Mackie's Olympic joy

Ian Mackie will travel to Sydney in the relay squad

Scots sprinter Ian Mackie has won his place in the Great Britain Olympic 4x100m relay squad.

Mackie had a disappointing weekend at the Olympic trials where he failed to win a place in the 100m.

But his fifth place finish in the 100m and a fourth in the 200m proved enough to earn him a place in the relay squad.

The Pitreavie runner joins Allison Curbishley and Sinead Dudgeon as the only Scots in the GB athletics squad.

Curbishley runs in the 400m

Mackie, who ran in the individual event at the last Olympics, was disappointed not to have done enough to qualify for the 100m this time around, but he was delighted when the news of his relay qualification place was confirmed.

"It was a huge relief when the letter arrived to confirm my place," Mackie told BBC Scotland.

"I just thought 'Wow, I've done it'. Obviously it's a bit unfortunate that I haven't made the 100m after doing so last time, but at least I'm there - it only come sround every four years after all."

The confirmation that Curbishley and Dudgeon would also travel to Sydney was more of a formality.

Curbishley will run in the 400m while Dudgeon takes her place in the 400m hurdles.

Dudgeon takes her place in the 400m hurdles

Both are also members of the 4x400m relay squad.

The trio's success in qualification represents an overall failure in Scottish athletics however.

Three is the lowest Scottish contingent in the athletics squad in recent times.

Numbers have fallen from a high of 10 at Munich in 1972, through the eight who went to Moscow where Allan Wells won the last Scots track gold, to the five who travelled to Atlanta four years ago.

With this year's runners unlikely to be in contention for medals in Sydney, Scottish athletics appears to be in steady decline.