Meet post-grad medic who stunned Muir at UK Champs

There’s a good chance you hadn’t heard the name Sarah Calvert before the weekend.

The 24-year-old post-graduate student has a slim chance of disappearing now, though. Everything has been altered by her spectacular entry into the British middle-distance scene.

The Livingston native herself won the 1500-meter title after beating Laura Muir, who won it at the Olympics, in Birmingham. She now holds the title of Scotland’s new champion.

Calvert remarked, “It feels incredible.” I didn’t anticipate this ever happening, especially given how busy I was studying for exams in May, which made things a little stressful.

I knew it was crazy as soon as I crossed the line. I was aware that this was my life’s pivotal moment. I had my first anti-doping test afterward, which was another positive experience.

“I’ve received so many messages since then from my parents’ friends, all my friends, and from people from school.” It gives the impression that everything is very special.

Calvert is now pursuing fast races in Europe to compete in the British team for the upcoming World Championships.

Due to her newly discovered fame, both her family and her social standing have fallen for her.

When she takes a break from her studies at Edinburgh University, she told BBC Scotland at Edinburgh’s Meadowbank stadium, one of her regular training venues, that her father texted to say that she had a Wikipedia page.

It’s just a little crazy, I guess. I didn’t really anticipate it to explode in this manner.

That kind of accomplishment will be reflected in your profile if you win one of the top UK events.

She is now working with an agent who wants to see if she can break her personal best by six seconds and join the GB team for Tokyo at the World Championships.

And Calvert still has her life grounded in reality despite the chaos at the moment, even though she is prepared to give it her best shot. She has tried to balance excelling at both being a doctor and an athlete.

She admitted to attending the World Championships, “I would have said I had no chance” before the weekend. “I need to run a big personal best, so it still seems a little off.” I believe I must make the effort.

When I’m at university, “I definitely feel busy, day to day.” training in the morning, cycling to the hospital for my internship, and then once more training in the evening. But both of them are enjoyable.

I frequently worry that my running for medicine will lead to the other choice, but I believe I must accept that I both want to be doctors at some point in my life.

Given that the top 1500m runners in the country struggled to contain their late surge in Birmingham, including her idol Muir, who also managed to balance her vet studies with a wildly successful athletics career.

Being a British champion and having already won a silver medal at the most recent World University Games opens up new opportunities for Calvert. Sponsors are contacting them about endorsements, which will increase her visibility and marketability even further if she qualifies for the World Championships.

If Tokyo is too far, she will have a significant event on home soil in the summer of 2026.

She has already qualified for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games’ 800-meter qualifying race. She now wants to run 1500 meters to increase her chances.

The 24-year-old admitted that she has always had big dreams of competing in major championships, but she’s not sure if she ever truly believed they were possible.

I now think this might be possible if I continue to train consistently. These goals might be something I could try to accomplish next year, so I feel inspired to write them down.

“All of my family and friends could come and watch me,” said I, “because the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow would be fantastic.” I don’t want to miss out on it, in my opinion.

It would mean a lot to me, I thought. I can’t stop giggling to watch Lynsey Sharp compete in the 800m when she won the gold medal at Glasgow 2014, which is exactly how I remember it. This was my first experience with what it could be like and what I could accomplish as an adult at Livingston Athletics Club.