Hawkinsis goingfour glorynow
I’VE JUST LEARNED MUIR
MARK WOODS
LAURA MUIR reckons she has the knowledge to go for glory in tonight’s 1,500 metres final and become the sport’s new golden girl.
The 24-year-old has impressed in getting through the first two rounds but may need the race of her life to become only the second Scot ever to land an outdoor world title.
With world record holder Genzebe Dibaba sneaking in, it’s an all-star cast with Glasgow 2014 winner Faith Kipyegon, controversial South African Caster Semenya and Dutch crack Sifan Hassan all in her way.
But after the near misses of Rio 2016 and in Beijing two years ago, this could be the time the trainee vet unleashes her inner beast.
Muir said: “It is a thing you never stop learning, isn’t it? It’s all about CALLUM HAWKINS admitted he was gutted after his heroic bid for a shock World Championship marathon medal in London fell just short.
Any ideas that his stunning 10th place at Rio 2016 was just a flash in the pan were blown apart as the 25-year-old grimly hung within the leaders as the race wound its way towards the finish at Tower Bridge.
Cheered on with every step, Scots ace Hawkins had to hold back when his African rivals moved up a gear with Kenya’s Geoffrey Kirui eventually bolting clear to take gold in 2:08.27 – over a minute clear of Ethiopian’s Tamirat Tola.
With his best effort saved for last, he kept up the chase to try and hunt down Tanzania’s Alphonce Simbu for bronze before he ran out of time.
But even though he was 26 seconds short, Kilbarchan star Hawkins’s time of 2:10:17 was his quickest so far – moving him up to 17th in the all-time British rankings.
He said: “I could see the third place in the distance. The last 5k, they kept the same distance, I maybe left it a bit too late.
“I wanted to get a medal. I ran for that. But fourth is pretty good I guess. It has not hit me yet because I was just hanging in towards the end.
“But I’m still young. Maybe in the future I’ll get in the medals. That’s what I was aiming for.” experience and I am just learning all the time.
“When I first came on the scene I was very inexperienced tactically compared to my rivals.
“I have had to learn very quickly but I have shown I am making a number of big steps and I will go in confident.”