Neil Gourley sets sights on future medals after sixth place finish at World Indoors

Neil Gourley senses he is coming ever closer to the maestros of middle-distance running after taking sixth place in the men’s 1500 metres final at the world indoor championships.

The 27-year-old Glaswegian clocked 3:37.87 in Belgrade on Sunday night as Ethiopia’s Samuel Tefera pipped Norway’s Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen to gold. However, Gourley now plans to deploy this experience come the outdoor worlds and Commonwealth Games ahead in July.

“It was incredibly tough and was pushed hard from the gun which I thought would happen and I don't think anyone was surprised by the fact it went out hard and that Jakob took it on,” he said.

“It's the style of race that I'm getting better at. The more aerobically strong I get the better I can handle it and that showed today as I was able to get sixth place, but there are some mixed emotions that I couldn't get nearer the medals but I have to be happy with that.”

Neil Gourley finished sixth in the final of the Men's 1500m at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade. (Photo by Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty Images for World Athletics)

Two days after exiting the 800m in the heats, Guy Learmonth answered an SOS to anchor a depleted British line-up in the men’s 4x400m relay. But the Borderer faded from third to sixth in the last 50m as Belgium edged Spain for gold.

GB&NI broke their medal duck with two bronzes on the final day through Lorraine Ugen in the women’s long jump and Marc Scott in the men’s 3000m.

Sweden’s golden boy Mondo Duplantis brought down the curtain on the showpiece by clearing 6.20m to break his pole vault world record.

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