If the Green Party needs a new mascot, then all Laura Muir needs is a fuzzy super-sized costume.
Confronted with the challenge of running four races inside 47 hours at the European Indoor Championships, the 23-year-old yesterday provided a masterclass in the art of energy conservation, resolutely expending no more than was absolutely necessary to ensure her safe progress into both tonight’s 1500 metres final in Belgrade and tomorrow afternoon’s 3000m finale.
It was efficient but mightily effective. Now the quest for a golden double is on. The double European record holder was all nonchalance as she progressed at the longer distance in fifth place in the heats, the fastest loser fighting against her natural instincts to push until nothing was left unspent.
“That was so hard,” she readily acknowledged.
And although in the 1500m semi she took victory, it was an exercise in control as Muir casually stalked the field before breaking into a semblance of a sweat on the final lap.
“You always want to win a race but you just have to be sensible and do what’s necessary to make sure you’re in the best shape when you get to the final, that’s what’s important,” she affirmed.
She will start as favourite in both, although Kenyan-born Turk Yasemin Can at least hinted at a challenge by lowering her personal best to win the other 3000m heat. Muir will not shy away from expectations.
“It’s hard to tell because I’m running more than everyone else so they’ll be fresher than I will be. But I know that I’m very, very strong so I’m just going to bring my A-game tomorrow and hopefully that’s enough.”
There will be a trio of Scots when the 3000m medals are put on the line with Steph Twell and Eilish McColgan both securing second places to advance.
Yet there is now an aura about Muir borne of her recent performances but also the sense that those elements of talent and drive are generating an unbreakable compound. It has also proven transformative for those who witness her ascent from the closest of hands and now dare to dream of following suit.
“You look at all the 1500s and the top times, there’s Genzebe Dibaba setting world records,” notes Northern Irish foe Ciara Mageean who will line up against Muir and Englishwoman Sarah McDonald today. “You think ‘it’s Dibaba, can we compete against the Ethiopians and the Africans?’ We can. Laura’s proving that.
“You don’t like to say it gives white Europeans a glimmer of hope but it does. Because that’s the genetics of it. Africans have dominated for so long. It’s nice to see an athlete very similar to yourself up there competing. It definitely gives me hope.”
The 3000m title is certainly Muir’s to lose. On form, silver likewise for Can. However McColgan, despite a virus that hampered her preparations, and Twell – a European outdoor medallist last summer – are not merely there as water carriers.
“Laura’s run 8:26. She’s a world apart,” McColgan declared. “But people have off-days. She’s not a robot. But she is almost super-human. You never know though about the other athletes. Can’s come back from Kenya. That’s tough.
"The main thing is to get stuck into the race. Bronze is realistically up for grabs. I think gold is well and truly gone. But there’s no reason why silver and bronze aren’t there if you get the tactics right.”
Twell is well-capable of making her mark. “I don’t think the race is a foregone conclusion,” she added. “It’s nice to aspire to others in the race, but I’m lining up in the final with them, so I’ve got to get myself in the best possible frame of mind.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here