Muir makes it onto podium through sheer determination
Scotland’s No.1 runner glad to complete her medal set at long last
IF any proof were needed that sheer guts and determination can be the difference between winning a medal and leaving empty-handed, Laura Muir provided it last night.
Her bronze medal in the 800m at Birmingham 2022 was won by a hair’s breadth and was the result of an almighty dive for the line.
Muir is all too accustomed to losing out on a podium place by the finest of margins and she admitted that in the home straight, as she chased down Jamaica’s Natoya Goule, ultimately pipping her by one hundredth of a second to cross the line in a season’s best of one minute 57.87 seconds for third place, those previous near missed were at the forefront of her mind.
“I thought ‘ no way am I coming fourth’. I made it a bit tight but I got the job done, I got the medal so I’m very happy,” said Muir.
“When I went into fourth, I did panic a bit because I thought no way am I putting myself through four rounds of racing to not win a medal in this race.
“I made a good lunge for the line and there was only a hundredth in it but it doesn’t matter, I got across the line in third to get that medal.”
Goule lodged an appeal against the photo finish that awarded Muir the bronze, which delayed the medal ceremony, but it was ultimately rejected and Muir was able to relax safe in the knowledge that she now has her hands on silverware from every major championship.
Her Commonwealth bronze medal to add to her world bronze, Olympic silver and European gold means she has now completed the full set of major championship medals and it was something, she admits, that has been a goal for quite some time.
“This was the last one and this one was bugging me, ever since Glasgow 2014 getting tripped when I was in medal contention and then not running in Gold Coast so it’s been eight years I’ve been waiting for this medal and to complete the set in a Scottish vest – I’m super-happy,” she said.
Pre-race favourite and world and Olympic silver medallist Keely Hodgkinson looked on track to win gold on home soil but ultimately was forced to, once again, settle for silver.
In the the home straight, the Englishwoman was over taken by Kenya’s Mary Moraa, who ran a tactically unsound race but had enough strength to prevail in the final 30 metres, in the end taking gold in 1 minute 57.07 seconds.
Muir will be back on the track this evening for the 1500m final.
She goes into the race as hot favourite for the title and she profusely disputed the suggestion her 800m campaign will have depleted her reserves for her signature event.
“I think I’ve got enough left,” the 29-year-old said.
“I wouldn’t have done the double if I didn’t think I could manage it.
“I’ve proved it was worthwhile doing the 800m – you don’t make these decisions lightly and I thought doing this was the best chance of winning as many medals as possible.
“So I’ll come back and hopefully go a co uple of colours better in the 1500m.”
In the women’s 200m final, Beth Dobbin finished eighth in 23.40 seconds on her Commonwealth debut.
Jamaica’s Elaine ThompsonHerah took gold in a Games record of 22.02 seconds.
Scotland’s women’s 4x100m relay team of Rebecca Matheson, Alisha Rees, Sarah Malone and Tylah Spence produced an impressive display to move into today’s final, finishing third in their heat with a time of 45.39 seconds.
In the hammer final, Mark Dry could not win his third Commonwealth Games
medal having grabbed bronze in 2014 and 2018, finishing tenth with a throw of 66.86m, with compatriot, Chris Bennett two places behind with 66.48 seconds.