The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
It’s gold for Muir and silver for Mccolgan in Berlin.
Courier Country athletes put on fantastic performances to clinch gongs in the 1,500 and 5,000 metres
Good things come to those who wait – and so the prophecy proved for Laura Muir, who took European 1,500m gold last night to secure a maiden major outdoor triumph.
She had hoped it would come sooner but the same cannot be said of track superstar Dina Asher-smith who, at 22, jettisoned herself into the history books and a sprint treble completed with 4x100m gold.
And in a superb ending to the Berlin championships for the British team, Eilish Mccolgan took silver in the 5,000m and the men’s relay team matched the female team’s gold effort.
That brings Britain’s championships medal count to 18 but it’s Muir who led the way on the night as she became the first British woman ever to claim the outdoor 1,500m European title.
“It feels so good – it’s one thing being fast on paper but in the 1,500m it can go so many different ways so to actually come here and deliver and win the gold – I’m so proud,” said the Dundee Hawkhill runner.
“It ranks very near the top – I delivered well indoors but to win a medal outdoors and for it to be the gold, when you’re under a lot of pressure as well – it’s a great achievement for me.
“To be a champion here and to get my veterinary degree as well – it’s been a bit all over the place but I’m so glad I could deliver it all.
“To deliver on those stages (World and Olympic) is something I’ve missed these past two or three years so to finally do it is so nice.”
Muir, 25, began the race as overwhelming favourite and after a slow first lap showed her confidence to take over the lead from team-mate Laura Weightman before the halfway point.
She knew the only way she could lose would be through a sprint finish and kept piling the pressure on the other runners from the front, eventually finishing in 4:02.32.
Sofia Ennaoui took silver but after being overtaken by the Pole in the final 100m, Weightman dug deep to hold off Ireland’s Ciara Mageean to claim bronze.
Double European indoor champion Muir adds the outdoor title to her collection but has had to wait, four years ago at the Europeans she was unable to make the final, while she’s come within a whisker of that elusive medal at two World Championships and the Rio Olympics.
After completing her veterinary studies Muir was driven to no degree of distraction here and the former Kinross High student has found her pot of gold.
“I just knew there were a few girls there who had a good kick – I didn’t want to leave it until later on in the race – I thought the longer I left it the more dangerous they would be,” she explained.
“I know I’m the fastest in terms of 1,500m so I wanted to make it a true 1,500m race and not an 800m race.
“That’s why I took it on a bit further out and I just had to trust my pacing and hope I judged it right – and I did and I’m really happy.”
Just 15 minutes later in the Olympiastadion Mccolgan and fellow Scot Steph Twell took to the track in the 5,000m final and as expected Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan was indomitable.
But all that glitters is not gold and Dundee’s Mccolgan ran expertly to take silver, setting the pace for the first half of the race and then placing herself in the chasing pack when Hassan made her move with two to go.
In one of the most bizarre moments of the week, Israel’s Lonah Chemtai Salpeter was in silver-medal position approaching the final lap but ignored the bell and ran to the side of the track – letting the Scot in to take second.
Mccolgan commented: “My mum (former Scottish athlete Liz Mccolgan) said to me ‘you know you’re in PB shape, you know you are, run the way that’s best for you’ – it was a bit scary to be running 4k on your own.
“I thought ‘oh my god they’re going to come past at some point’, but she even said ‘when they come past don’t be scared, just latch on, it’s not going to be that fast because you’re already running at a fast pace’. I’m so happy – I can’t explain how happy I am!”
With three more medals in the British locker up stepped the 4x100m relay team and the supersonic-jet-heeled Dina Asher-smith.
Her team ran well but ultimately Asher-smith took hold of the baton in fourth and put on the afterburners.