Eilish McColgan still has her sights set on a medal at the Paris Olympics despite a difficult 10 months.

A training injury saw the distance runner miss the World Championships and the London Marathon last year.

The 33-year-old Scot has also been grieving the death last November of her stepfather John Nuttall.

“I have come back from a hell of a lot worse than this,” said McColgan, who won gold in the 10,000m at the Commonwealth Games in 2022.

“So I am still here and I still think that even though I had a challenging 2023 I still think I have the capabilities of making the team.

“I have the qualifying time so that is the hardest part out of the way. I just need to show I am not injured and on the right path towards the Olympics. I feel confident.”

McColgan, who will most likely compete in the 10,000m and decide on the 5,000m, is stepping up her recovery with her sights set on France.

Qualifying for the team would make her the first Scottish athlete to compete at four summer Olympic Games.

“Making the team will be a big enough challenge at this point considering the amount of time I have been off and coming from where I have been – but I would never write myself off,” she added.

“I need to get into the same shape that I got into last March and April then I will definitely be setting my sights on sneaking an outside medal.

“Winning might be outside my realm but there’s no reason I can’t be looking for one of those outside medals but I have to get myself back into shape.”