Neil Gourley
Neil Gourley (born 7 February 1995)[3] is a Scottish middle-distance runner specialising in the 1500 metres. He won the silver medal in the event at the 2023 European Indoor Championships and bronze at the 2015 European Under-23 Championships.
![]() Neil Gourley in 2019 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Barry |
| Born | 7 February 1995 Glasgow, Scotland |
| Education | Virginia Tech[1] |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event(s) | 1500 metres |
| College team | Virginia Tech Hokies |
| Club | Giffnock North Athletics Club |
| Coached by | Mark Rowland (2019–)[2] Ben Thomas (2013–2018) Gordon Lockie (–2013) |
Medal record | |

Gourley is the European indoor record holder for the mile and the British indoor record holder for the 1500 m. He is a three-time national champion (1500 m).
Career
Neil Gourley won a bronze medal at the 2015 European Under-23 Championships.
In 2019, he reached the final in front of the home crowd at the European Indoor Championships in Glasgow but was unable to compete in it due an illness.[4]
On 25 February 2023, Gourley broke Josh Kerr's British indoor 1500 m record with a time of 3:32.48 at the World Indoor Tour Final in Birmingham, replacing him at No.8 on the respective world all-time list. His win secured him also overall World Tour victory in the event, after his mile win in Boston and runner-up mile finish in New York (with a European indoor record over the distance) earlier that month.[5][6]
Achievements
International competitions
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | European U23 Championships | Tallinn, Estonia | 3rd | 1500 m | 3:45.04 |
| 2017 | European U23 Championships | Bydgoszcz, Poland | 4th | 1500 m | 3:49.53 |
| 2018 | World Cup | London, United Kingdom | 3rd | 1500 m | 3:53.24 |
| 2019 | European Indoor Championships | Glasgow, United Kingdom | 8th (h) | 1500 m | 3:46.631 |
| World Championships | Doha, Qatar | 11th | 1500 m | 3:37.30 | |
| 2021 | European Indoor Championships | Toruń, Poland | 12th | 1500 m | 3:45.99 |
| 2022 | World Indoor Championships | Belgrade, Serbia | 6th | 1500 m | 3:35.87 |
| World Championships | Eugene, United States | 14th (sf) | 1500 m | 3:37.22 | |
| European Championships | Munich, Germany | 8th | 1500 m | 3:38.40 | |
| 2023 | European Indoor Championships | Istanbul, Turkey | 2nd | 1500 m | 3:34.23 |
1Did not start in the final
Personal bests
- 800 metres – 1:44.82 (Pfungstadt 2022)
- 800 metres indoor – 1:47.04 (Clemson, SC 2018)
- 1000 metres indoor – 2:18.68 (Blacksburg, VA 2021)
- 1500 metres – 3:32.93 (Birmingham 2022)
- 1500 metres indoor – 3:32.48 (Birmingham 2023) NR
- One mile – 3:52.91 (Oslo 2022)
- One mile indoor – 3:49.46 (New York, NY 2023) European record
- 3000 metres indoor – 7:48.94 (Fayetteville, AR 2022)
- 5000 metres – 14:02.40 (Lewisburg, PA 2016)
- 5000 metres indoor – 13:16.24 (Bostona, MA 2022)
Circuit wins and titles
- World Athletics Indoor Tour 1500 m overall winner: 2023
- 2023: Boston New Balance Indoor Grand Prix (Mile), Birmingham World Indoor Tour Final (1500m, NR)
National titles
- British Athletics Championships
- 1500 metres: 2019
- British Indoor Athletics Championships
- 1500 metres: 2019, 2023
References
- "College bio". Retrieved 10 March 2019.
- "Power of 10 profile". Retrieved 10 March 2019.
- Neil Gourley at World Athletics
- Smith, Tyrone (4 March 2021). "Gourley out to 'right wrongs' in Poland". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
- Whittington, Jess (25 February 2023). "Tsegay threatens world indoor 3000m record, as tour titles are won in Birmingham". World Athletics. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
- Nelson, Craig (25 February 2023). "Hodgkinson, Asher-Smith & Gourley set British records". BBC Sport. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
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