Of all the cultural changes Rebecca Grieve has been forced to deal with having relocated almost 5000 miles from Edinburgh to the US state of New Mexico, it’s the food from home that she misses the most. Specifically, the breakfast cereal. And it’s why, every time her parents jump on a flight to visit her, their suitcases are packed with the home comforts that she’s pining for. It’s not only been the food to which she’s had to adapt, though - New Mexico is, in many ways, like an alien planet in comparison to Scotland.
“When my parent come to visit me, they pack a full suitcase of all my favourite things from Scotland,” Grieve says.
“It's usually a suitcase full of cereal - Sugar Puffs, Shreddies, Weetabix, that kind of thing. They don't have those in America. It's not the same. And then protein bars that they don't have in United States, just all my favourite snacks.
“The food's different, the environment's different, the school's very different, the people are different. Really, everything is different - I wouldn't say there's many similarities compared to home.”
Grieve is back on home soil now, though. The 21-year-old 400m specialist will make her Commonwealth Games debut at Glasgow 2026, with her selection for Team Scotland coming on the back of an impressive rise.
Having relocated to the USA after finishing high school, Grieve has transformed herself from a promising junior runner into one of Scotland’s brightest prospects.
She’s already inside Scotland top-ten all-time runners over 400m and has made quite a name for herself on the prestigious NCAA circuit in America.
Her rapid rise has surprised many onlookers as well as herself, she always possessed the belief that she had the talent to become an international sprinter.
“I went to America when I was only 17 but then, unfortunately, in my first year, I had a big injury, which was a big setback,” she says.
“It was a navicular stress fracture, which took me out track and field for seven months, which is a long time, especially for sprinter. It took until my second year to get my fitness back.
“But once I got settled-in, I had an exponential increase in performance. I went from 54 to 51 seconds in less than a year - that’s a really big drop.
“I knew I had that in me, it’s just the way it happened was very quick. But if I hadn’t had that big injury, it would have happened anyway, it just would have been a more gradual progression. And then I had a big drop again this year as soon as I opened up indoors, so that was nice.”
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This Commonwealth Games will represent yet another step up for Grieve, with Glasgow 2026 being her first major senior championship. She will race the 4x400m mixed relay alongside Nicole Yeargin, Bradley Francis and Brodie Young who is, incidentally, also her boyfriend, which, she admits, brings a unique dynamic to this relay.
The Scottish quartet are an outside bet for a medal at Scotstoun Stadium and while Grieve and her compatriots are optimistic they can contend for silverware, she is primarily focused on ensuring her Commonwealth Games debut produces her fastest run ever and she’ll let the rest of the squad worry about medals.
“Competing alongside Brodie will definitely be an odd experience and I don't think many people can say that they've been in a relay with their partner. So, I’m definitely excited for that,” says Grieve.
“I know there's going to be a lot of good teams competing, but we're also a really good team, and with the benefit of the home crowds, it's going to give us an extra level, when we need it.
“My goal is to run as fast I can and try to get the fastest split that I've ever done.
“And I'm pretty sure the team's going to try their best to get us on the podium, for sure.”
