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How problem-solving led Zoey to the podium (Via the garage gym and reps in the woods at the bottom of the garden) By Peter Jardine
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ith a first class Honours degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Aberdeen, it should come as no surprise that Zoey Clark’s approach to the challenges posed by Covid-19 was to seek out practical solutions. In truth, the 26-year-old might have been forgiven for expressing her frustration at a lack of facility access or training partners for long spells of lockdown. Cancelled events didn’t help, either, in an Olympic year – be that first 2020 or now 2021. Instead, Zoey and long-time coach Eddie McKenna, looked upon the past 12 months or so as some kind of ‘problem-solving exercise’ to use her own words. Winning a fifth Senior International relay medal with GB and NI at the European Indoors in Poland, therefore, must be considered as another first class effort from Clark. A superb first leg run of 51.83 from the Scot set the platform for Jodie Williams, Ama Pipi and anchor runner Jessie Knight to claim
second place in an exciting track finale to the Torun 21 championships over the first weekend of March. The podium place was the fifth in a Senior event at European or global level for Zoey – and she has age group medals from both European U20s and U23s, too. First, though, how did she cope with those many months of Covid-affected routines? ‘Like everyone else during Covid-19 and the periods of lockdown, we had to adapt and adjust to training,’ said Zoey.
spaces close to where I live and I could run in those green spaces. ‘We got a gym set up in the garage because I wanted to keep some strength and conditioning work going through the winter. I actually thought it was all quite fun because I looked on it as a problem solving exercise.’ Hence the reason both Zoey and Eddie were sharing photos and videos across social media during the past six months or so of tough gym sessions or sprint reps in icy/ snowy conditions in an Aberdeen park.
‘Quite simply, we assessed what we had (in ‘We didn’t have facilities open or were terms of ‘facilities’) and what we could do to allowed to access them during #stayathome. utilise that,’ she recalled. ‘When we knew we wouldn’t have track ‘It wasn’t ideal, of course it wasn’t. But we access, we looked at what we had. I went for were determined to make the best of it. a walk about my local neighbourhood near the house – just to see what might be useful. ‘We’re all used to fancy facilities but a number of aspects of athletics are quite basic – often you can just get out for a run. ‘I was really lucky to have some green You don’t need a track to run. ‘If you can run up a hill, round a park or up a sand-dune then you can 100 percent maintain your fitness. You just have to try and do that and stay motivated.’ Now Zoey hopes Poland can be the platform for a successful Olympic selection bid. Aggrieved to miss out on the individual selections for Torun, she won’t lack motivation chasing a qualifying standard of 51.35. It terms of the relays, it seems fair to say it would be foolish of Christian Malcolm and company to ignore the Scot’s ability to deliver so regularly in the team event. ‘I’d love to be an ‘Olympian’ – that is the dream for all athletes I think,’ she said. ‘It is the biggest prize in our sport in many ways and I’m ready to try with my heart and soul to make that team.
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‘I hope the Olympics go ahead and I hope I’m there with GB and NI.’
