So proud her family were in stands for lap of honour in Berlin
next major championships in her calendar, the bid to defend – schedule-permitting – her European 1500m and 3000m titles at the Emirates Arena track where she trains most days.
“I had been one of the favourites before, in terms of being in the mix for a medal – but I’d never been the No 1 favourite,” said Muir.
“I knew it was mine to lose. But I just didn’t think about that too much because I’m at my best when I’m relaxed. In previous years, for me, that could have been a burden. I would let the pressure get to me before. But I’ve learned.”
If she made this seem like a routine victory, that is to Muir’s credit. Even the plan of attacking some 1000m out was only formalised a matter of hours before the race.
“That was something we decided on the day – five o’clock, I think!” said Muir. “But I kind of knew prior to that what I wanted to do. I wanted to go from a way out because a lot of the girls had a strong kick and would be dangerous in a sprint finish. I said to Andy [Young] I thought I would maybe go with 800 to go. He said I should go with 1k to go and I agreed. Go too early and I could have burned out. But it’s a good way to do it, giving yourself just a couple of hours to process the plan.”
There was certainly nothing in the way of outlandish, exuberant celebrations. But then, that simply isn’t her style. “As I was standing on the podium, all I was thinking was: ‘Don’t cry!’ It’s been a really crazy, busy, tough year. To go there and be European champion at the end of it all, it meant a lot to me, to show that I can win not just indoors but outdoors – and claim my first big title. I’m not usually that emotional. But, when it means so much to you and you’ve worked so hard, it’s a natural and good thing that you will be emotional. It shows you really care.
“It took a while to do medals and media, then anti-doping before I got back to the hotel – and I was pretty knackered to be honest,” she added. “I was actually gutted that the dinner at the hotel didn’t have any cake available.”
Perhaps the celebrations would have been wilder if the win had come in Glasgow, but the home crowd will be able to make up for that in March. “It was a wee bit surreal with it being in Berlin, but I felt like I was really connected to everything that was going on back here,” she said. “There was a lot of British support out in Berlin. Maybe we missed out on having that home crowd but the next one coming up will be in Glasgow and that will be fantastic.”
It will be strange for Muir not to have her vet studies to look forward to in September but she is excited about how much faster she can go now that she is a full-time athlete.
“I am focusing on the athletics this summer then we will have a chat at the end of the season,” she said. “Then hopefully I will explore a couple of avenues – whether it is charity or voluntary routes I am quite flexible. If anyone needs a hand and I am in the country I can hopefully pop along and help out.”