Muir targets 1500 gold as she wins final place

LAURA Muir is eyeing an elusive Commonwealth Games medal after reaching her second final.

The Scot, pictured, finished fifth in her 1500m heat yesterday morning to reach tomorrow’s final at the Alexander Stadium.

She ran four minutes 14.11 seconds as she paced herself in the morning session in Birmingham, having also reached today’s 800m final.

A Commonwealth Games medal is the only one missing from Muir’s collection after she finished 11th in the 1500m – having been clipped – in 2014 and skipped the Gold Coast four years ago to focus on her vet exams.

“This is the last one. If I can get not just one but two it would be very special,” she said.

“It was nice to get the legs moving after Tuesday (800m heat), it feels a long time ago, and it’s nice to qualify and save as much energy as I could.

“It’s going to be hard, the Commonwealth in these distances is really strong, but it’s an amazing opportunity to give it my best. I would hate to be sitting at home watching the final thinking I could be part of it.

“I went to the front and slowed down a wee bit and I got away with it for a while but I knew they would come round at some point. I latched on and did as minimum as possible to save the legs for tomorrow.”

Scotland team-mate Jemma Reekie also qualified along with

England’s Katie Snowden and Melissa Courtney-Bryant.

Meanwhile, Scotland’s George Miller became the oldest gold medallist in Commonwealth Games history after winning the para-bowls mixed pairs final in Leamington Spa at the age of 75.

Miller, who is lead director for partially-sighted team-mate Melanie Inness, succeeds his para-bowls team-mate, 72-yearold Rosemary Lenton, who briefly held the record after winning the women’s pairs title on Wednesday.

Scotland dominated their B2/ B3 final against Wales, who also included a 75-year-old player in Gordon Llewellyn, pulling away in the final four ends to claim a comfortable 16-9 win.

“I’m reasonably pleased, but I think Rosemary is more pleased than I am,” joked Miller. “I was told I could be the oldest winner and I wondered what it meant, and now I’m starting to find out.

“It means a lot to me. I started bowling when I was 42 or 43 and progressed into coach. To be picked to play for Scotland is a dream.”

Miller’s role is effectively to act as an assistant for Innes, helping her to establish her line and describing plays and ends in progress.

Team-mate Sarah Jane Ewing fulfils a similar role in the fourstrong unit for Innes’ parabowls team-mate, Robert Barr.

Innes said: “I couldn’t do it without George. You can’t see what’s happening or how the balls are running, so George has to give me the information so I can visualise it.”