European Championships in 2007.

Q What has been your favourite competition venue to date and why? My favourite venue to date is my home track at Pitreavie near Dunfermline. I ran my last 400m Hurdles race of the season there last year and ran two personal bests. One in the heat and then another in the final.

Q What is on your competition schedule this year? My main competition for this season is the European U23 Championships in Kaunas, Lithuania. In order to qualify for this I must also run the U23 British Championships and finish in the first 2.

Q What is a typical training regime for a ‘normal’ week? I train six times a week, everyday except Friday. This includes 2/3 weights sessions and 3/4 track sessions.

Q What has been your best sporting experiences so far? Representing GB at the European U23s in 2007.

Q And the one you would rather forget? Just recently I ran a 400m and went out far too fast. As I came into the last 70m my legs got lactic acid and seized up which made me fall right before the line. I ended up winning the race after crawling across the finishing line!

Q Do you have any pre-event superstitions or rituals? I have a Hearts FC band for wearing on my wrist and I always wear it when I run as I think it brings good luck.

Q How does training fit in with your other commitments (studies/work)? I work full time as a PE Teacher so have to train in the evenings after I finish at school. At the moment it works out ok but I am hoping to work part time or go into full time training next term.

Q Do you have time for other sports or hobbies? I like to watch football and I used to swim too but don’t get the chance to do that as often as I would like.

Q What support do you get in training (national governing body programme, family, coach, sponsorship etc)? As well as the support from TFIS, I am on the UK Athletics World Development plan and get sponsorship from Puma.

Q Which service/services provided by the TFIS have you made the most use of and how has it helped you? Recently I have had help from physiologist Barry Fudge, who has been tracking my training phase and providing lactic tests. Along with that I have also been receiving nutrition advice and having my blood monitored.

Q Which athlete, past or present, do you admire? And why? I am a big fan of Sally Gunnell as she was extremely successful at my event and is someone I look up to and can relate to.

Q Do you follow any other sports/admire any other athletes? And why? I follow football and I’m a big Heart of Midlothian fan. I have a season ticket which I share with my brother as I can’t manage all the games due to my athletics.

Q Could you make a career out of your sport or can you combine it with another
profession? It is difficult to make a career out of my sport as many people stop competing when they reach mid 30’s. Therefore it is best to have something else to do after your career in athletics is over. That is why I trained to become a PE Teacher as I knew, regardless of how successful I was in Athletics, I would need another career after that was over.

Q What is your ultimate ambition? My ultimate ambition would be to win a gold medal at the Olympics.

Q Do you have to make any sacrifices to be the best that you can be in your sport? If so, what are they and why do you make them? You tend to miss out a lot on the social side of things. Over the years I’ve had to miss a lot of birthday parties, nights out, holidays etc due to training and competitions. You obviously can’t go on nights out as you need early nights in order to be in the best shape for training.