I won’t talk to gold medallist over her links to tainted coach admits Scot
Laura Muir has revealed she snubbed Genzebe Dibaba at the world indoor championships due to the Ethiopian’s association with tainted coach Jama Aden.
The Scot, 24, was back at work at vet school yesterday following the sensational silver and bronze she secured last weekend in Birmingham.
It meant Muir had to twice stand on the podium beside Dibaba who increased her collection of world titles to four following her golden double in the 1,500 and 3,000 metres.
But the 2016 Olympic silver medallist continues to work with Aden, even though the Somalian – who has had links to Mo Farah – has become one of athletics’ most controversial figures, with two of his athletes previously banned for using EPO before he was arrested in Spain in 2016 during an investigation into doping.
Muir, who refused to race against Dibaba at an indoor event in Germany last month, admits she has chosen not to speak to her rival despite their now-regular meetings in major finals.
“It can be difficult,” she said. “But I think I’ve always said that no matter who’s on the start line, I’ll race against them. The reason I’m in this sport is because I enjoy it and nobody is going to stop me from enjoying it.”
Even though twice in three days, the 27-year-old holder of multiple world records walked away with gold ahead of the lass from Perthshire.
“It is what it is,” Muir reflected. “All I can do is concentrate on my performances. I know I work my butt off day in day out, and I deserve the medals and all I can do.”
Sifan Hassan, of the Netherlands, who shared both podiums with Dibaba and Muir, appeared to visibly snub the Ethiopian at the medal ceremony – blowing open the feeling that few respect her achievements.
Muir’s coach Andy Young said: “Her association with a certain coach is not particularly healthy for the sport. We saw Hassan at the stairs, she was lovely, it was all great, I don’t think she was expressing disappointment. I think she was expressing her contempt for the gold medallist and her associations.”