‘I will relish competition with Eilish’ – Laura

Tuesday 26th September 2017

Muir and McColgan both made the 3000m podium at the European Indoors back in March

Sammi wins Sportsperson of the Year

Laura Muir was thrilled to be named Female Athlete of the Year at the Team Scotland Scottish Sports Awards last week – and then revealed one day she will relish more 5000m battles with Eilish McColgan.

The Scottish 1500m Record Holder is back in training now as she once again combines a full-on athletics career with her final year studies in veterinary medicine at Glasgow University.

As Laura took a break after finishing fourth and sixth in the London 2017 World Champs, she lost her Scottish 5000m Record to McColgan – as Eilish ran in the Diamond League final in Brussels and clocked 14.48.49. That eclipsed Muir’s overall best for the distance, a 14.49.12 run indoors in Glasgow early this year.

BBC Sport website coverage

‘I think it is great what Eilish has done over the season,’ Laura told scottishathletics in a special video interview.

‘We are from the same club, of course, so the Dundee Hawkhill Harriers club records might change hands a wee bit over the next few years, too!

‘To have Eilish right up there is good for me. You always look to bring out your best performances, of course you do, but when Scots are competing at the same high level then that can maybe help us both to bring out a little bit extra. Athletes respond to competition.

‘Hopefully if the two of us are racing and competing with the best in the world over the years then there may be some records changing hands along the way. I think we will see some more Record-breaking in the future, put it that way . . .’

Muir saw off the challenges of Katie Archibald and Elise Christie to win the Female Athlete of the Year title and then was short-listed when Para Athlete of the Year Sammi Kinghorn won the overall Emirates Lonsdale trophy as Scottish Sportsperson of the Year.

‘I was delighted to win that award considering the opposition I was up against,’ said Laura. ‘I am very honoured to win that one so it was a good feeling.

‘I think Scottish women’s sport is doing really well at the moment. Every week you are reading about some Scottish athletes doing really well somewhere. That is really exciting and I just hope those at the top can inspire a lot of young girls to get involved in their sport and stay in it.’

With thanks to Gillian Cooke from Team Scotland for assistance with the video

 

Tags: Eilish McColgan, Laura Muir, Sammi Kinghorn, Scottish Sports Awards

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