Muir and Reekie double delight in Stockholm
REEKIE and Muir. Laura and Jemma. What a double act Scotland’s dynamic middle-distance duo are becoming, whether ramping up their friendly rivalry against one another or going solo to separately fly the flag for Andy Young’s Glasgowbased training group.
At the Bauhaus Galan meeting in Stockholm yesterday, they divided, and then conquered in emphatic fashion, twin victories which said everything about the talent and self-belief they now share.
Muir devastated the field in the 1500 metres at this summer’s second Diamond League stop, ripping clear to record the fastest time in the world of 2020 and repeat her victory in the Swedish capital of 12 months ago. Taking her turn barely an hour later, Reekie’s triumph over 800m was nigh identical, just in miniature.
Shoulder to shoulder at the bell with the world championship silver medallist of last year, Raevyn Rogers, the 22-year-old forcefully held her position on the inside and then made the front her own. Every quicksilver stride seemed to take her further clear. Almost 10 metres separated the European Under-23 champion from the American as she crossed the line on 1:59.68.
“I enjoyed it and I like to run fast,” Reekie champion said. “My coach said if you have a kick at the end, kick, and I felt good so I did. I don’t have a completely set plan because you never know what’s going to happen in a race, but it went one of the ways it could have went.”
That finishing speed, according to Muir, can take Reekie far. The elder of the twosome might talk down her own velocity at the expense of her formidable endurance but she has quite a kick of her own.
In full control, the 27-yearold bolted out of reach, leading home a British 1-2-3 with a fair degree of social distancing in 3:57.86, with Laura Weightman and Melissa Courtney rounding off the podium and her Dundee Hawkhill Harriers club-mate Eilish McColgan eighth in 4:03.74.
“It went really well and I’m very happy with it,” Muir said. “It was really windy. I felt strong in the last lap and was able to work well into the wind and ultimately come away with a clear win.
“My strength is my endurance and I really wanted to run fast today. And ultimately I made sure I cut behind the pacers as best I could when I did have them and then tried the best by myself.”
Without an Olympics this summer, these are benchmarks without significant immediate reward. But there are major benefits from their mini-tour. Tactical learning. Rehearsals for Tokyo. Further validation, for Reekie especially, who has learned so much from her friend.
“We’re really fortunate that we train together and we’re world-class athletes and we complement each other in different ways,” Reekie said. “I’m bringing her on in speed and she’s bringing me on in endurance and we’re both working so hard together.
I’ve run 1:57 indoors so I was hoping to run a bit quicker but this year is about getting experience before next year and learning to win.”
Neil Gourley was eighth in his first 1500m since last year’s world final as Timothy Cheruiyot breezed to yet another comfortable win. Holly Bradshaw picked up her maiden Diamond League victory by clearing 4.69m in the pole vault, while Adam Gemili was the fourth British winner with an effort of 20.61 secs in the 200m.
Elsewhere, Norway’s Karsten Warholm clocked the second-quickest 400m hurdles in history of 46.87 secs to move within nine-hundredths of a second of Kevin Young’s 28-year-old world record.