Neil Gourley prides himself on rising to the big occasion and, by his own admission, he desperately needs to if he is to avoid World Championship heartache this weekend. ‌

The Glasgow 1500m runner is a regular finalist at the biggest events but arrives in Tokyo at a loss to explain a patch of poor form that has him fearing a first-round exit. ‌

Despite winning the British title in Birmingham last month, Gourley has not finished better than 10 th in a Diamond League meeting this season and has been running three seconds off his personal best. ‌

Confusingly, Gourley had a superb indoor season and won World Indoors silver in China in February – his first global medal and one he hoped would set the tone for a special season.

The 30-year-old appeared set to banish the demons of a di

See Full Page