The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Relaxed Muir right at home
ATHLETICS: Laura looking forward to home support
She has just beaten the best Europe has to offer over 1500m in Berlin but now Scotland’s Laura Muir is aiming to do it all over again indoors in Glasgow.
Muir is desperate to add to her everincreasing medal haul at the 2019 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Scotland next March – as she continues her quest to be the best middle-distance runner on the planet.
The 25-year-old Dundee Hawkhill Harrier has already collected silver and bronze at this year’s World Indoor Championships in Birmingham, double gold at the 2017 European Indoors in Belgrade and her maiden outdoor success on the track in Berlin.
Muir admits she is brimming with confidence after her Berlin success – and is convinced another gold medal in Glasgow next March will be the perfect stepping stone to challenging for silverware on the world stage.
The Scottish middle-distance star will have a weight of expectation on her shoulders to deliver in Glasgow in front of a passionate home crowd – but insists she is not feeling the pressure.
“I want to be the best in the world and I know that means expectations and facing pressure,” said Muir, speaking at the launch of the ‘200 days to go’ event.
“A few years ago, I had a lot of pressure and I didn’t deal with it very well. I now try and go into races feeling nice and relaxed and see it as a confidence boost when people come and support me.
“Having that home crowd is fantastic. Having that atmosphere is just amazing and it makes it a very special event. When you’re really struggling in the latter stages of races and you’re tiring, the crowd cheering you on just gives you that extra lift when you need it the most.
“One of my favourite memories was competing in the London Olympic Stadium when I broke the British record. I remember hearing the crowd as I came down the home straight, it was so loud.
“Having the championships on my home track, where I live and train, is so special – and I can’t wait to get started and to make my mark at the event.”
Leading athletes will descend on Glasgow’s Emirates Arena between March 1-3 as the championships return to the city for the first time since 1990.
There will be 650 athletes from more than 45 nations setting their sights on glory, after details of the competition schedule were also revealed yesterday.
Six sessions will be competed across three action-packed days, with qualifiers and finals contested every day.
Muir has yet to decide what distance she will run – at the World Indoors in Birmingham and the European indoors in Belgrade, the Scot ran both the 1500m and 3000m.
“It’s only 200 days to go until Glasgow 2019 and I am already very excited,” added Muir. “The outdoor season may have only just finished but to have a home games to look forward to during the winter months will be crucial.
“Training can be so hard and unforgiving during the winter but to have that motivation at the end of the tunnel is crucial. I’m desperate to come here and perform well.
“We’ll start to look at the event schedule during the winter, decide how my training is going and where we feel my strengths lie at the time and what event we will target at the event. ”