Team England hurdler Niall Flannery revealed that he was happy with his fourth-place finish in the men's 400m final at the Commonwealth Games on Thursday.
Flannery, who ran a 49.46 at Hampden Park, spoke to Sports Mole following his exploits on the running track.
Flannery did not initially qualify for the final, but was reinstated after Roxroy Cato was disqualified.
Happy with that one?
"Yeah, definitely. Yesterday was like I said in our interview, kind of pathetic really. No, really happy with today - executed a much better race. I knew I just had to run my own race from one, people were going to run away from me.
"They go a lot quicker than I do for the first 250 of the race. I come home a bit stronger so yeah, real happy. Time's not awesome but I'll take it. If anyone said to me before the season 'you'll be fourth in the Commonwealth' I would have been like, 'yeah okay, I'll take that!' Over the moon really. Strange as it sounds, over the moon with fourth."
How do you approach the race beforehand?
"Obviously yesterday coming through the mixed zone and speaking to everyone, I was annoyed and upset really had that I hadn't executed what I needed to. But once I'd got back to the warm-up area and done my cool-down, I heard the protest had gone in to get Kato out because he'd trailed the hurdles round the top bend so I just had to prepare as if I was in the final.
"So I went into my routine of ice baths, physio, make sure I eat properly rather than being kind of down in the dumps, being annoyed with myself. I was able to prepare. If it the appeal didn't work I would have gone 'oh alright, whatever'. I would have then known I'd prepared in case. So I came out today and knew I had to execute a better race, basically.
"That's all I had to do. It was not about anyone else. It was about me and making sure my top bend was what it was back in May. It was. It obviously wasn't as quick but those three guys are world class. It's nice to be neck and neck with them."
Because of how you got into the final, was the pressure off somewhat?
"Yeah, definitely. The pressure was off myself anyway, because in earlier races this season I've just go out there and execute my race plan, if someone beats me, someone beats me. I went through the season, eight races or something unbeaten. I was like 'cool, keep this running'. Then I kind of went into that first Diamond League and was really, really nervous.
"I hadn't been nervous all season. It was my first Diamond League and I was like 'wow', basically. I ran a rubbish race because of it. And then the Diamond League here, I wasn't nervous but got excited. I was in between Coulsen and Tinsley, obviously two of the best of the last few years and I was like 'ooh, I get to run after those two'. That didn't work either. So I just had to go back to running my own race. Yesterday was my own race but the wrong one, today was better, a lot better."
South Africa's Cornel Fredericks claimed gold.
Barney Corkhill
