Muir: Athletes will take ‘strange’ Games in their stride

Dundee Hawkhill Harrier Laura Muir claims athletes will take the Tokyo Olympics in their stride despite the tidal wave of strict Covid protocols drawn up by organisers.

The European champion, 27, continues her build-up in California at tomorrow’s Mt Sac Relays with a clash with training partner Jemma Reekie in the Nike 800 metres.

It’s the second stop on the Scots’ American tour with Muir winning the 1,500m in Oregon a fortnight ago and Reekie suffering a surprise defeat to British rival Adelle Tracey in the 800m.

But with both due to return to Europe in a fortnight to step up their build-up towards Japan, the fact that it will be a completely different environment to past Games has sunk in.

“It’s going be a strange one,” said Muir, pictured above.

“I’ve just had Rio so that’s my own experience of Olympics. But it was really nice to come out to there and have that Athlete Village feel to it.

“With everybody in one place, and all the different sports together, it was really good fun. But I think all the athletes will take an Olympic Games, however it goes ahead.”

Tracey will also square off with the pair with Reekie, who won two of her three 800m clashes with Muir in 2020, out for revenge.

Steph Twell, selected for the marathon in Tokyo, will test herself over 5,000m at Mt Sac while Guy Learmonth will bid to bounce back from a poor season opener when he faces fellow Scot Josh Kerr in the men’s 800m.

Hawkhill Harrier Eilish Mccolgan will drop down to test her speed in the 1,500m with the Dundonian now fearing Covid will limit the number of 5,000 and 10,000m races available pre-tokyo.

“The first couple of Diamond Leagues are 1,500 and 3,000m,” she said.

“5,000s are thin on the ground. Normally Hengelo in the Netherlands has one because it doubles as the Ethiopian trials but I suspect that won’t happen.

“Everything could depend on travel restrictions, especially when we get back to Europe.”