Golden girl
Laura Muir storms to European Indoor title in new record time
LAURA Muir came to Belgrade last week with expectations, with ambitions, with attention illuminating her every move. Such has been the progress of the 23-year-old this winter, that to have departed the European Indoor Championships with not one gold would have been an exercise in extreme disappointment.
Not this time, not with the experience accrued from past traumas on major stages. The Scot gripped the destiny of the 1500 metres final tightly in her hands and declined to let anyone disrupt her fate, taking a brilliant victory in 4:02.38 and erasing a championship best that had stood for 34 years.
And another British record that had previously belonged to Dame Kelly Holmes has now passed to Milnathort’s majestic marauder. Only a persistent pursuit from Germany’s Konstanze Klosterhalfen briefly provided a challenge, but Muir was simply too strong and too fast.
“It has been a long time coming,” she acknowledged with a hint of relief. “It feels like the last few years, it’s slipped past. But now it’s a medal and I’m so happy.
“I was actually quite relaxed because I knew what I had to do. I knew I was stronger than a lot of the girls with my endurance stuff. I knew if I took it out pretty early, I should be fine. I wasn’t expecting someone to be on my shoulder with 300 to go. But I put the welly in and came away with the win.”
From tears at her early exit at the 2014 world indoors in Sopot, to self-flagellation following her ninth place at the subsequent Commonwealth Games, to the agony of coming so near but so far in the finals of both the world championships and Olympic Games, Muir has had no option but to deal with disappointment and move on. Times and records are temporal. Titles are eternal, or at least relatively so, and she will get an opportunity of one more in tonight’s 3000m final.
A barrier demolished, this could be just the start. The world championships in London this August, where a two-pronged assault on the 1500m and 5000m has been discussed, will be next on the target list.
“I’d said anything before now was bonus territory,” her coach Andy Young opined. “2017 is when we start putting expectations on her. She’s ticked one box now. Hopefully, there’s more to come.”
English rival Sarah McDonald was sixth, while Northern Ireland’s Ciara Mageean, hampered by illness, pulled out mid-race.
Muir, due to start a placement in the cause of her veterinary studies back in Kinross this week, will now line up beside fellow Scots Steph Twell and Eilish McColgan this evening.
“I know Laura isn’t one to jog about, and neither is Yasemin Can,” McColgan said. “They’re world-class athletes. They’re not silly enough to leave it to the last lap. But it’ll be exciting to be amongst it.”
Muir has methodically conserved energies here with a regime of massages, ice baths and liquid fuel, but four races in three days will test even her unnatural gifts.
“It will betougher,” shesaid.“Can will probably take it out. It’s in her interests to do that. So I’m going to have to try and hang on. Hopefully I can come away with another gold, but if not, it’s been a pretty hard weekend. I won’t beat myself up too much about it.”
Teen prospect Laviai Nielsen narrowly missed out on a 400m medal, with the Londoner squeezed into fourth in a pitch battle on the home straight. Instead, France’s Floria Guei struck gold ahead of world 400m hurdles champion Zuzana Hejnova, with Poland’s Justyna Swiety poaching third.
“I never thought I’d be disappointed with fourth here, but it was so close,” Nielsen said. “It went by in such a flash. I just wanted to go out and attack it – I’m not sure what we went through 200m in – but it felt quite quick.
“It slowed after the break and I just wanted to pass Hejnova in fourth then kick round the bend, which I feel like I did. But with 20m to go, it just wasn’t in my legs. I’ve just got to let this sink in. It was my first senior individual final, so I should probably not be too negative.”
Morgan Lake was eighth and last in the women’s high jump final, won by Lithuania’s Airine Palsyte, after clearing only 1.85m, Shelayna Oskan-Clarke progressed impressively into the 800m final, while medal prospects Lorraine Ugen and Jazmin Sawyers safely secured berths in the long jump final, with the former producing a season’s best to survive.
“That’s probably the easiest 6.80m I’ve ever jumped in my life,” said Ugen, a world indoor medallist in Portland 12 months ago. “It felt really comfortable and I think there is more in the tank for the final”
Eilidh Doyle will bid to bounce back from her individual disappointment when she anchors the British quartet in the 4x400 relay. “That’s left me even more motivated,” said the Olympic medallist who exited the 400m in Friday’s semis.
Elsewhere, Greece’s Olympic champion Ekaterini Stefanidi won the pole vault with a clearance of 4.85m.
It feels like the last few year’s it’s slipped past. But now it’s a medal and I’m so happy