Shropshire Star

Laura Muir keen to become GB’s third World Championships medal winner in 1500m

Muir runs in the 1500m final at the Khalifa International Stadium on Saturday.

Published

Laura Muir wants to complete a Great Britain hat-trick at the World Championships.

The Scot is ready for the 1500m final at the Khalifa International Stadium on Saturday.

Dina Asher-Smith has already won 200m gold and 100m silver, with Katarina Johnson-Thompson taking the heptathlon title on Thursday.

Muir saw her preparation wrecked by a calf injury in July but wants to become the third woman to add to Great Britain’s medal haul.

“It would be great to get three from three,” she said in Doha. “That is not to discount any other athletes.

“I know Dina, KJT and myself have been figureheads for this team in the media and I would love to get that medal.

“Dina has got two and Kat has one and if we get a few more on the table that would be fantastic.”

Muir is the European champion after victory in Berlin last year and has four European indoor titles.

But she is yet to win a world outdoor medal having come fourth at London 2017 and fifth in 2015.

“This is the one of the pieces of the puzzle I’m missing, I’ve got World Indoors, Europeans indoors and out,” she said.

“To get a global outdoor medal would be fantastic and that’s one of the ones I’m missing.

“From the start of this year this has been the championships where I thought I could get my first global outdoor medal.

“I’ve been fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh at worlds and I know I’m so so close. I just need one more step.

“It’s just unfortunate the preparation I’ve had coming into this but I still feel I’m in a good place and if I could get that medal it would be even sweeter. It would be a really big achievement for me.

Muir comfortably progressed from her semi-final
Muir comfortably progressed from her semi-final (Mike Egerton/PA)

“To get one ahead of Tokyo (Olympics) would give me a big confidence boost that I can get on the podium there. It would be amazing. But I know it’s all about next year.”

Meanwhile, fellow Scot Callum Hawkins has revealed he has been training for the marathon by running with heaters in his garden shed.

The 27-year-old collapsed while leading the marathon at last year’s Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast because of the heat.

But he believes he can cope with the 80 per cent humidity and 32C temperatures on Saturday night.

Callum Hawkins has engaged in some unusual marathon preparations
Callum Hawkins has engaged in some unusual marathon preparations (Jonathan Brady/PA)

“I’ve been doing a bit of work in the heat chamber and getting the Aldi heaters in the shed.

“I had some heaters from Aldi and got it up to 39 degrees at one point. It’s a big proper shed and not a wee tiny one.

“I’ve had a lot of help from British Athletics and obviously from what happened on the Gold Coast I’ve learnt a lot and been trying different things.

“Sometimes it’s up to the athlete to look at the conditions and see what they need to do.”

Sorry, we are not accepting comments on this article.