MARC Scott admitted he struggled with the Tokyo heat after limping home in 14th place in the Olympic 10,000m final.

The Northallerton runner lost touch with the leaders in the final 1,500m and crossed the line in 29:09.23, 26 seconds behind gold medallist Berihu Aregawi of Ethiopia.

Much has been made of Tokyo’s stifling humidity and Team GB have been preparing for months, providing their athletes with tools including heat chambers and greenhouses to train in.

But Scott says the heat still surprised him and had a clear impact on his performance, as he was found lagging when the pace picked up and the medals were decided.

“It said it was 30 degrees on the track and felt even hotter than that,” he said. “Going into the race you feel good, the laps go by and you’re still feeling good, and then just bam, it hits you pretty hard and it’s over the last mile where I’ve struggled a lot more than I thought I would.

“With the conditions, there’s not much you can do, you’re either in it or you’re not, so you’ve got to commit to it either way regardless of the conditions because if the race gets away from you then you’re not going to do much.

“Regardless of the conditions, everyone faces it, so you’ve just got to commit and hope for the best really.”

Scott is Britain’s leading 10,000m runner after he beat double Olympic champion Sir Mo Farah in the European Cup last month and he finished as the leading Brit here, with Sam Atkin pulling out with an Achilles injury.

Career highlights include a fifth-place finish in the European Championships, and becoming a double British champion.

But the 27-year-old admits the competition was a step up in Tokyo and he was caught out at the end.

“My running mate Grant Fisher was fifth in the race today, another team-mate sixth, so even just within my training group it shows the strength in depth,” he added.

“It’s probably one of the most stacked 10kms we’ve had in a long time. I’m happy with my race.”

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