Happiness not success has been main aim, says Muir
LAURA Muir is putting happiness first in her plan to become champion of the world.
As she readies herself to pursue gold in tonight’s 1500 metres final, the 26-year-old Scot has a plan in place which she trusts will deliver her greatest prize to date.
With her coach Andy Young quietly plotting behind the scenes, the Scot has overcome a severely torn calf injury to regroup and revitalise her chances. There have been no obvious ill effects, so far, following two heats that have not forced her to test her recovery to the limit.
Muir, ferocious in her ambitions, has the talent and experience to become the UK’s third golden girl of this week in Doha. It is, after all, what she has spent 2019 aiming for.
“From the start of this year, this has been the championships where I thought I could get my first global outdoor medal,” she said. “I’ve been fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh at worlds and coming so close in global finals… I know I’m so, so close. I just need one more step.
“It’s just unfortunate the preparation I’ve had coming into this but I still feel I’m in a good place and if I could get that medal it would be even sweeter. It would be a really big achievement for me.”
The familiar threat of Sifan Hassan lurks, with the Dutchwoman blocking out the din of noise that erupted earlier this week when her coach Alberto Salazar was banned from the sport for doping offences. Already the 10,000m champion here, she is under strict instructions to have no contact with the disgraced American.
Muir may have some collegiate assistance from Canadian champion Gabi Stafford, who has accelerated up the rankings since she joined Young’s training group in Glasgow last winter. “I can’t tell you about our tactics,” Muir grins.
Some co-operation can be expected but each runner will be given separate instructions, their coach confirms.
“It’s more work, not less,” he said. “I won’t be hanging out by the pool. There’s definitely less Andy Time. But it’s helpful.”
The camaraderie of the group makes the tough days worthwhile, Muir admits. The laps in the pool when she was injured and the punishing bursts up hills in mid-winter have brought her to this point. The mission is now about winning gold but for Muir, it has always about the taking part.
“It wasn’t because I was really, really good at it,” she said. “It was because I enjoyed it. I think that has been a huge part of my success that I have done it purely for the enjoyment of it.
“It’s very, very difficult to commit 100% to it if you don’t truly enjoy it. I was never used to the success and I still plugged away at it. And now I am getting the success, it’s like a bonus, which is great.”
Seeking to follow in Muir’s footsteps this evening is Eilish McColgan.
The Dundonian, preparing for tonight’s 5000 metres final, took time out from her perparations to say that more rogue coaches should be drummed out of athletics in the wake of Salazar’s ban.
McColgan rejected the idea of moving to the now-tainted Oregon Project several years ago when she was sponsored by Nike.
There have been calls for the programme to be disbanded in the wake of a damning report into the doping violations committed by the disgraced coach.
“There is no smoke without fire,” said McColgan. “Certainly if I was an athlete, would I be comfortable coming from that stable and being around that coach? Probably not. I’m so lucky that I have someone like my mum to how me how the sport should be. There shouldn’t be any grey areas or pushing up to the line.
“I feel like my mum has showed me you can do it the right way. I’ve told kids in schools ‘yeah, you might never be Olympic champion. But you can try your best and still have a great career in sport.’ If I end my career without any Olympic or world medals, will I be disappointed? No, I’ll have had an absolute blast.”
The European Championship medallist produced an accomplished opening heat on Wednesday to progress into the final. Twenty-eight years after her mother Liz claimed her world title, when Eilish was just nine months old, it feels like a tradition, her daughter claims.
McColgan said: “I probably think about it every championships. People keep reminding me. But it’s something special in my family. My mum coaches me. She’s the one doing my programmes. I’ve got such a respect for what she achieved, as a clean athlete. That gives me motivation to do good things in the sport and achieve medals. I could come first or last but I’ll know I’ve given my all.
“For the Olympics next year, this is a huge stepping stone. It gives us a lot of information on what we need to work on. How strong these girls are. And how I can do the 10,000m and then bounce back to do the 5000m. That’s exciting.”