Mullarkey's bronze medal is product of 'hard work'

David Mullarkey described winning the Isle of Man's first Commonwealth Games medal since 2018 as "the culmination of years and years of hard work," after claiming bronze in the men's 10,000m.

The 26-year-old, who came through the Island's youth development system, finished behind Australia's Ky Robinson and India's Gulveer Singh in Glasgow.

In a race run through thunder, lightning and heavy rain at Scotstoun Stadium, Mullarkey hoped to inspire young athletes on the island.

"Just because we are a small island doesn't mean we should be limiting ourselves; we can compete against the world's best," he told Manx Radio.

He told the station the wet conditions were far from foreign, comparing them to "the kind of nights we get back on the Isle of Man training on a cold Tuesday night at home."

Looking ahead to Saturday's 5,000m, he added:

"Everyone has their own path, their own journey. It's now about recovering, and putting my head in the right space for Saturday."

Speaking separately to BBC Sport, Mullarkey said the win "felt surreal."

"Kind of crazy, to be honest with you - a lot of hard work has gone into it and it's a surreal experience right now."

He said the wet conditions made for an unpredictable race. "There was a lot of back and forth, lots of pace changes," he said. "But I think that's the 10,000m summed up in one race."

Mullarkey told BBC Sport that chances to represent the Isle of Man, rather than Great Britain, at major championships were rare.

"We don't get the opportunity to rep[resent] the Isle of Man too often; it's a case of we're at GB a lot of the time," he said.

"So to wear the Manx flag is just an honour, and I hope it inspires the youth generation coming through."

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