Lynsey Sharp wants Princes St run

Lynsey Sharp ran a personal best during the women's 800m final at the Olympic Stadium in Rio

The Capital star, 26, finishes off her season at the Great CityGames on Tyneside today where she’ll run the 500 metres on a specially-constructed street circuit. It’s set to bring in huge crowds to watch stars like Greg Rutherford take their marks. And it’s an idea Sharp wants to see head north.

“When I go to Princes Street, I think this would be a great place for a track meet,” she said. “Or George Square in Glasgow. Or George Street in Edinburgh. We should start a tour.”

It’s been a whirlwind, Sharp concedes, since she finished sixth in the 800 metres in Rio last month. The extended debrief with her coach Terrence Mahon has been put on hold. But an indoor season is planned for 2017. Then a tilt at the world title in London. Despite missing out on the medal she wanted, this has been a season of strides forward – culminating in her personal best in the final in Brazil.

“Everything has moved so fast since then,” she said. “I flew straight from Rio to Lausanne, and then went home and then did Zurich which wasn’t so good. Then I flew home for two days and came here. I’ll probably sit down with Terrence and go through the season and what we can change. But I had a really good Olympics, three really good rounds, which is what I wanted off the back of Beijing last year. Hopefully it will be only a few minor things to tweak.

“I ticked all the boxes this year, apart from the Olympic medal. That was always going to be hard. I at least gave it my best in the final with a personal best. I could have ran faster than I did this year but it’s been difficult to get into races where you get a clear run.”