IN years gone by, a year like the one Laura Muir has had would guarantee her being awarded Scottish Athlete of the Year at her sport’s governing body annual awards. However, the calibre of Scottish athletes these days means that Muir’s two European Indoor gold medals and her fifth place at the World Championships means she is far from a stick-on to win the top award at Scottish Athletics FPSG Awards Dinner on Saturday.
Muir is in exalted company on the ‘Athlete of the Year’ shortlist, with Callum Hawkins, Eilish McColgan, Jake Wightman and hill runners Jacob Adkin and Andy Douglas in the running alongside Muir.
The 26-year-old though, who won the award last year, is delighted to be up against such stiff competition.
“It’s been a great year – we were so fortunate to have the European Indoors here and then we had a great representation (at the World Championships) in Doha as well. At all levels, it’s been going great and across all different disciplines,” she said.
“We’re really close – we do the major championships together and also a lot of the holding camps too. We always want to support one another as much as we can.”
Muir was hugely impressive at last month’s World Championships, particularly considering her summer’s training was disrupted as a result of a calf injury. Her run of 3 minutes 55.76 seconds would more often than not, have been good enough for a spot on the podium but in one of the fastest women’s 1500m in history, she finished only fifth.
Having had a few weeks to reflect on her run in Doha though, she is happy with her performance.
“I don’t think anybody would have expected to have run 3:55 and not win gold,” Muir said, speaking to Scottish Athletics website.
“So to have come fifth, it’s bitter sweet but at the same time, I don’t think I could have done any more and I’m still very happy with how I ran and my time in that race. to have run 3:55 off the lack of training I had, it was a real confidence boost to think what I could I do when I’m 100 percent.”
Muir is into her winter training now, with the indoor season on the horizon. She announced recently that at the Glasgow Grand Prix in February, she will attempt to break the world record, which is currently held by Maria Mutola and has stood for 20 years. Mutola’s record is only one second faster than Muir’s current personal best and so grabbing the world record is, admits Muir, a hugely exciting prospect.
“Being an 800m and 1500m runner, a kilometre is pretty ideal. It’s quite a nasty distance to do though, running that extra lap,” she said.
“I’m British and European record holder in that event so you want to go one better and get the world record. And where better to run than on home soil, with all the support like I had earlier in the year (at the European Indoors). It’s sold out already which is fantastic.
“I just need that one second. I feel like this track is faster than the Birmingham one where I set the record previously and with the crowd and if I’m in good shape, I definitely think it’s achievable – I wouldn't go for it if I didn’t think I could do it.”
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