Muir feels she is shape to run a personal best in Anniversary Games 1,500m
Laura Muir insists she is in the shape of her career ahead of this weekend’s Anniversary Games in London.
The Milnathort 26-yearold, who is running in the 1500 metres at the Diamond League event today, said: “I feel like I’m in PB shape, almost the best shape I’ve ever been in.
“I ran an 800m personal best last week so I feel I’m in my PB shape of three minutes 55 seconds, it’s just whether all the boxes on the day will be ticked.
“It’s going to be really competitive and I’m hoping we can run some fast times. In the 1500m you are not entirely sure what’s going to happen, I have an idea of how I want to run but you’re going to have to wait until tomorrow.
“I’m a lot stronger since 2017, both speed and endurancewise. It’s taken a bit of time race-wise to catch up with tactics.
“I started performing at a higher level a bit later so I had to catch up with tactics, it’s taken a few championships. Each year is getting better and better.”
Muir’s chances in the race improved dramatically when Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon, who beat her in San Francisco last month, withdrew yesterday.
In the 5,000m Andy Butchart faces Ethiopia’s double world medallist Hagos Gebrhiwet, who finished three spots ahead of him in landing bronze at Rio 2016, as well as Norway’s teenage wunderkind Jakob Ingebrigsten. Butchart is coach-less after quitting a San Diego-based programme to return home but feels he is still training well. He said: “If you’re not hitting the sessions, then you’re not going to get any confidence and me without confidence is just like me without my mojo.”
Triple European champion Dina Asher-smith admits she may have to break her own British 100m record to take victory on Sunday.
The 23-year-old ran 10.85 seconds when she won gold in the 100m at the European Championships in Berlin last summer.
And she believes it may take an even quicker time to take victory at the Olympic Stadium as the countdown to the World Championships in Doha in the Autumn goes on.
She said: “Probably, definitely, every field I have come into this year has been like a world and Olympic final. We’re in a great position to be in with women’s sprints right now because whenever you step on the line you have to bring your best.
“We have all known the date of the World Championships, we know we have to peak at the end of September and beginning of October.”