BY LAURA MUIR’S own admission, her times in 2016 were never much of a focus. It’s been all about knuckling down, “smashing it” in training, and making sure when she reaches her first Olympic Games in Rio she’s in shape to simply show what she’s capable of.
“Smashing it” is exactly what the 23-year-old Glasgow veterinary student has done from the word go in 2016, right from her first outdoor run in Oslo over the mile where she came within less than two seconds of Zola Budd’s British record, through to her 1500m national record of 3:57.49 in the Olympic Stadium on Friday night.
If breaking a British record wasn’t special enough, for it to be Kelly Holmes’ iconic Olympic gold medal-winning run from Athens 2004 elevates Muir up into truly esteemed company, though the added expectation which comes with her new status is something Muir brushes off.