Laura Muir winning the 1500m at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Paris (© Jiro Mochizuki)
With just two days to go until the start of the 2017 IAAF Diamond League series, 2016 Diamond Trophy winner Laura Muir spoke to the media via a teleconference on Wednesday (3).
Muir secured the Diamond Trophy in the 1500m after twice breaking the British record in 2016. First she clocked 3:57.49 in London and she followed it one month later with a world-leading 3:55.22. Earlier this year she set European indoor records over 1000m and 3000m before going on to win the 1500m and 3000m double at the European Indoor Championships.
Muir will make her 2017 IAAF Diamond League debut at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene on 27 May. Ahead of that appearance, and speaking from her training base in Flagstaff, Muir shared some of her thoughts and expectations for the 2017 season. Here are some of the highlights.
On how training has been going since her indoor season:
I’ve had to combined my vetinary placement with training camps, but it’s been going really well. It was important to come back off of that and go back into a big training block heading into the summer.
On making her season’s debut at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Eugene:
When I saw the start list, I thought, ‘wow, that’s a line-up!’ Nothing like a low-profile race to get going! It’s great. It’s my first race so I’m not really sure how it will go for me, but certainly training has been going well so I’m looking forward to going out there and testing myself against the best girls in the world by putting in a good run. I’m really excited for it because I’ve never run in Eugene before. It looks a fantastic meet and I know it will be a great atmosphere there.
On using the IAAF Diamond League as preparation for the IAAF World Championships London 2017:
For this year our focus is on the World Championships in London. Of course I’ll race in Diamond League meetings too and they will hopefully set me up for having my best races in London at the World Championships.
On what she learnt from the European Indoor Championships to help with potentially doubling at the IAAF World Championships in London:
The European Indoors was great as a testing ground to see if I could do the double, and it went really well. I think the main thing we learnt was that what we did worked well. I think it will work again in the future and for London. The World Championships will be slightly different because it will be more races and it will be 5000m instead of 3000m, but they’re also spread over a longer period of time. I think I’m physically and mentally prepared really well for London and we’ll take a lot of what we did at the European Indoors forwards. And we know that I’m physically and mentally strong enough to go for it.
On the increased media attention leading up to the World Championships:
I’m just kind of taking it all in my stride. Before, I used to get really nervous and I think that affected my performances quite a lot. I didn’t deal with pressure very well, but now I’ve learnt to take it in my stride and now I see it more as support instead of pressure. And I know myself now that the more relaxed I am, the better I race. So I’m just trying to take quite a relaxed approach to it and I’m looking forward to the summer.
On picking one particular highlight from her 2017 indoor season:
It would probably have to be the first medal I won in Belgrade, the 1500m. It was my very first medal and I was over the moon to finally get it and for it to be gold as well, so I was delighted with that one.
On racing over various distances in 2017:
I think we’re going to do a few different distances, 1500m being the main focus but we’re hoping to do an 800m and a 5000m as well to see where I’m at over all the different distances.
Jon Mulkeen for the IAAF
