British champion Keith 'refreshed' after Paris pain
Megan Keith finished last in the Olympic 10,000m final last year
- Published
British 10,000m champion Megan Keith feels "refreshed" after navigating the "humbling road" back from an ankle injury which kept her out for four months.
The 23-year-old from Inverness retained her title at the weekend in her first race over the distance since coming last in the 2024 Olympic final.
Keith was carrying the knock on that painful night in Paris and was then forced to rest and recover.
"I definitely felt refreshed after coming back from that," she told BBC Scotland.
"It is a bit of a humbling road, starting at ground zero to build fitness back again. It has been another big learning curve so it will hopefully stand me in good stead.
"I had never really been injured before so that was a new experience and something which I think everyone goes through."
Keith arrived at the Olympics on the crest of a wave, only to come crashing down.
She had won a British title, European bronze medal and was fourth in the all-time UK standings in her first three races over 10,000m.
There were tears on the Stade de France finish line after a solo final lap ended with a warm embrace from fellow Scot Eilish McColgan but Keith insists she has no regrets about taking part when far from her best.
With September's World Championships in Tokyo and the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow are looming large, she is keeping her options open.
"I hope to run less 10ks on the track this year than I did last year," she explained.
"I am dropping down a distance a bit and hoping to give a good account of myself in the 5,000m.
"It keeps it fresh if you are not too single minded on one distance. I like to change things up and challenge myself in different races, so I think it will be a strength if I can keep both going."