By James Toney in Paris.

Birmingham's Elliot Giles admitted his head was spinning after a whirlwind week saw him go from altitude training in Switzerland to making the Olympic semi-finals.

The former European 800m silver medallist was left raging after tangling with rivals in the closing metres of the Olympic trials in Manchester, meaning he missed his shot for a spot on the plane.

However, an injury to former world 1500m champion Jake Wightman meant he received a late call-up for his third Olympic appearance in France.

"Five days ago, I was still in a camp in the Swiss mountains," said the Birchfield Harrier, who made the semi-finals three years ago in Tokyo and clocked 1:45.93 at the Stade de France.

"Now I’m at the Olympics, competing on the biggest stage, after having five weeks of thinking I’m not going. It’s wild.

"I was in my tent in the Swiss Alps when I got the call, it was like being handed an ace.

"I stayed ready and that's a big lesson to everyone, even if the chance of achieving your dream is one per cent, it's still a chance.

"I didn’t really think there was any opportunity of me going, but I just said to myself, ‘I’m an athlete first, I’m not going to go out and party with my friends. Not going to go out and drink or do things that are easy to do when you don’t make the team.’ I stayed professional.

"I’m like a well-seasoned chicken, I know what I’m doing out there now. Might not be the fittest or the strongest but I know what to do.

"Luckily, we get the day off now before the semi-finals. I’ll hit the semis in the same way and then aim for the final."

Giles's athletics career looked over in 2012 after a motorcycle accident that left him needing to learn to walk again, his rehabilitation meaning three years off the track.

He is one of the team's most popular members, and his performance was praised by former world champion Paula Radcliffe.

“Elliot Giles ran extremely smartly there," she said.

"It will be good for him; he’s coming in a little bit fresh and is seizing that opportunity. He can say ‘I’m here as well and I want to advance’.”

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