Callum Hawkins: Marathon runner aims to learn from previous Olympic experience
- Published
Hawkins narrowly missed out on a medal at the World Athletic Championships in Doha
Scottish marathon runner Callum Hawkins says he will go to Tokyo "calmer" and will not get overwhelmed by the "enormity" of the Olympics.
Hawkins, 27, placed ninth in his debut Games at Rio 2016.
He has been pre-selected for Tokyo 2020 after a fourth-place finish at the World Championships in Doha in October.
"Olympics can be more pressure, it can be a difficult experience to get over due to the enormity of it," he told BBC Scotland's Sportsound.
"You are sort of in awe of it all, going in to it. I have experienced it already in Rio, so hopefully I can go in calmer and focus more on the race.
"I don't like to shy away from big events."
The Kilbarchan runner is hopeful he will be joined by older brother Derek, who has shown promising form since returning from injury.
Derek, 30, suffered multiple stress fractures, including heel and pelvic injuries in 2017.
Fit again, he ran a personal best at the Frankfurt Marathon in October, finishing with a time of 2:12:49 and placing tenth.
"It would be great for us both to get to Tokyo," said Callum.
"He's been on a three-year hiatus due to injury and came out and ran a PB, so he's looking to get that qualification standard in London."
You can listen to the full interview with Callum Hawkins on Sunday Sportsound from 1200 GMT on BBC Radio Scotland Digital/810MW.