Paris preview! Starting our countdown – Laura Muir and Jemma Reekie

Thursday 25th July 2024

The Olympics in Paris are only a few days away and we’re keen to start the countdown!

A big focus on events in Scotland means we only have a certain amount of space to commit to the Games.

But we plan to promote and share as much content as we can on the nine Scots selected for GB and NI for the Olympics. Today we look at a couple of stories around Laura Muir and Jemma Reekie.

Laura Muir heads into her third Olympics insisting she is in a good place.

A silver medal in Tokyo three years ago and the World Champs bronze which followed gave the Scot the global medals she craved – and her career desired.

Running a big 1500m PB in the Paris Diamond League a couple of weeks ago hinted at good form and Laura feels that overall her confidence is high ahead of big challenges in the Stade de France,

‘If you’re a happy person, you’ll be a successful person,’ Laura told sportscotland.

‘It sounds simple, but it’s so important. To be honest, I think even before I get there, I feel like I’ve already won. Because I’m happy.’

With those outdoor global medals, plus six European titles and a few more at World Indoors and Commonwealths what is certain is that Laura has nothing left to prove. Her career already merits the brilliant description.

But the back story of steady progress in early years and then emerging as a GB and NI international talent while still studying veterinary medicine will always be aborbing.

‘I was no prodigal youngster,’ she said.

‘I didn’t want to be an athlete. I enjoyed running as a hobby and it just went from there.

‘I realised I was pretty good as it when I was 20. I went to university at 18 and it was only a couple of years after that I made a really big jump, went to the world juniors and went, up and up.’

Read sportscotland article online

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Jemma at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo (photo by Garry Bowden/Sport in Pictures)

Jemma Reekie posted a Scottish Record last weekend in the London Diamond League – and is now ready for the big one in Paris.

The 800m runner finished fourth in the final at the previous Olymic Games in Japan in 2021.

Since then, the Scot has become a World Indoor silver medallist at the recent championships in Glasgow and took her personal best down to 1:55.61 in London.

‘Everything’s going really well and really smooth and we couldn’t ask for a better preparation,’ Jemma told BBC Scotland.

‘All I can do now is go out and try and race as well as I can.

‘I learned so much in Tokyo. Some of those big decisions were made off the back off Tokyo. I made those decisions to get better and better myself and do what was right for me. I’m in a better place since then.

Reekie has also ‘learned over the past year to really enjoy’ competing, rather than focusing on the pressures.

‘That’s what I did in Glasgow and I loved every minute of that championship and I’ve taken that into this summer,’ she explained. ”

‘I’m loving it all, I’m enjoying it all. That’s where I’m thriving. You can go out there and enjoy it and compete to your highest level and that’s what works for me. I’d love to walk away with one of those Olympic medals. That would make me so happy. ‘

Tags: Jemma Reekie, Laura Muir