Eilish McColgan is no stranger to the weight of expectation.

The 18-year-old daughter of Liz McColgan - an Olympic silver medallist at Seoul 1988 - was an automatic choice for the middle-distance school races, simply because of her name.

McColgan junior moved one step closer to emulating her mum when she competed at the Commonwealth Youth Games in India last October.

Eilish failed to reach the podium in Pune but left with her head held high after battling through a knee injury to finish ninth in the 1500m and eighth in the 3000m.

And while the Dundee Harrier is keeping her fingers crossed she can follow in McColgan senior's footsteps, she is taking things one step at a time as she plots a route to the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

"I had a great experience in Pune but obviously I want to get back fully fit before I even start thinking about racing because it isn't worth risking further damage especially at my age," she said.

"When I was growing up I don't think I really knew what my mum was doing. Maybe I was a bit naive but once I started running that changed.

"I used to get put into races when I was at school because of my name and what my mum did. She has coached me from about 14 when I first started and people always ask me, "is it hard because of what your mum has done?" but I have never really known anything else.

"Because she has been there and done it the advice she can give me is better than anyone else can give me - it makes things so much easier."