Megan Keith earned a bronze medal in the 5,000-meter race, achieving a pre-race promise to deliver a strong performance after a disappointing 10,000-meter final earlier in the week. The 24-year-old Inverness athlete stated she wanted 'something in my belly to fight for' in the less favored 5,000m event.
Keith took the lead with four laps remaining, maintaining a strong pace against a competitive field that included fellow Scot Laura Muir. Approximately 200 meters from the finish line, she was overtaken by Australia's Rose Davies, the 10,000m champion, and Jessica Hull, who secured first and second place respectively. Keith, however, held on to secure third place, earning a standing ovation from the crowd at Scotstoun.
Following the race, Keith, who was joined by her 100-year-old grandfather Murray, expressed her surprise and joy at the medal. "I’ve not quite come to terms with it because a 5,000m medal wasn’t really what I came for this week," she said. "But I just wanted to leave it all out there tonight because I didn’t feel like I did myself justice on Monday."
Laura Muir, the 2022 1500m champion, finished the 5,000m race in 16th place. "It’s really bittersweet," Muir commented. "I felt great for the first 2k and was loving it. And then I just got a stitch at 3k and trying to run and breathe properly was a bit rough. But I just wanted to finish." Muir added praise for Keith, calling her a "talented athlete."
In other events, Callum Newby and Joel McFarlane are positioned sixth and ninth respectively after the first day of the decathlon. Jemma Reekie qualified for the women's mile final by finishing fourth in her heat, while Nicole Yeargin secured a spot in the 400m final after finishing third in her semi-final. Sarah Calvert also qualified for the mile final, edging out teammate Erin Wallace.
