The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Muir ready to be in double bid
Milnathort athlete Laura Muir will step on to the track at 7.35 tonight bidding to take a step closer to a golden double over 1,500m and 5,000m, writes Graham Bennison.
The 24-year old veterinary student has set her sights high by doubling up in London’s Olympic Stadium. The 1,500m heats start tonight and, fortunately, there is no overlapping with the longer event.
Last year the Dundee Hawkhill Harrier broke Kelly Holmes’ British 1,500m record with three minutes 55.22 seconds in Paris.
Muir then claimed four other national records from 1,000m to 5,000m in the space of just six months, before completing her 2017 indoor season with double gold over 1,500m and 3,000m at the European Championships.
With six women having run faster than four minutes in 2017, the 1,500m could prove to be one of the most competitive events of the championships.
The field includes Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon (Kenya), world champion and world record-holder Genzebe Dibaba (Ethiopia) and the Netherlands’ world indoor champion Sifan Hassan, who took bronze two years ago in Beijing.
Newly-crowned European under-23 champion Konstanze Klosterhalfen (Germany) is another likely contender, while the wildcard could be 800m Olympic champion Caster Semenya (South Africa).
So far this season, Semenya has only raced one 1,500m – a 4:16 victory back in April, but she posted a personal best of 4:01.99 to win the African Championships in June 2016.
Muir however, has the belief to succeed. “I just want to achieve as much as I can in athletics,” she said.
“I’ve always said I only ever did running because I love the sport and I think that’s why I can work so hard and commit 100% to it.
“The chance for doubling up was there and the timetable has worked in my favour, so I thought I might as well take the opportunity.”
“A home championship maybe only comes round once in a lifetime so I just want to go out there and make the most of it. I showed in the indoor season that I could run a world-class 3km so I am confident of running a very good 5km.”
A stress fracture of the foot was a setback in June but Muir stated: “I am getting stronger and stronger every week and running without any pain so I am really happy with it.”