Zoey Clark excited for the year ahead as Euro medal relights the fire

Zoey Clark added another major championship medal to her collection at the weekend and the Aberdonian admitted her return to international competition had fuelled her ambitions for the year.

Zoey Clark, right, with the silver medal-winning Great Britain & Northern Ireland 4x400m relay at the European indoor athletics championships in Poland. Picture: Piotr Hawalej/Getty Images

With the rescheduled Olympics Games just over four months away, Clark’s silver as part of the British 4x400 metres relay team at the European indoor athletics championships in Poland was a timely reminder of her talents.

The result matched the one GB&NI team managed at the same event in Glasgow two years ago.

Clark can now boast five major championship medals from her indoor and outdoor relay outings at world and European level.

Zoey Clark, top left, and team-mates celebrate their second-place finish in Torun. Picture: Adam Nurkiewicz/Getty Images

A podium finish at the Olympics is missing from her CV but she will hopefully have the chance to address that in Tokyo in the summer if the Games go ahead.

The Scot certainly seems ready to embrace the challenge.

“Wearing the GB kit for the first time in 15 months felt so special and I’m proud of how we ran as a team,” Clark tweeted. “Returning to international competition has relit a spark within me and I am excited to see what the year will bring.”

Clark teamed up with Jessie Knight, Jodie Williams and Ama Pipi in Torun to finish second in an eventful race behind gold medallists, the Netherlands.

The Dutch set a championship record with a time of 3min 27.15sec, with the British quartet clocking 3:28.20. Poland took bronze in 3:29.94.

Clark ran the first leg in 51.83sec then handed over to individual 400m bronze medallist Williams (52.17) on the second leg. Pipi (52.62) then took it on before Knight ran the anchor (51.58).

“It was so exciting,” said Clark. “Seeing everyone compete throughout the championships has really given me the buzz to get going. It was a really nice atmosphere and it was nice to be back running at a championship again.”

It was a mixed bag for the other Scots in Poland. Andy Butchart finished in seventh in the 3000m (7:52.15); Guy Learmonth was fourth in his 800m semi-final (1:47.92) and Neil Gourley was 12th in the 1500m final (3.45.99).

Beth Dobbin was part of the 4x400m relay squad but wasn’t picked for the final.

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