Muir 'excited' by World Indoor 'stepping stone'

Laura Muir is competing at a longer distance than usual in Glasgow

Laura Muir would love to become the first Scot in 31 years to take World Indoor gold – and in front of a home crowd – but sees this weekend’s event as a mere Olympics “stepping stone”.

The 30-year-old is competing at 3,000m instead of 1500m as she looks to improve her endurance ahead of Paris.

It means she is sixth fastest this season in a field headed by Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay, the second fastest ever.

“I’m just so chuffed that I can be here and competing,” Muir told the BBC.

“I’ve never had a global championships in Scotland before. So it’s incredibly exciting.”

Muir has, of course, tasted gold previously on the Glasgow track.

“The European indoors in 2019 was really special,” she said. “It’s my home track and I’ve got so many fond memories there both training and competing.”

Muir is particularly delighted to be going into the championships in such “good shape” after a “difficult” 2023.

“I’m so happy about where I’m at going into an Olympic year,” she said. “I go into an Olympic year in the best place I could be and this championship is a huge stepping stone towards Paris this summer.

“That is the big goal for this year, so I am keeping this championship in perspective.”

As for her prospects of gold in Paris, Muir admits that to achieve that, she will have to beat “arguably the greatest 1500m runner, man or woman, there’s ever been” – Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon.

“That makes it a bit tricky, but it’s an amazing era to be running,” she said. “She is running fast, so I will have to run faster if I’m going to get close to her.”

Former training partner Jemma Reekie is hopeful of securing her own first senior medal after winning the British title in a championship record time that puts her second fastest this year in the field headed by Ethiopia’s Habitam Alemu.

“It would mean a lot to get it in Glasgow,” Reekie said, although the 25-year-old too admits that the Olympics are her main goal. “Last year was a comeback year, so it was a good stepping stone.”