A 24-year-old competitor arrived in Tokyo with momentum on her side, the sort of form that suggested her first appearance at the World Championships might serve as the beginning of a long international career. She had just set a national record, had secured her place on a senior Great Britain and Northern Ireland squad, and was preparing for the test of facing the best athletes on a global stage. Instead, the drama of her debut unfolded in a far different way than anticipated. Cue Sarah Tait’s entry.

Sarah Tait is a steeplechase runner whose path to Japan had been shaped by years of steady progress through the Scottish system. Only weeks earlier, she had lowered her personal best to 9:27.80 in the 3000m steeplechase at the NCAA final in Eugene, Oregon, placing fourth in a field of establi

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