- Scottish relay athlete Nicole Yeargin contemplated quitting athletics this year
- Yeargin is a force in the 4×400-meter relay for which she has multiple Bronze medals for
- She had a difficult start to the year after missing out on the Glasgow World Indoor Championships
Scottish relay athlete Nicole Yeargin contemplated quitting athletics after what she describes as a disappointing indoor season. However, she has a laser focus ahead of the Paris Olympic Games 2024.
Yeargin is a force in the 4×400-meter relay to which she has multiple Bronze medals from Commonwealth Games, European and World Athletics victories. Nevertheless, the 26-year-old athlete had a difficult start to the year after missing out on the Glasgow World Indoor Championships. She also registered poor performance at the British Indoor Championships.
Why Was Nicole Yeargin in Doubt of Paris Olympics 2024 Participation?
Nicole Yeargin. Photo/Scottish Athletics
Coming off the indoor season, she found herself questioning whether it was time to retire her spikes. Reflecting on her performance, she admitted feeling uncertain about her abilities. However, after discussing with her coach and identifying the areas for improvement, she regained her confidence.
“When I came off the indoor season I was a little bit like ‘what is going on, shall we hang these [spikes] up? I don’t know if I have got it in me’. But then I talked with my coach and realised what went wrong and if we can change it, I have full confidence I can make it back,” she told BBC Sport Scotland.
Acknowledging the unpredictable nature of athletics, Nicole Yeargin recognized the highs and lows of the sport. She expressed disappointment at falling short of her goals, particularly recalling her target time of 51.0 seconds for the indoor season. The repeated disappointment of not achieving her desired times weighed heavily on her, impacting her emotionally. Despite the setbacks, she remained determined to push through, returning to training with renewed motivation.
Her biggest lesson so far as she prepares to represent Team GB at Olympics in France is that athletics can cruel. From her experience this season, she has a huge task of dealing with it psychologically.
“One day you can be on top and one you can be on the bottom, athletics is very unforgiving,” she added.
What Goals Does Nicole Yeargin Have for 2024 Athletics Season?
While she is now focusing on the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris, Nicole Yeargin she fighting do better than 51.0 seconds. She started the 2024 season with the hope of doing better than this but she hasn’t hacked it yet. This was among the reasons she doubted herself on delivering in the Olympics because deep down she knows that she can do better than this.
Weighed down by all this, she took time off to get clarity and returned to training a week ago with a clearer mind and new determination.
“I don’t want to waste anyone’s time, so if it was my time to go it was my time to go. But I came back to practice the next Monday and I was ready to train. I am still here,” she added.
NIcole Yeargin is a Scottish relay athlete. Photo/Kent State Athletics
Nicole Yeargin’s Athletics Career
Yeargine debuted her athletics career in 2016 where she competed in the women’s 400-meter race, 4×400-meter relay, and the mixed 4×400-meter relay at her first Olympics in Tokyo. Despite competing for Scotland, she was born and raised in the United States. However, she is eligible to compete for both Scotland and Great Britain thanks to her Scottish roots through her mother.
She has had both successes and disappointments over her career due to the harsh realities of competitive athletics. But, she has continuously shown that she can overcome obstacles and come back stronger.
The Scottish athlete reminisces about her younger self as a teenager and a career on the tracks seemed a little far-fetched.
“I feel like I am definitely an adult now I was fresh out of college and think I got hit down by life a couple of times. But I am still determined. This is my job now, we didn’t just make the team for fun. This is a job – we are here to get paid and put our names in some [history] books.”
You must be logged in to post a comment Login