Beth Dobbin 'proud for sticking at it' as Scottish runner just misses out on 200m final

Scottish runner Beth Dobbin declared herself “proud for sticking at it” after just failing to make the final of the women’s 200m in Tokyo.

Disappointment for Beth Dobbin after the Scottish runner just misses out on a place in the 200m final

The 27-year-old finished fifth in the semi-finals, running a time of 22.85. Elaine Thompson-Herah finished first in a time of 21.66, while 18-year-old Namibian runner Christine Mboma (21.97) beat American runner Gabrielle Thomas (22.01) to second.

Dobbin was clearly disappointed but spoke afterwards of her pride.

"Dina [Asher-Smith] did a really good captain's speech, where she said that this group of Olympians are the most resilient we have ever had," she said.

"That really touched a nerve with me because I have obviously been through a lot. Also the past 18 months have been particularly difficult for everyone.”

Dobbin also paid tribute to the mother of her best friend, an NHS nurse for more than 30 years who died before the 2020 Games.

"I just want to shout out my best mate's mum Julie, she was an NHS nurse for 34 years and she sadly took her life in June,” Dobbin added.

“It has been a really really, difficult year with Covid and I am just proud of myself because I stuck at it."

Dobbin’s journey to the top of athletics hasn’t been without incident.

The Edinburgh Athletic Club runner suffered an epileptic seizure as a child, leaving her unable to talk, walk, or recognise her family and sparking years of anxiety, stress, and rehabilitation.

In 2018 she broke the Scottish 200m record after a period of time in which she combined training with working four different jobs as an unfunded athlete.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.