Countdown begins for next big city sports event
AFTER the success of sporting events such as 2014’s Commonwealth Games and 2018’s European Championships in Glasgow, the countdown is on as the Emirates Arena is set to host the 2019 European Athletics Indoor Championships in 50 days’ time.
Promising hundreds of the continent’s top athletes in one place, the competition this March will see around 600 athletes from 50 nations take to the track in the east end.
Kicking off on March 1, the event will see over 5,000 spectators pack into the arena to cheer on some of Scotland’s best athletes.
Glasgow-based runner Laura Muir, an ambassador for the competition, is a double-gold medallist at the last championships in 2017 and will be one of the star names taking to the track at the bi-annual event.
Laura says the championships are a great opportunity for those who may be new to athletics to experience first hand how exciting the sport can be.
She added: “I am really excited, it’s a track that I train on a lot and I’ve been fortunate enough to have competed here a couple of times.
“I love racing in this stadium you get a really great atmosphere and to have a competition on home turf is a fantastic opportunity for me and I want to bring out my best for the crowd here.
“I think the indoor track is the best I’ve competed on. It’s very fast and it feels natural to run in here.
“That will make it exciting for fans. There’s an opportunity to post quick times and I’m hoping to make the most of the opportunity.
“Indoors is a fantastic way to start of watching athletics, it’s so close and the atmosphere is great, being indoors you get that volume that you can’t get outdoors.
“To see so much is brilliant and it’s a big championships, so you’ll see world class performances in front of you and be close to the action.”
Despite being an ambassador for the games, Laura herself still has to qualify for the event during trials next month.
But the middle-distance runner has high hopes for what she can achieve in March, despite being undecided over which events to enter.
She added: “For indoors I’m often based in Britain for the weeks prior to it, but it’ll be nice to literally be 10 minutes along the road and not worrying about travelling or getting used to where to run, or even what the food is like.
“We’ve not made our mind up on which events I’ll be running but if people come down on Friday night they’ll definitely see me there.
“This is the first champion- ship for me to be defending champion.
“Home crowd, home track and defending champion...
“I’ll probably be the one to beat!
“To come back her and win gold here, I’d be delighted.”
For sports fans, the
‘‘ It’ll be nice to literally be 10 minutes along the road and not worrying about travelling