Sensational weekend for UofG's Laura
Published: 7 March 2017
UofG veterinary student and top athlete Laura Muir had a sensational weekend at the European Indoor Championships, winning the 1500m and 3000m events.
UofG veterinary student and top athlete Laura Muir had a sensational weekend at the European Indoor Championships, winning the 1500m and 3000m events.
Laura's double gold at the European Indoor Championships has, according to media reports, convinced her to race in both the 1500m and 5,000m at the World Championships in London this summer.
The 23-year-old vet student won her first senior medals in the 1500m and 3,000m in Belgrade at the weekend. "We went for the double to see how the legs coped with a lot of rounds in a short period," Muir told the BBC.
"Hopefully, come London, I'll double up and do the 1500m and the 5K."
The UofG athlete regards the shorter distance as her "main event" in August but said she was pleased that the schedule for the heats and finals "work really well to double up".
"I'd love to get on the podium," she added. "That would be my first global-level medal."
Timings, however, were not on her side in Belgrade when it came to celebrating her British record-breaking 1500m triumph on Saturday.
An official repeatedly prevented her attempt to do a lap of honour before Muir eventually gave her the slip.
She told BBC Radio: "They were saying they were behind on the programme, but the athletes were out on the track so I thought, 'ach, I'm just going to go'."
Muir is juggling her record-breaking athletics career with her veterinary studies.
"Athletics is quite an individual sport so I can fit everything around it," she said.
"I just go for runs in the morning before I head to lectures, and do runs in the evenings when I get back. It is tough and my recovery is not as great as other athletes' but veterinary always came first for me."
Muir revealed she felt motivated to "work even harder over the winter" after her disappointment at finishing seventh in the 1500m final at the Rio Olympics.
"I wanted to race as best as I could throughout 2017 and it's gone pretty well so far," she said.
"I just seem to be getting faster and faster and it's brilliant."
See more and watch video on the BBC Sport website
Acknowledgements to BBC Sport
First published: 7 March 2017
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