Middle distance champion Alex Beddoes hopes that his performance at the Scottish Championship and 2023 World Champions in Budapest has made Cook Islanders proud.

“I think I managed to execute the best race I could this season considering the circumstances.

“I always compete to the best of my ability no matter what and I hope that performance was enough for everyone back home to be proud of me.”

Speaking to Cook Islands News, Beddoes had joked to his training partner Guy Learmonth about becoming a Scottish champion, not knowing he would actually be competing.

And Beddoes, completed the 800m finals at the 4J Senior Scottish Athletics National Championships in Aberdeen winning the race.

Beddoes said: “I've been in Scotland with my training partner Guy Learmonth the last three and half weeks and I jokingly spoke to Guy and his father Mark about competing in their nationals and becoming Scottish champion.

“After a mixed bag of results in the European season we decided to throw a last minute entry into the Scottish Championships.”

He said they managed to resurrect some form with a comfortable tactical win to take the Scottish title.

“Which was a nice morale boost going into Budapest,” he said.

He had a hamstring injury from the Scottish event which he managed to deal with and participate in Budapest.

Beddoes said: “As for the World Championships my participation was in doubt until the last few days before the heats when I decided I was going to compete.”

Beddoes has now set his eyes on winning gold at the 2023 Pacific Games that is to be held in Honiara, Solomon Islands in November.

In an earlier report, Beddoes said “All my focus is going to be towards the Pacific Games. And that’s what I’m really keen for, to perform and that’s only like a couple of months away.”

He is part of Cook Islands team to the Pacific Games and aims to bring home three gold medals.

Beddoes made his debut in the 2013 Pacific Mini Games in Wallis and Futuna.

In 2017 he won a gold medal for the 800 metre at the Pacific Mini Games in Port Vila and gold medals in the 800m and 1500m in the 2019 Apia Pacific Games.