FRIENDSHIP is one of the amazing benefits you get in sport and on many occasions, it lasts a lifetime. Given this, it can be difficult for people to understand that you can have a strong friendship with your main rival where, on every occasion that you meet, you hope to comprehensively beat them and come out as the winner.

Last week we saw how strong the bond is between Jemma Reekie and Laura Muir, two amazing Scottish athletes from the same coaching stable, who are training partners under the tutelage Andy Young and compete in the same discipline. At the Emirates arena, Jemma smashed the 800m record with a PB of 1.57.91 and broke a 10-year standing record, whilst having her training partner, the talented Laura Muir, finish just on her heels with a time of 1.58.44. There was no doubt in Laura’s mind what she wanted to do at that moment and amazingly to some, she was the first person to congratulate and celebrate Jemma’s joy. This is testament to the strong bond that has grown between both women.

This same strong bond is evident in other sports, including football, the sport I have been most involved with. In teams, players train week in and out to defeat their opponents. On many occasions it can get a bit tricky and tempers will rise with harsh words and more. However after the 90 minutes are over, they can go back to their strong friendship and put on-field activities behind them. Look at national squads where players from different teams come together to work as one representing their country. All previous altercations are put behind them, keeping their friendships solid and working together to support each other.

This learning is great for character building and can be transferred into the workplace giving the individual an insight and learning on how you can disagree with each other come together for the common good.