WATCH: Muir on medal joy, coach Andy, her ‘game face’ and backing Jemma

Saturday 7th August 2021

Medal magic! Laura’s Olympic silver lining and new British Record

Laura Muir knew there was history on the line when she chased a medal in the Women’s 1500m final at the Olympics.

Liz McColgan and Yvonne Murray had gathered two medals in a week in September 1988 when Yvonne first took bronze in the 3000m followed by silver for Liz in the 10,000m in Seoul.

Muir checked that stat online in the countdown to her own date with destiny, as she told BBC Scotland.

‘I looked back to see who was the last Scot to win an individual medal,’ she said.

‘When I saw it was Yvonne and Liz, it was like ‘Wow’. When you think how big their names are in Scottish sport and I’m part of that now is so strange. I just can’t believe it’s now done.’

The morning after the night before in Tokyo, Laura also spoke to scottishathletics and chatted about athletics as a hobby, her fruitful working partnership with coach Andy Young, why she has a last lap ‘game face’ and how she comforted Jemma Reekie after her podium near-miss in the Women’s 800m final.

BBC Scotland website interview

And we’ve also been speaking to Eilidh Doyle and Ian Beattie about Laura’s silver medal success.

Eilidh, of course, ended a 28 year wait for a Scot to lay hands on an Olympic medal in track and field when part of the GB and NI Women’s 4x400m team who took bronzes in Rio in 2016.

Ian has been Chair of scottishathletics for the past nine years and it due to step down from that role at our AGM next month.