BEITH residents rallied round local athlete Jemma Reekie after her Olympic 800m final hopes were cruelly dashed at the weekend.

Supporters said they were proud of her achievements after she finished in fifth place in the semi-final in Paris, just missing out on the final.

Ranked in the world's top three, there were high expectations for Jemma, who had been tipped for a medal after finishing fourth at the Tokyo Olympics.

She was in a good position going in to the last 150m, but failed to find a kick and finished out of the qualifying places.

In a brief post race interview with the BBC, the devastated runner said: “Not good but going to go away and speak to my coach and get myself together.".

"I'm in the best shape of my life and I made some mistakes and that's what happens. I just need to go away and think about it."

On the Facebook group Beith People, one fan said: "Unlucky Jemma. So close and a great time. Slight tweak tactically and you'd have had it.

"Brave, brace race execution though. You went for it and left it all out there. Feel for you."

Another added: "Disappointed for you Jemma Reekie but you gave it your all and we couldn’t have asked any more from you.

"Be very proud of what you’ve achieved to date; there’s more to come and we’ll all be rooting for you."