'I thought no one would date me'- Scottish runner McColgan gets candid on body image struggles

ATHLETICS 'I thought no one would date me'- Scottish runner McColgan gets candid on body image struggles

Abigael Wafula 14:07 - 04.03.2024

Commonwealth Games 10,000m champion Eilish McColgan has opened up about struggles she faced with her body image, comparison to Kim Kardashian and thinking that nobody would ever date her when she was a teenager.

Reigning Commonwealth Games 10,000m champion Eilish McColgan has opened up about her early childhood and struggling with her body image when she was a teenager.

Speaking to Sky Sports, the Scottish runner admitted that at some point, she thought no one would ever date her. She noted that if social media had been popular during her teenage days, she would have been destroyed entirely.

However, with time she grew a thick skin, and negative comments from some of her followers do not affect her, disclosing that no one knows what she goes through alone.

"I've always been so skinny. I've dealt with that my whole life. At school when all the girls were getting boobs and bums, the boys were attracted to these girls.

"I never felt attractive at school. I never felt like I would look like those other girls. I would play football with the boys and be seen as one of the boys, never felt girly in that sense and certainly never felt attractive.

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"I actually thought that no one would ever want to be my boyfriend when I was 15 or 16 years old which is so crazy when I look back.

“Because now I think 'this is me' you either accept it or you don't. When I look back I think it's so stupid that I was hiding behind baggy clothes, big baggy jeans and hoodies because I didn't look like everyone else,” said McColgan.

Things changed for her when she joined her local running club in Dundee and found people who looked similar. The 33-year-old met other girls who had hair like hers and a body like hers.

McColgan confirmed that it was then that her body confidence grew and she was able to embrace her body.

“My body is a bit different but it's allowed me to do X, Y, and Z. Even now I'm incredibly proud of my body even more so being an adult, my gran and my mum have passed me down this body.

“If these are my genetics and this is what I've been given, why shouldn't I be proud of it? I'm never going to look like Kim Kardashian, but who cares? I'm happy being me,” she added.

She now looks forward to making her fourth appearance at the Olympic Games in Paris, France where she intends to make history.

McColgan explained that it would be special for her since her mum, Liz McColgan, and her partner, Michael who is also her coach, have only been to the Olympics three times.

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