Just shy of his 41st birthday, his Olympic dream finally came true.

Scott Westcott can now proudly say, he competed at the Olympic Games.

It took 25 years to achieve so the distance running veteran absorbed every gruelling moment of the Rio marathon course on his way to finishing 81st in the most traditional of all Olympic events.

“I’m just proud to be here, proud Australian,” Westcott said.

“I’m trying to take it all in because this is my one chance to do that. I was pretty pleased to hold it together today, it got rough pretty quickly.”

Westcott has been so close to competing at an Olympics in the past.

He qualified but missed selection for the 5000m and 10,000m for the Sydney Games in 2000. Then the same story unfolded for the marathon for the Athens and Beijing Games.

Today, he became an Olympian. That can never be taken away.

Recommended Articles