The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Milnathort athlete Laura Muir ran a UK and Scottish record of three minutes 57.49 seconds to win the 1,500 metres at the Muller Anniversary Games at the Olympic Stadium in London last night.
ATHLETICS: ‘Amazing’ run by Milnathort athlete in Olympic Stadium
Milnathort athlete Laura Muir produced a stunning performance to win the 1,500m at the Olympic Stadium in London last night, while Kendra Harrison broke the 100m hurdles world record and Usain Bolt proved his fitness.
Muir set a Scottish and UK record, her 3:57.49 eclipsing the 3:57.90 run by Kelly Holmes when winning the Athens Olympics in 2004.
The Dundee Hawkhill Harrier settled in behind the pacemaker, passing through 800m in 2:08.
Muir took the bell with only World Indoor 1,500m champion Sifan Hassan (Netherlands) in tow.
She powered on over the final lap, opening up a three-second advantage. Hassan finished runner-up in 4:00.87. Eilish McColgan (Dundee Hawkhill), bound for Rio and the 5,000m, was seventh in a morale-boosting personal best of 4:03.74.
Muir said: “I thought I was in fourminute shape but this is amazing. I’m so glad to take the British record here. I’m as ready as I can be for Rio.”
Kinross athlete Eilidh Doyle could only clock her fourth-fastest 400m hurdles time of the year.
A stutter leading into the final hurdle meant the Pitreavie athlete had to settle for fourth as US champion Dalilah Muhammad took the win in 53.90.
Doyle said: “There is loads to work on. I’m really annoyed at myself; I made the same mistake in Monaco.”
Jake Wightman (Edinburgh AC), having missed out on Olympic selection, excelled in the Emsley Carr Mile. He took on the leading trio of Kenyans and finished fourth in a personal best 3:54.20, ranking him fifth on the Scottish all-time list. Silas Kiplagat won the race in 3:53.04.
Rio-bound Chris O’Hare (Edinburgh AC) was a disappointing 12th in 4:02.54.
Meanwhile, Kendra Harrison broke the 28-year-old 100m world record just two weeks after she failed to make the US team for the Rio Olympics. The 23-year-old stormed over the barriers to cross the line in 12.20.
She received a cheque for $50,000 for beating Bulgarian Yordanka Donkova’s mark by one hundredth of a second.
Olympic heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis-Hill expressed satisfaction after firing a warning to her Rio rivals.
The 30-year-old, back at the Olympic Stadium where she memorably took heptathlon gold as the poster girl of London 2012, clocked 12.76 to finish third in her 100m hurdles heat.
She had to settle for eighth in the final after clattering a hurdle as Harrison stormed to the new world mark.
Also sending out a message to Olympic rivals was Usain Bolt, who clocked 19.89 to win the 200m.
The six-time Olympic champion was making his first appearance since pulling out of the Jamaican trials with a hamstring strain,
Briton Adam Gemili clocked a season’s best 20.07 to finish third.
The women’s 4 x 100m saw Asha Philip, Dina Asher-Smith, Desiree Henry and Daryll Neita post a winning 41.81, a UK record and 2016 world lead.