Dominant Muir destroys Diamond field
From sun-kissed Los Angeles to rain-drenched Tyneside, Laura Muir looks sure to weather the storms that may try to buffet her path towards Olympic gold in Tokyo.
Following a trans-atlantic hop, the Scot picked up last night precisely where she left off eight days earlier on America’s west coast with victory in the 1500 metres at the opening Diamond League meeting of the season in Gateshead.
Dominant once more, the 28-year-old is setting out her stall quite formidably for the vital weeks and months ahead. Pressing her personal accelerator as the bell tolled, the European champion sped ferociously beyond reach, victorious in 4:03.73, exactly four seconds clear of the field.
“I can take a lot of confidence from that,” said Muir, whose Dundee Hawks club-mate Eilish Mccolgan came sixth.“it was about going out and delivering a win. I'm very happy about. I felt very strong on that last lap. It was cold as well and quite windy especially, on that home straight. It was testing but good to know that I can run 4:03 in the end.”
The European circuit beckons now as she and her coach Andy Young ponder whether to chance a double tilt at gold in Japan. The metric mile is a given. If there is a second gambit, it will be over 800m, not 5000. The decision will come late, she reaffirmed. All she wants is to go to the Games and leave no energy unspent. “There's always quite a buzz in Olympic year, this year more than ever as it's been delayed,” Muir added. “Five years since Rio is a long time. I've come a long way and I'm excited to be racing.” Dina Asher-smith, inset, made it two wins out of two in her Olympic countdown with an impressive showing in the women’s 100m. The world 200m champion clocked 11.35 secs into a punishing headwind to emerge triumphant in her much-hyped first showdown with American rival Sha’carri Richardson.
Also recently returned from the USA, Andy Butchart was sixth in the 5000m in 13:23.73 while Scottish record holder
Nikki Manson took a share of sixth in the women’s high jump with a season’s best clearance of 1.84m.
Libby Clegg was second in a mixed para 200m in 30.07 secs – well short of her best in her first outing in 18 months as the Paralympic champion and guide runner Chris Clark gear up for the defence of her title.
“It's been a rough year and that was horrible, the wind was awful,” the Scot said. “We've made a few changes. Chris is on the outside of me now so it's taken a bit of getting used to and the rope has changed, so it's been a lot to get used to.” Meanwhile Beth Dobbin believes she’s hitting her stride after taking one of Scotland’s seven wins at yesterday’s Loughborough International. Second to Asher-smith in Italy two weeks ago, she clocked 23.19 seconds to thwart British rival Ama Pipi in the 200m.
“I was so nervous today after missing racing all last year and I’m only back now about 10 days,” she said. “But it was so enjoyable.”
Zoey Clark opened her
summer with a 400m victory in 52.57 secs while Rachel Hunter set a Commonwealth Games standard of 65.32m in the hammer and Kirsty Law won the discus.