New British record as Muir dazzles glitterati
LAURA Muir relishes the sprinkling of stardust which always seems to rain down upon Monaco’s stellar Herculis meeting. On the three prior occasions that the European champion has moored among the luxurious yachts of this Principality, she has set sail afterwards with a rich new personal best as her bounty.
Last night was no exception. In the opening Diamond League leg of this curtailed campaign, she navigated her path to yet another British record in the 1000m, once again re-writing a benchmark that Dame Kelly Holmes had procured during her golden heyday.
It required one of Muir’s now familiar dogged drives down the home straight to see her clock 2:30.82 in hot pursuit of the Olympic 1500m champion Faith Kipyegon. The Kenyan’s time of 2:29.15 was the secondfastest in history. Revisions of the past came thick and fast.
Ciara Mageean, in third, sequestered the Northern
Irish best after being corralled on the last lap while Jemma
Reekie, while fading towards the line, was also inside Holmes’ old mark with fourth in 2:31.11 after she had briefly headed Muir during their charge to the line.
In front of only 5000 spectators and an infusion of artificial cheering, Muir felt a sense of joyous normality return within the bubble created here. “It was really good just to get out there,” she said. “It was a great atmosphere. I’m just really happy with that race and to get a British record as well.
“You want to race. I’d have loved to have gone out there and got the win. But to come second to an Olympic champion is pretty good. I’d gone for the record once before but to get it here is great.”
In the pantheon of male British middle-distance running, they still talk in reverential terms of the mighty trio of Seb Coe, Steve
Ovett and Steve Cram and the global dominance they achieved over 1500m. Yet a ferocious turn from Jake Wightman last night propelled him above all three of the past masters in the UK’s historical charts as the 26-year-old delivered the turn of his career so far.
The European and Commonwealth bronze medallist backed himself in a smooth pursuit of world champion Timothy Cheruiyot and Norwegian wunderkind Jakob Ingebrigtsen, slashing his Scottish record by over two seconds to 3:29.45.
In domestic terms, only Mo Farah – who has now ceded his European 1500m record to Ingebrigtsen – has ventured quicker than the tyro from Edinburgh, who signalled his readiness to hunt an Olympic medal in finishing fifth at last October’s world championship in Doha.
“I knew I was fit and I had nothing to lose by going for it in the race,” Wightman said. “I was brave and it paid off.
“I’ve been waiting a long time. It can sometimes be long but this year has taken it to another level. If we only race three or four times this year, at least we’ve got on the track and raced. And it was a great feeling to have a crowd which is something we might not get again.”
Elsewhere, Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei shattered a world record in the men’s 5000m that had belonged to the great Kenesisa Bekele since 2004 with a victory in 12:35.36.
Eilish McColgan was adrift in seventh in the women’s 5000m, which was won by Kenya’s world champion
Hellen Obiri. However, Laura Weightman’s ambitious challenge was rewarded with third place and the 29-year-old from Northumberland’s mark of 14:35.44 now trails only Paula Radcliffe in the UK’s alltime rankings.
Olympic silver medallist Orlando Ortega ended Andy Pozzi’s winning streak to steal victory in the 110m hurdles but the Spaniard was pushed to the quickest time of 2020 of 13.11sec with Pozzi equalling his best of 13.14 as runner-up.