Not many people can say they got the call up to the Olympics six days before their race… whilst camping in the Swiss Alps.
Elliot Giles, from his tent in St Moritz received the news less than a week before the 800m heats. Having packed to stay in the mountains for a month, he said he’s been, “handed an ace in a game where I’ve played the cards I had.”
Speaking on his YouTube channel, he said, “I feel like I should be jumping around for joy now but I feel like I should be more calculated in my thought process. How do I beat these guys that have had a great lead up to the games? Knowing that mine has been so chequered with what has happened in the last four weeks.”
The British Championships, which act as the UK Olympic Trials, took a shocking turn in the 800 where Elliot Giles and Josh Kerr collided and fell in the final straight. Giles, who competed in both the Rio and Tokyo games, was not selected and said “I feel like I’ve lost my identity to a certain extent.”
Despite the huge disappointment, Giles changed his goals to train for the Diamond League 1500m instead, saying “we have to be the ultimate professional and when things don’t go our way, it doesn’t mean we can pack it in and walk away.”
A late call up
However he received a call from British Athletics six days before the Olympic 800m heats, informing him of his Team GB selection after teammate Jake Wightman suffered an injury.
Giles’ recalls one of his earliest and most prominent Olympic memories being Andrew Osagie in the London 2012 800m final, inspiring his own athletics journey. Giles got into athletics after doing the beep test at school and being encouraged to head down to the local athletics club, Birchfield Harriers, in Birmingham. He then went onto join St Mary’s University in 2014, where he studied Physical and Sports Education.
Previously noted for being a “low mileage guy” – running just 20 – 25 miles a week – Giles’ doubled his mileage earlier this year. His take on training over the years has been pretty unique, with a heavy focus on the quality of the sessions and cross training.
Giles was joined by Ben Pattison and Max Burgin to make up the 800m GB men’s squad. All three athletes made it through to the semi finals, with Giles running strongly in his heats to finish second. His time of one minute 45.46 in Friday’s semi-final put him in fifth place, outside of contention of making it into the finals. Twenty-Two year old Burgin made the final, running a PB to finish eighth at his Olympic debut.
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